Burnout Recovery: 144 Tips [Prevention & Healing Burnout]

How do you get out of a burnout ? What are the signs and symptoms? How can you prevent it and what is the best treatment? Here you will find steps and tips to stop feeling exhausted and tired. Think of this as a complete ‘wiki’ including tips for overcoming burnout.

Maybe you ask yourself one or more of the burnout related questions below

• What to do with a severe or starting burnout?
• What does the burnout recovery process look like?
• What are the symptoms?
• What are a number of practical tips against burnout to apply immediately?

Here you will find a detailed explanation and tips so that you can get out of a burnout.

The different names of burnout: what are its ‘synonyms’?

In everyday language some terms are used interchangeably, like ‘stress complaints’, ‘overworked’, ‘overstimulated’ and ‘burnout’. All of these terms indicate not all for the same. For example, there is indeed a difference between overworked and burnout. Burnout is considered the most severe variation. Yet they are not completely separate from each other and these words are often used interchangeably.

The meaning of burnout

Burnout means ‘to be burned out’: extreme exhaustion of your body and mind. The ‘reserves’ have also been used up and the stress system has been disrupted. This makes even the small tasks such as making a phone call or running errands a tough task. Delivering performance that was previously effortless is no longer possible.

Signs / Symptoms / Characteristics of Burnout

What is the description of burnout? What are the features? What happens in a burnout? How does it feel? Is it comparable to depression?

Depression and burnout are not the same, but there are different symptoms that are similar . Let’s take a look at the symptoms of (depression and) burnout:

• Feeling quenched or exhausted and not able to cope with it anymore: you are mentally and physically exhausted, or constantly tired.
• You feel lethargic and depressed.
• Difficulty getting out of bed. Almost literally a feeling of, “I’m not moving.”
• A feeling of down when waking up.
• Having a short fuse, getting angry or sad easily.
• Sleeping problems / insomnia: very tired but unable to sleep.
• Low self-esteem as well as insecurity and social anxiety.
• Concentration and memory problems.
• Dizziness.
• Even the smallest tasks, such as making a phone call or going to the supermarket, feel like a hard task.
• Can no longer perform.
• No longer able to think clearly. When you are exhausted, it is not the right time to make decisions, because you see everything through negative colored glasses.
• Slow thinking.

Do you ever get over a burnout? The average duration of burnout …

How long does a burnout last? Will it ever pass? The answer is yes: you can heal completely. It can only take a long time: the recovery takes time.

You can’t suddenly recover, in the same way that you can’t suddenly lose 30 pounds. Your fat person lifestyle may now be 100% healthy again, but for the first few weeks, he / she will still be and feel like a fat person.

Statistically, the recovery takes six to nine months. If you exceeded your limits for two years, it can take just as long to recover. It is not uncommon for the recovery to take two years, but it can certainly be faster. There are also many people who are back to normal after three to six months.

The phases and course of a burnout

What is the course of a burnout? What are the recovery phases? Burn-out has a number of phases in the run-up to it and in the recovery process. This happens through trial and error.

Phase 1 – Stress without possibility of recovery: Stress is basically a ‘normal’ function of the reptilian brain to keep us alive. All energy of the body is briefly removed from your organs (causing you to experience physical complaints) and is used for the survival mode to be able to, fight, flight or perform. The latter – performance – is the case in the 21st century.
Phase 2 – Fatigue: When you have had stress and exertion without giving yourself the opportunity to recover, you become fatigued.
Phase 3 – Overload: you are forced to make a claim on your reserves. Your recovery deficit increases because of too much effort.
Phase 4– Chronic stress: the above phases are increasingly common. If something happens often, it is chronic.
Phase 5 – First tipping point – Overstrained: changes are taking place in the stress system. Still, you persevere and don’t give in to the signals.
Phase 6 – Second tipping point – Burnout: the stress system is disrupted.
Phase 7 – Low point burnout: The consequences of the burnout become visible. Also the long-term consequences. For example, depression can also creep in because there is less energy to do fun things and go outside.
Phase 8– Burn-out recovery process: this includes getting used to the new situation while making drastic changes such as taking a rest and saying no. You will find tips for this later in this article.

Cause of burnout? These are the causes …

How do you end up in a burnout? Are you wondering what the causes and triggers of a burnout are?

These are the causes of burnout:

• One of the main causes of burnout is stress. This is a survival mechanism and therefore ensures that all the energy of your body is used to the maximum so that you can survive. This causes hormonal disruptions (cortisol). In principle, this is a ‘normal’ function of the reptilian brain, but if it happens too often, your organs will receive less energy for a longer period of time, which causes physical complaints.
• Another cause is exhaustion: ‘burnout’ and ‘working’ are often mentioned in one sentence. Burnout happens after you’ve exhausted and pushed your mind and body for too long. Moreover, nowadays we have a lot to do with all kinds of extra stimuli from our mobile devices, which further exhaust our mind.
• Not being authentic takes an incredible amount of energy: you will receive messages from your body if you are not honest with your heart and your values. Your body then says, ‘Get out of here! I don’t want to be this character anymore. I don’t want to play that avatar you created anymore. ‘ This incongruity is the hardest thing to sustain in your life and it drains an incredible amount of energy. Your body needs deep rest from the character you are trying to play. So eliminate this persona fatigue: drop those masks quickly and accept what’s behind it: yourself . Be yourself!

144 tips for getting out of a burnout

And now it is time for the practical tips. These 144 tips are on this separate page about resolving depression. The solution is largely the same for burnout and depression.

➡ Click here to go directly to the 144+ tips.