Coping with burnout may feel like an impossible task when you're feeling the emotional exhaustion and depletion that this phenomenon brings. But with optimism, the right support and practical changes that address what is causing you to feel this way, it is possible to not only recover from burnout but also prevent it from impacting you again. To find out exactly how to heal from burnout, we spoke to two experts in this field who have shared evidence-based strategies to aid recovery, even while continuing to work.
Key signs to recognise
Signs of burnout can impact all elements of your life, both at work and at home. You may notice feeling emotionally flat and physically exhausted, but unable to switch off, with sleep disturbances a common complaint. One expert told HELLO! that burnout involves "your nervous system literally shutting down because it cannot cope with the demands anymore".
How to reset burnout
If you're noticing signs of burnout in yourself, one of the best ways you can start to recover is by reflecting on what might be causing you to feel this way and what could help you to reset. Meanwhile, Dr. Ashwini Nadkarni, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, says that employers also play an important role in helping their staff reset from burnout that is caused by pressure in the workplace.
"Employers, themselves, play a role in helping their workforce to reset burnout because they can modify workplace culture (e.g. communication, appreciation, leadership support, aligning values with mission, inclusion and belonging) and workplace structure (e.g. resources/workflows/team composition) to help set people up for success in preventing and addressing burnout," she explains.
Evidence-based strategies to recover
When you're struggling with burnout, it might be hard to see a way out, but research shows there are some effective ways to recover and move forward. Dr Sanjay Popat, Chartered Organisational Psychologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow specialising in occupational stress, well-being and mental health, says that research suggests that burnout develops from "excessive job demands" and "a lack of job resources," including "things in the workplace we can draw on to energise us," so strategies to counteract it depend on changing these things.
Reducing demands
"Reducing demands might include speaking to your manager about the unreasonable workload or asking to switch projects or tasks if certain colleagues are problematic. In reality, though reducing job demands is not as easy as it sounds, and in many jobs it might not be realistic to reduce demands (a doctor cannot simply reduce the number of ill patients that come through the door)," Dr Sanjay explains.
Increasing resources
"In these situations, increasing resources is important. The research has consistently shown social support to be crucial in buffering the consequences of burnout - organisations may wish to introduce buddy systems or social hours into the working day to facilitate the development of this kind of resource. For example, they may have coffee hours or staff walks during lunch," the burnout expert adds.
Pursuing social time
"Employees should also pursue social time outside of work to help recover from burnout. Opportunities for tailored feedback and autonomy are other resources that have been shown to be effective in reducing burnout. Equally, it is important that employees are given opportunities to develop, be that through training and mentoring," the Chartered Organisational Psychologist concludes.
Lifestyle changes that support healing and prevent burnout
Dr Sanjay says that while lifestyle strategies like mindfulness and relaxation techniques can be helpful in supporting healing in certain cases, they are not always effective unless the causes of burnout are also removed. "However, this does not mean lifestyle factors are not important. Employees should strive to engage in regular exercise to improve mood, prioritise consistent sleep, and eat healthy and nutritious meals," he says.
"Of course, employees should also limit alcohol consumption as this has been shown to lower mood. Some studies have shown these factors to reduce how vulnerable employees are to burnout. Underpinning all of this evidence, however, is the notion that these healthy lifestyle choices should work in tandem with a low-demand, high-resource workplace to minimise the risk of burnout." Dr Ashwini also cites mindfulness as a helpful tool for anyone experiencing burnout. "Mindfulness is the practice of directing one's focus to one's internal state and environment with curiosity and acceptance. Mindfulness can improve attention and enhance coping skills," she says.
How to recover whilst working
While it may be necessary to take time away from work in more severe cases of burnout, it is possible to recover while still working, as long as the root causes of burnout are addressed. "In my research, I found that many employees who were reaching levels of burnout were not actually aware of what was causing them to feel this way. I would therefore really recommend keeping a diary - perhaps even an audio diary - on your phone where you can make a short voice recording each day, asking yourself questions such as: (a) What made me feel stressed or drained today? (b) How did I try to cope with the situation? (c) Am I noticing any patterns or changes as time progresses?" Dr Sanjay says.
"Doing this for several weeks or months can allow you to make connections and understand your thinking, which may then lead to you having more focused conversations with your manager or therapist on addressing these causes. For instance, you might realise changes in your thinking following certain tasks at work or around certain people, which can then lead you to make tangible and specific changes to aid recovery."
Signs you are recovering
Finding things more manageable, such as feeling less emotionally exhausted or more engaged with work, are positive signs that you are recovering from burnout. However, the road to recovery will look different for everyone. "The sense of exhaustion may reduce and surface through better sleep. They may start to think less cynically of their work - for instance, instead of thinking, 'My clients are too demanding,' they may now be thinking, 'Some days my clients are less demanding than other days'. They may start to re-engage with colleagues and tasks," Dr Sanjay explains. Meanwhile, Dr Ashwini concludes: "When people recover from burnout, they regain satisfaction, meaningfulness, and a sense of accomplishment from their work."