How I recovered from Burnout and my take from it

How I recovered from Burnout and my take from it

Overview

Seeking productivity warrants incessant work and sometimes overextending oneself. While chasing work calls and trying to accomplish more than what we are capable of leads to a work-life imbalance. If this imbalance goes unattended for a prolonged period then it leads to burnout.

We feel exhausted, drained and uninterested in doing things even at work. Cutting off from the social circle, feeling irritable or edgy, not involving in social outings and snapping at people frequently are the common symptoms of burnout.

Sometimes these burnout calls go unheeded as we are trying to make ourselves more and more immersed in work thinking that these are temporary signs and will settle down as time passes. But these exhaustion indicators will eventually lead to mental collapse or depression.

My Experience

The first and foremost thing is to accept the fact that you are experiencing burnout and it should be taken care of. The last time I felt burnout was in 2019. It was due to the constant work for almost 6 months without taking a day off. Initially, I thought it is just tiredness due to the previous day's work and tried to take a nap but was unable to sleep. I again got back to work thinking that perhaps I am not feeling sleepy. The next day, I reached home back from the office. And my brother was trying to make fun of me just to have a good-natured banter with me but suddenly I shouted at him in front of everyone and told him that it was not funny and I am in no mood to have fun with anyone, just leave me alone. And everyone got shocked by this behavior. I locked myself in a room and just cried, a lot.

Then my brother came to me and told me that I am seeing you for last so many days and that there is something that is bothering you. He tried to have a word with me regarding this earlier as well but I snapped at him saying it is just that I am somewhat busy with the work that's it. On the next day, in the morning he told me to take a day off and spend time with him. I took a break and went outside with him. He told me that you are having a bubble of workload and stress that burst last night. You will have to have a balance between work and life, otherwise, this bubble again starts to form and you will again have to go through the same phase.

After that, I started to wake up early and do Surya Namaskar. Along with exercise, I started to do meditation. I started to go out with my friends and got involved in my inner circle. It took a month to get recovered from burnout.

Precautionary Measures

1. Know your limits
Never get overwhelmed with work. Getting the job done is good and invites appreciation from the boss, but never cut off more than you can chew. You can make a to-do list in your phone's notes application and sort the responsibilities in order of importance. Expressing your concerns and thoughts to your team members will invite suggestions and different perspectives to accomplish the task. Your coworkers or supervisors may feel comfortable assigning you the work but you should be honest about your workload and ask for a later deadline.

2. Monitor your mental well being
Keeping track of mental health is the precautionary step to prevent the mind to get the stage near to burnout phase. You can journal daily to make you realize the behavioral changes you go through. It will help you with the self-assessment and can self-evaluate your mental state.

3. Get the proper sleep
Enough study is available to prove that sleep directly affects mental health. Poor sleep leads to worrying. Worrying leads to poor sleep. Worrying about sleep is like your mind trying to fight itself. That's a horrible place to be. Lack of sleep leads to tiredness which results in difficulty coping with daily life that causes low self-esteem. So there is strong reason to believe that improving sleep can have a beneficial impact on mental health and can be a component of treating multiple mental conditions which also includes burnout.

4. Get involved in your favorite pastime
Pursuing hobbies is an effective tool to have "me" time. Dedicate a few hours to something you enjoy each week. Participating in activities during leisure or the spare time has been shown to reduce stress levels. While there are many mental health benefits related to hobbies on your own, group or ‘team’ hobbies have also been shown to provide important opportunities for social connection, friendship and support.

5. Seek help
There is nothing wrong to ask for help when you feel trapped in a mental dilemma. You can go to your primary care physician to seek advice. Your doctor can give you primary treatment and could also refer you to, mental health specialist. Sometimes all you need is just someone who listens to you patiently. So that someone could be your friend, colleague or any family member who you trust. Sharing your problem with someone could prop you up with emotional support and make your way clear to get out of it.

6. Work out
There is no denying the fact that exercise promotes positive mental well-being. It helps us to cope with stress, anxiety and other emotional challenges which in turn improve our overall sense of happiness. Regular exercise will have a dramatic effect on the brain and regulates the level of certain neurotransmitters that are responsible for your mood. Physical activity boosts the self-confidence that is much needed to start a day on a positive note.

Conclusion

All in all, signs of burnout must be recognized before it results in depression, substance abuse or sometimes suicidal thoughts. It's not a long journey if you already have found it and chosen to address it.