How To Deal With Burnout

In the persistent pursuit of success and fulfillment, many of us find ourselves on a risky edge—wobbling between productivity and exhaustion, ambition and depletion. This can lead to a phenomenon that has become too common in the last few years: burnout.

Have you ever felt your once vibrant passion for work being replaced by a sense of dread each morning? Do you get the “Sunday Scaries”? Or is the energy that once fueled your creativity being drained by the continuous demands of your career? Many of us have, as burnout is silently becoming an epidemic that affects workers across all levels – from the C-suite to the front line, and industries – from corporate offices to creative studios, leaving a trail of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion.

But don’t despair. As common as burnout is, there are strategies to, not only deal with and overcome it, but also prevent it from happening again. Here are some suggestions on how to deal with burnout: 

1. Recognize Signs & Symptoms

In the 1970s, psychologist Herbert Freudenberger coined the term burnout, describing it as a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged and intense stress, often related to our work or professional life. His definition identified physical, emotional, and mental components. Within the latter two, he observed a decrease in performance and motivation, along with detachment and cynicism—adopting an overly negative outlook toward our jobs or organizations. He also identified depersonalization as a common symptom, where people experience less empathy or compassion and a decreased sense of accomplishment.

According to Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski, authors of Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, out of the three components, emotional exhaustion is the most strongly associated with burnout and its negative effects. Therefore, when identifying key signs and symptoms of burnout, it’s important to determine whether you’re getting stuck in one or more negative emotions. In their book, the authors explain that this can happen due to constant exposure to similar stressors, an excess of consistent negative emotions, or not fully processing these emotions to their resolution.

When it comes to physical symptoms, signs that you may be or are close to experiencing burnout include persistent tiredness and lack of energy even after resting. In some cases, it might be difficult to fall or stay asleep. Additionally, burnout is associated with a lowered immune system, resulting in frequent illnesses such as colds or infections. Tension, headaches, and muscle pains are particularly common when dealing with excessive stress, as well as changes in appetite and increased or decreased weight.

Other signs and symptoms falling under the behavioral or cognitive umbrella include excessive procrastination, withdrawal from social interactions and a preference for isolation, substance abuse or overreliance to cope with stress, neglect of self-care practices such as skipping meals or abandoning exercise routines, and even neglecting personal hygiene like avoiding showers. Additionally, we might experience difficulty concentrating or focusing, forgetfulness, a lack of creativity, and challenges in making decisions.

2. Evaluate Your Workload and Other Responsibilities

Excessive workload and responsibilities can often lead to burnout, especially if you don’t take time to rest and recover daily and weekly. Rest can mean sleep, but it can also mean spending time with loved ones or engaging in activities you enjoy outside of work, such as hobbies or connecting with friends. Hobbies are associated with stress relief, mental stimulation, personal fulfillment, and a creative outlook—all therapeutic and helpful in expressing emotions constructively. Similarly, spending time with loved ones provides emotional support benefits such as an improved mood, a sense of belonging, and the pure enjoyment of having a good time and a laugh (see points six through eight for more).

It’s important to evaluate your workload to determine whether it’s the main cause of your burnout. It could also be a combination of factors in both your work and personal life. However, upon reflection, you might find that it’s not the load itself but the misalignment between your values and your daily activities that’s driving the intense sense of stress and risking you feeling burned out.

When your work or daily activities conflict with your personal values, you’re likely to feel increased stress and frustration due to the internal struggle that depletes emotional and mental energy. This can also result in a loss of motivation and enthusiasm. In this context, cognitive dissonance is particularly common. This refers to the psychological discomfort that occurs when your actions are not in harmony with your beliefs, which can lead to an identity crisis that exacerbates feelings of burnout.

If you perceive a misalignment between your values and your work, it’s important to stop and reflect on what your core values are and identify what truly matters to you. If possible, realign your daily activities and find ways to adjust your tasks or delegate responsibilities according to your needs. Communicate with your supervisor or your team and advocate for projects or roles that resonate better with who you are. In extreme cases, it might be necessary to seek out new work opportunities. If this isn’t possible in your specific circumstance, engaging in other forms of purpose-driven work, such as volunteering, can bring a sense of fulfillment and reduce your sense of burnout. 

3. Reassess Your Goals and Priorities

As you evaluate your workload and identify your values, it’s also worth reviewing your long-term career and personal goals. Once you’re clear about these, it’s easier to seek opportunities for growth and development that align with your passions and strengths.

Being clear on your goals and priorities has several benefits. For instance,

• • Working towards a goal helps us reduce uncertainty, which can often increase stress.
  • Clarity on your priorities can help you focus on manageable tasks, reducing the feeling of being overwhelmed by an endless to-do list.
  • Having clear priorities and working towards your goals helps you concentrate on high-impact activities that will align with your values.
  • Clear priorities help you prevent over commitment and eliminate nonessential tasks so that you can set realistic expectations for yourself.
  • If you’re in a management position, clear goals and priorities also allow you to identify tasks that can be delegated or postponed, lightening your workload and reducing stress.

4. Find Meaning and Purpose

With clearer goals, priorities, and values comes the need to define an ultimate goal—your meaning or purpose. Being disengaged from daily activities increases the risk of burnout. Therefore, finding meaning and purpose behind your work counters the effects of stress and protects you from burnout.

Expert and researcher Angela Duckworth argues that purpose stems from contributing to the well-being of others. In her book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, she explains that there are two ways to pursue happiness: positive, in-the-moment gratification, and the pleasure or joy that comes from caring for others. While both approaches to happiness stem from evolutionary roots and are necessary for the survival of the species, it’s by focusing on others that we can most effectively pursue meaning and purpose.

According to Bill Damon, a Stanford developmental psychologist, a beyond-the-self orientation needs to be cultivated deliberately to find meaning. With that in mind, Duckworth recommends engaging in the following activities to define your purpose:

• • Reflect on how your work can help make a positive contribution to society.
  • Think about how you can change your work to connect with your core values.
  • Find inspiration in a purposeful role model.

The Nagoski sisters also explain that you can foster a sense of meaning and purpose by pursuing an ambitious goal that leaves a legacy, serving God or following a spiritual calling, and engaging in a loving, emotionally intimate connection with other people (such raising your kids or fostering a deeper relationship with your partner). 

5. Finish the Stress Cycle

In their book Burnout, the Nagoski sisters explain that stress is part of human evolution. It’s a neurological and physiological response to threats that help us survive. In the past, a stressor, such as a dangerous animal attack, would elevate our stress responses so that we could fight, flee, or respond in a way that would eliminate the threat. Back then, the stress cycle would naturally end the moment the stressor was eliminated, or when we successfully fled from it. However, in modern times, chronic stress is what’s threatening our lives because eliminating the stressor is no longer enough to finish the stress cycle. In other words, because there is no physical attack, it’s hard for our bodies to understand that we’re safe, the threat has been neutralized, and we’re no longer in danger. Nowadays, we feel stress and get burned out because we’re likely stuck in a stress-activating situation (such as ongoing high-stakes projects at work), we’re in a situation where we cannot fight or flee (like when studying for and taking a certification exam), or we’re put in a situation where freezing is the only available mechanism, as our brains evaluate it as safer than trying to fight or flee (such as when we’re harassed on the streets).

To avoid and combat burnout, it’s essential that we learn to finish the stress cycle. The following is a list of activities that the Nagoski sisters provide in their book that can help you signal to your body that you’re no longer in danger and that you’ve successfully survived a threat:

• • Engage in physical activity.
  • Breathe slowly and deeply (note that this works most effectively when stress isn’t too high or you need to quickly get through a difficult situation, after which you’ll have to do something else like exercise).
  • Laugh, ideally with others.
  • Seek affection from loved ones or from pets.
  • Engage in spiritual activities such as praying or meditating.
  • Cry without wallowing in negative emotions.
  • Engage in creative activities that lead to energy, excitement, or enthusiasm. 

6. Sleep and Rest

As you may know, humans need seven to nine hours of sleep to function properly. During sleep, our bodies recover energy, and our brains process all the information we have gathered and experienced throughout the day. Sleep restores physical health, helps maintain a healthy immune system, enhances memory and concentration, and reduces cognitive impairments associated with burnout. It also helps regulate emotions and mood, reducing irritability and enhancing emotional stability. When well-rested, we are better equipped to handle stress and recover from setbacks.

Despite our need for rest, many of us don’t make the proper time for sleep or have difficulty sleeping through the night. If you’re among them, establish a clear routine to signal to your body that it’s time to rest. Ideally, make your room as dark as possible, minimize noise, and avoid screen exposure for at least an hour before bedtime. If possible, avoid going to bed with a full stomach.

Like sleep, resting is also important. Resting might mean sitting down on your couch to watch your favorite TV show or read a book. But if you’re not the type to relax in this way, you can try other activities that provide a mental break, boost creativity, and enhance life satisfaction. For instance, to many, engaging in physical activities as a hobby helps them relax and boost their mood. If you’re not a fan of exercise, consider walking in nature, stretching, doing yoga, or seeking any form of body movement that lets you release stress hormones like cortisol and promotes a state of calmness. You can also engage in other activities such as writing poems, playing instruments, painting, gardening, cooking, baking, or anything that provides a creative outlet.

Dedicating time to activities you enjoy can help you establish a boundary between work and personal time, de-stress, and experience more joy in your life. 

7. Connect with Others

Humans are social creatures. Women, in particular, need social connection, but, really, everyone needs social interactions to remain healthy, regardless of their level of introversion. Because Western society highly values independence, it has instilled in us a sense of strength that stems from not depending on others. While this might be true to a degree, excessive independence often leads to maladaptive behaviors and negative effects. If you’re dealing with burnout or you’re managing high levels of stress, connecting with others can help you combat loneliness, depression, anxiety, and any other form of emotional distress, along with cognitive decline.

So, to alleviate burnout, connect with friends, family, colleagues, and anyone in your network who can provide emotional support. Talking with others who experience challenges similar to what you’re facing can provide comfort and a sense of camaraderie. Knowing you’re not alone in your struggles reduces feelings of isolation, frustration and stress. While your connections can offer empathy and understanding, which is helpful in itself, they can also provide practical support. They may offer valuable advice or solutions that you hadn’t considered. In a professional context, your colleagues might be able to help share the workload or reduce your burden.

Connecting with others can also mean going out with your family or friends and engaging in social interactions that provide a break from the stressor causing burnout. Engaging in enjoyable activities with others can help you relax, recharge, boost your mood, help you laugh, and create a positive emotional experience that counters stress.

As humans, we all have a need for belonging. Connecting with your community and network can foster a sense of purpose crucial to your mental well-being. Consider volunteering, joining clubs or communities, and exploring new activities that provide opportunities for social interaction, personal growth, and a sense of purpose. These activities build relationships and strengthen our resilience. 

8. Tame Your Inner Critic

In Getting Unstuck: A Guide to Discovering Your Next Career Path, Timothy Butler explains that we all have internalized an irrational critic—a voice in our heads that tells us we are failures, inadequate, unworthy, or have made the wrong choices. Its concern is not moral action – it’s not our conscience – but punishing us and limiting our possibilities.

Recognizing and disengaging from our inner critic is crucial to alleviating stress and preventing burnout. This means that we need to learn to recognize and challenge the voice of self-doubt and criticism within us and learn to differentiate it from our genuine aspirations and desires.

Butler provides a process to tame your inner critic:

• • The first step is to know that The Critic, whether that is the voice of a parent, boss, teacher, or a combination of people, is not us. It helps to give it a name so that when you hear the voice, you can separate yourself from it and disengage.
  • The second step is not believing the message.
  • The third step is to go back to what was happening before it arrived.
  • The fourth step is to send The Critic Don’t argue with it or defend against it. Just let it go. Use humor if it will help.
  • Finally, the Nagoski sisters argue that it may be worth trying to understand it.

Additionally, practice self-compassion. Our inner critic often stems from perfectionism, which is closely linked to burnout because it pushes us to strive for an impossible standard. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to improve or become our best selves, but rather that we should recognize perfection as unattainable. We all make mistakes, and there’s no need to be unduly harsh on ourselves for our lapses. 

9. Set Boundaries

Setting boundaries is crucial in preventing stress and burnout as it allows us to manage our time, energy, and resources effectively. Establishing clear limits on work and personal commitments can ensure that we’re not overextending ourselves and can maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Boundaries help to delineate when work should stop and personal time should begin, allowing for necessary rest and recovery. This separation is essential for mental and physical health, as it prevents the constant intrusion of work-related stress into our personal lives. Additionally, setting boundaries enables us to prioritize tasks and focus on what is truly important, reducing the feeling of being overwhelmed by endless demands. It also empowers us to say no to unreasonable requests, preserving our well-being and preventing the depletion of our energy reserves. Ultimately, by maintaining clear boundaries, we can protect our mental health, sustain our productivity, and enjoy a more fulfilling, balanced life. 

10. Create a Healthy Work Environment and Work Routine

Depending on your circumstances, the level of control you have over your work environment might differ. However, within your capacity, make an effort to create a healthy work environment and routine. For instance, Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson continually finds that psychologically safe environments – meaning places where people feel safe to speak up and share their thoughts, opinions, or ideas – create collaborative atmospheres where people feel less stressed out and are more likely to succeed as a team. So, if you’re a manager, foster open communication and a collaborative environment where employees are not afraid of judgment and where you can reduce your and others’ feelings of isolation, increasing your sense of belonging among your team members.

Another strategy that can help you create a healthy work environment, whether you’re a manager or not, is getting clarity on your role and expectations. Not being clear about your responsibilities can increase uncertainty and confusion, which adds stress. Seek also to identify the resources you need to make your job more effective. Lack of resources contributes to frustration and burnout.

Finally, make an effort to log off and disconnect once the workday is over. Ensure that you take regular breaks throughout the day, take a day off each week, and utilize your vacation days to disconnect and rest.

Burnout is a pervasive issue that affects individuals across professions and at all stages of adult life. Early recognition of its signs, such as chronic exhaustion, diminished interest, and emotional detachment, is crucial for prevention. Yet, addressing burnout requires a multifaceted approach that includes self-awareness, self-care, and a reassessment of goals and priorities. Most importantly, addressing burnout is not just about avoiding exhaustion—it’s about preserving your passion, purpose, and well-being in all aspects of life. Foster an other-focused purpose, connect with loved ones, help out in your community, and recognize that you don’t have to face the struggles of life on your own.

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