Nowadays people tend to work as much as they can. They sacrifice the amount of sleep to use it for finishing their work or doing something more productive rather than resting. Of course, you can get used to your night schedule, although sooner or later you’ll reach burnout if you don’t pay attention to rest.
Providing for your family or succeeding is a priority for many of us. But we’ve all had a moment when it was simply needed to rest, haven’t we? How much time should we spend on taking a break, so we don’t reach the bottom but we still are willing to keep productivity on a high level? It’s rather a personal matter, you’ll need to discover when it starts being too overwhelming and remind yourself that slowing down can help.
What to do when you have burnout? How to get rid of it quicker?
The first way that comes to my mind is to talk about it with someone who cares about you. It can be your other half, your parents, siblings, or a close friend, basically anyone who you can trust. It might be hard to open up about your feelings but believe me, if you choose the right person to have a conversation with, it’ll put the weight off your shoulders. You get to know a more objective (not entirely) point of view and you can be given a tip or a solution to your problems which you haven’t thought about yet.
Secondly, take some time for yourself to relax. Listen to classical and calming music, write down your thoughts on a piece of paper, take a nap, or go for a walk. Do something that is enjoyable for you but doesn’t require a lot of effort. It doesn’t necessarily just mean sleeping but the point is to slow down and get a clear (maybe even a new) point of view.
Another option is the exact opposite – a distraction. You not only need a break from doing all the work you have but also rest for your mind. Start by reading your favorite book, watching a movie, or even doing a workout to get rid of your inner stress. Also, come back to your passions, alternatively occupy yourself with a completely new activity that you’ve never tried before but you find fascinating.
Knowing your limits helps you understand yourself. Acknowledge when you need to postpone your plans to focus on your mental health and not let yourself get too pressured by your current situation. Logical thinking is also a good way to escape your thoughts. Even if it’s hard, try to put aside your emotions and think as a person not related to your situation. What would that person say?
Make plans for your future and improve your daily/weekly schedule – simply put, learn from your experience of exhaustion. You could have already heard that resting should be more consistent but smaller rather than a giant break from everything once a month. It’s true, the more you try to get away with burnout, the worse it will get. I try to find some time at least once a week just to take things slowly and not to get too pressured by time, a couple of hours of relaxing and preparing for the upcoming week.
In the times when you start feeling like everything is just too much for you to handle, you need to remind yourself of your strength and that you will manage your thoughts and mindset better next time. The way you think will change your whole life. That’s a must when it comes to improvement and being capable of handling more. You can find different podcasts, books, or even movies about how to get better and change your way of thinking. Remember, sometimes it’s all just in your head.