Could you be burnt out? Burnout leaves you feeling exhausted and drained, so here’s how to recharge

When life is full-on – jobs, family commitments, side hustles, maintaining fitness, money worries, health issues – we can all suffer from burnout. And being burnt out isn’t just reserved for people who are busy all hours of the day. A buildup of stress over weeks and months can also lead to feelings of burnout. So how to fix burnout?

You’re not daft. You know we’re likely to recommend one of our retreats as a remedy for this! But there are other things you can do.

Burnout won’t disappear of its own accord. Without addressing it, you can cause further physical and mental harm to yourself. It can impact your ability to complete tasks at work and home, which can have their own knock-on impacts.

Recognise when you are experiencing burnout

When you’re in it, it can be hard to recognise the symptoms of burnout. Especially when many of us have come to accept feelings of intense stress as part of the everyday. However, intense stress shouldn’t be part of your normal life, especially if there aren’t any obvious stressors

If you’re feeling a few, or all of these symptoms, there’s a high chance you’re experiencing burnout:

  • Constantly feeling tired or drained
  • Feelings of helplessness and entrapment
  • A cynical/negative outlook
  • Feeling overwhelmed
  • Doubting yourself
  • Severed decline in motivation
  • Headaches or stomach aches

Recognise some of these in yourself? Well there are things you can do and implement to fix and recover from burnout.

How to fix burnout

Make taking care of yourself a priority. Most burnouts stem from the pressures of trying to balance work and the rest of your life. Assess what it is you’re lacking or doing too much of. Have you been staying later at work? Checking emails during the weekends? Being glued to your phone? Or socialising with people and attending events out of obligation?

If you can highlight one or two areas that need balancing, then work to achieve that. For instance, take your work emails off your personal phone if you know you check them out of hours.

Focus on investing in your sleep. Quality sleep will boost your energy levels and lower cortisol (the stress hormone). Make sure to disengage with any screens, at least an hour before bed, and do something to help you relax, like taking a bath or reading.

Maintain balanced nutrition. Burn out reduces your energy levels, so you need to make sure you’re fuelling yourself with energy in mind.

If you’re able to, take some time off work. If you have the annual leave, it’s worth it as you can dedicate more time to recharging your body and brain. Many people suffer from burnout because of the pressure felt trying to balance work and life. And, when you’re feeling burn out, it’s ultimately your body telling you to put your foot on the brakes. Take a long weekend away from anything work related. Book a solo trip somewhere for a short while. Recharge, doing what you love.

Preventing future burnout

Building new habits into your weekly routine can aid in preventing burn out in the future. It might take a few weeks to fully integrate these techniques and habits, but it’s worth it in the long run to better your mental wellbeing.

Have a few unrelated work hobbies that you can do. Make one of them exercise or movement based. Whether it’s the gym, yoga classes, dancing in your living room, or cycling.

Set aside a few hours every week to spend by yourself doing whatever it is you like. Reading, crochet, painting/drawing, video games

Integrate a mindfulness practice into your weekly routine. This can be done a few ways. Journalling, meditation, or breathing exercises. The key is to find something that slows your mind down from racing thoughts, and be present in the moment.

Recover from burn out on a retreat

Taking solo time away is a great opportunity to heal and recover from burnout. A break from the daily mundanities of life, and a chance to focus on yourself and being in nature. Even if you’ve not been suffering from burnout, booking yourself onto a retreat commits time to your mental wellbeing which can prevent burn out catching up to you.

We can’t speak for all retreats, but our Solstice Retreat next summer will see you getting into nature, mindful yoga, delicious summery meals, and reconnecting with yourself.

Book yourself onto our Midsummer Night’s Dream Solstice 2024 Retreat