My previous post explored what burnout is, and how to prevent it. But my recent poll showed that there's a lot of you who are already burnt out. I feel you... This second post is for you.
How to Get Out of a Burnout Episode
You've failed at avoiding burnout, and now you're stuck. You can't even think straight. Let's get started.
💡 First up, establish some facts that you must acknowledge:
- Burnout happens, you are burnt out.
- Sorry, you are not capable of the "normal" you expect from yourself. Without shitting on yourself, know that you're low-key disabled... For now.
- It took you a while to get to this point, and it is going to take a while to get out.
- It took little things to get to this point, and it's going to take little things to get out.
- This isn't going to be easy. That's why I told you to avoid it in the first place... But let's not dwell on that.
📝 Great, let's explore what your week is like. What do you do on Mondays? And Tuesday? Write it all down up to Sunday. Include what your sleeping habits are like, and your meals as well. Include leisure activities like movies and games. What's your social interactions like (in person)? It takes like 10-20 minutes (1% of your day). It's even better to find someone to talk to about this and let them see what you wrote.
✏️ Your brain is cluttered, writing things down helps you feel a little easier, but you're not done yet. Let's explore your priorities and why you do the things you do. For some people, you might not have the freedom to do this, but it's time you prioritize your health more than anything. Write down your NEEDS and how your tasks have been contributing to your needs. This is difficult, but it'll help you find out what you can get rid of.
😡 Yes, get rid of them. They're not as important as you think they are. Or find a way to get them done with less effort. Schoolwork might be stressful. But if you spend 8 hours of your day on a project then still manage to fail, the problem isn't that you're not giving it enough time. The problem is that you're feeling too stressed about it. Get your mental health up, and then maybe you could finish it in 3 hours like your peers.
🛏️ Moving on. SLEEP! I know many of you that say 5 hours is enough. I've been like you. You're wrong. Sleep for 8 hours, longer if possible. Just sacrifice something and focus on sleep. You have no idea how much of a game changer it is. I'll share in the comments some tips about how to sleep better.
🍽 Another one: EAT! Eat balanced and nutritious meals, and hit about 1500 - 2000 kcal a day (that's around 3 meals). It has a profound effect on your mental health. Force yourself to follow a routine and just make sure you eat and sleep. The rest of your tasks can come later.
🕑 Allocate time in your day for "nothing". Literally, ask yourself to do nothing for an hour or a couple of hours. No responsibility, no tasks, no productivity. This helps you practice intentional rest. During this time, you're not even allowed to take calls, or think about work. Your silly brain may come up with something fun to do during this time, and that's okay. Just tell yourself that you're not allowed to work, or plan your tomorrow. You just be floating in the middle of your day.
😀 Hooray! You've beaten burnou- wait. ☹️ You're still not feeling that much better. That's cause you haven't given it enough time and repetition. A week might not be enough, maybe even a whole month of this might not be enough. Please take good care of yourself!
#Burnout #MentalHealth #Advice
How to Get Out of a Burnout Episode
You've failed at avoiding burnout, and now you're stuck. You can't even think straight. Let's get started.
💡 First up, establish some facts that you must acknowledge:
- Burnout happens, you are burnt out.
- Sorry, you are not capable of the "normal" you expect from yourself. Without shitting on yourself, know that you're low-key disabled... For now.
- It took you a while to get to this point, and it is going to take a while to get out.
- It took little things to get to this point, and it's going to take little things to get out.
- This isn't going to be easy. That's why I told you to avoid it in the first place... But let's not dwell on that.
📝 Great, let's explore what your week is like. What do you do on Mondays? And Tuesday? Write it all down up to Sunday. Include what your sleeping habits are like, and your meals as well. Include leisure activities like movies and games. What's your social interactions like (in person)? It takes like 10-20 minutes (1% of your day). It's even better to find someone to talk to about this and let them see what you wrote.
✏️ Your brain is cluttered, writing things down helps you feel a little easier, but you're not done yet. Let's explore your priorities and why you do the things you do. For some people, you might not have the freedom to do this, but it's time you prioritize your health more than anything. Write down your NEEDS and how your tasks have been contributing to your needs. This is difficult, but it'll help you find out what you can get rid of.
😡 Yes, get rid of them. They're not as important as you think they are. Or find a way to get them done with less effort. Schoolwork might be stressful. But if you spend 8 hours of your day on a project then still manage to fail, the problem isn't that you're not giving it enough time. The problem is that you're feeling too stressed about it. Get your mental health up, and then maybe you could finish it in 3 hours like your peers.
🛏️ Moving on. SLEEP! I know many of you that say 5 hours is enough. I've been like you. You're wrong. Sleep for 8 hours, longer if possible. Just sacrifice something and focus on sleep. You have no idea how much of a game changer it is. I'll share in the comments some tips about how to sleep better.
🍽 Another one: EAT! Eat balanced and nutritious meals, and hit about 1500 - 2000 kcal a day (that's around 3 meals). It has a profound effect on your mental health. Force yourself to follow a routine and just make sure you eat and sleep. The rest of your tasks can come later.
🕑 Allocate time in your day for "nothing". Literally, ask yourself to do nothing for an hour or a couple of hours. No responsibility, no tasks, no productivity. This helps you practice intentional rest. During this time, you're not even allowed to take calls, or think about work. Your silly brain may come up with something fun to do during this time, and that's okay. Just tell yourself that you're not allowed to work, or plan your tomorrow. You just be floating in the middle of your day.
😀 Hooray! You've beaten burnou- wait. ☹️ You're still not feeling that much better. That's cause you haven't given it enough time and repetition. A week might not be enough, maybe even a whole month of this might not be enough. Please take good care of yourself!
#Burnout #MentalHealth #Advice