I think burnout has come knocking on most people’s doors these days and its left lots of us wondering how to recover from burnout whilst you’re still in it.

Burnout used to be just a workplace thing, but it’s broadened out in recent years to parental burnout, creative burnout, millennial burnout and self-employment burnout.

The truth is, looking for a recovery from burnout isn’t just about locating where it shows up in our lives and fixing that area, it’s looking at your situation from all angles! Burnout is usually caused through a combination of internal factors (eg. our boundaries, the internal pressure we put on ourselves) and external factors (eg. the system we’re operating in: company culture, family status quo).

Earlier this year, I asked my audience what they wanted me to cover in my next webinar and an overwhelming amount said burnout. So my webinar ‘Bye Bye Burnout, Hello Breakthrough’ was born, and because we had such a huge number of attendees, I decided to distill the key points here so I can reach and help more people. So if you’ve found your way to my blog, I want to say “Hello, welcome! I’m so sorry you’re going through it, but I hope this helps.”

I’m going to jump straight in with the key image and concept from that webinar that can help you.

I present to you: The Exhaustion Funnel.

The Exhaustion Funnel was created by Professor Marie Åsberg who is a Swedish psychiatrist and burnout expert. The funnel follows a logical process – when we have less energy, we cut out the ‘nice-to-haves’ and focus only on the necessities of life.

However, she quite bluntly describes the funnel as ‘The Process of Not Caring for Ourselves’.

Ouch.

I do see where she’s coming from…BUT, I know burnout is more complex than that and it’s not useful to blame the poor burnt out person, especially in their time of need.

So what I’ve done, is used her funnel and ideas as a jumping off point, plus some other points from my mental archice, and I’ve developed 4 questions you can ask yourself to help you ease the burdens of burnout. This is useful if you’re at the first stages as well as in the thick of it. If you’re in the super early stages or you’re just a curious soul who’s doing preventative learning, then my other blog on ‘How to prevent burnout and improve confidence’ may be more useful.

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1) What has become a chore that wasn’t a chore before?

When stress increases in our lives, it wears away our resilience and burns through our energy supplies, making us more sensitive to any stress. Even the ‘good stress’, like that of a sweaty workout. It’s like if you get sunburnt, then you’re temporarily more sensitive to sun, and so what was once a pleasant activity – sunbathing – becomes a source of pain and something to avoid for a bit.

So if there’s an activity in your life that used to be a pleasant thing to do (eg. planning weekend fun, taking the dog for a walk or cooking) that’s suddenly become a drainer, a nuisance, a chore…then that’s your canary in the mine for burnout ensuing.

At this point, if you can ask for help on the actual chores so you can keep the rest in, do it.

One of my clients, a single mum who was juggling part-time work with doing an MSc, hired a cleaner for the month where she had to write her dissertation. This meant she didn’t compromise on much needed rest during this intense work period.

Is there anywhere you can get help? Even temporarily?

Examples: hire a dog walker, get ready-made frozen meals, hire a cleaner, go on Fiver to delegate other tasks.

Keep asking yourself where you can take the load off you. Even for a bit. And look at the smaller tasks too.

At these times, keeping up with texts can feel overwhelming. Yes, some people can take a break and not text friends for weeks, but I know some personalities where not getting back to people would cause more stress. So can you switch to voice notes to make it less chore-like and just easier to do?

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2) What has become work that wasn’t before?

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Professor Åsberg is very astute about these modern times we live in. Thanks to smart phones and remote working, we can do more in more places. Couple that with an internal drive for ambition or even curiosity, it’s easy to try to have it all, all the time. With no off button.

“The brain, cannot differentiate between employment and other work-like tasks, such as planning a lot of activities in your spare time, having a competitive hobby, or updating social media.”

Doesn’t that quote really make you stop and think?! Like, yeah, how does my brain know I’m not working any more?

I know a lot of people may shut their laptops but they don’t shut their brains off from thinking about work.

Same with side hustlers who have a 9-5 followed by a 5-9.

And also those people with intense hobbies (eg Barry’s Bootcamps, Park Runners). They’re working hard and then playing hard, and whilst sport is an excellent way to switch off, it is, at the end of the day, stress on your body. So similar to the point above where if your reserves of energy are low, you respond to differently to normal activities, your gym class could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Now, I don’t want to take your beloved exercise away from you. I’m a gym bunny myself. Instead, I want you to focus on intentionally taking breaks between tasks. Ask yourself:

What can you do to signal the end of work and the beginning of free time to your brain?

Can you do a 10 minute guided meditation at the end of your working day? That way there’s a definite break and you give your nervous system so much needed TLC.

Instead of going from laptop screen to phone screen on your commute, can you give your eyes and mind a rest and stare out the window, focus on your breathing or enjoy some people watching?

Could you temporarily switch from high intensity workouts to calming yoga or stretching, just for a bit?

As much as you can, try to inject screen-free time throughout your day, peppered with moments where you focus on your breathing trying to give your mind a break by tuning into your body.

3) How can I add more play into my life?

I can’t remember who said this, I want to say Simon Sinek. But the quote goes something like this:

“You’re not burnout because you’re doing too much, you’re burnout because you’re not doing enough of what makes you happy”

Which is why there’s a case for adding play, as counter-intuitive as it may seem.

The beauty of play is that it can be incorporated into work hours.

Play with your colleagues. Listen to some guaranteed hoots during your lunch break or walk.

I love standup comedy and also thoroughly enjoy bloopers or ‘best of Graham Norton’ bits on YouTube. Try it.

4) Ask for feedback

Another major reason for burning out is feeling unappreciated. If you feel like you’re giving more than you’re receiving, you’ll feel like all your effort is for nought. When someone says ‘thank you’ or gives us praise, it energises us! It makes all that effort worth it. But without those acknowledgements, it’s a sure-fire way to feel spent and depleted.

When burnout was first noted, in the 1970s, it was also nicknamed ‘compassion fatigue’. This was primarily because it was first observed in the caring sector (nurses, social services and teachers).

But even if you don’t fall into those sectors chances are you’re giving more than you’re receiving back.

And what do you want to receive back?

Feedback. Of any kind, but preferably positive.

A thank you. A ‘good job’, ‘well done’. Any acknowledgment that your work is being seen and appreciated is a proven antidote to burnout.

Obviously it would be great to receive feedback automatically. But it doesn’t always happen.

Maybe you have a manager who just doesn’t have people skills and doesn’t know people need praise. Maybe you have great managers, but they’re overworked and overstretched themselves so they keep pushing your one-to-ones and disappearing on you.

Whatever their reason is, I don’t care. I’m here for you and your recovery, so I’m going to tell it to you straight – ask them for feedback.

Don’t wait for them to offer it, and don’t push your needs aside because you feel like you’d be adding to their stress. You deserve recognition. You matter.

It might just be the soothing balm your soul was asking for.

Next steps
1) If you’ve been wanting to quit but unable to find anything on your daily LinkedIn doom scroll, then download my Career Change Resources booklet which has alternative job boards you haven’t heard of and plenty of books, podcasts and inspiration that will help.

2) If you’re stuck and unclear about what you want to do next, then try the self-study Career Clarity Course which gives you a roadmap to clarity, confidence and action.