I don’t know about anybody else, but the end of the semester is always when I start to feel burnout set in. If I don’t take an active approach to deal with my burnout, it’ll last untiil March, so I’ve found different techniques that I can use as soon as I start to feel it creep up on me. Here are my top five tips!
- Take Stock of Self-Care
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Self-care is always the first place I look when my burnout starts. When I’m caught up in my work, self-care tasks always seem to be the first to get neglected. I tend to stay up too late working and wake up early to get back to work and forget to eat and drink enough. Not only does this mean I’m not taking care of myself, but it makes my burnout worse! So, the minute I consciously recognize burnout, I take stock of my self-care tasks and make whatever adjustments I need to.
- Create a System that Allows for Breaks When Needed
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For me, burnout means that I need to take things easier for a little while. I make that possible for myself by preparing for burnout when I’m not experiencing it. If I can maintain being a little ahead of my work, I will have the space to slow down when I get burnt out without getting lost in deadlines. This has been so helpful for making sure that I don’t get overwhelmed by my responsibilities when I don’t have the same ability to juggle everything.
- Take More Frequent, Smaller Breaks so You’re Not Forced to Take the Big Ones
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I’ve also learned to be in tune with myself during burnout. I have to listen carefully to what my body and my mind need. I don’t fight myself if I need more breaks than usual and I take as long as I need to for each break. Not only does this take the pressure off making myself wrong for needing breaks, but I don’t work myself up to a complete shutdown. I also make sure to keep things near me that I can use for a break, so it’s easy to just pick up a book or put on some Netflix, and then I can go back into my work energized.
- Pay Attention
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Something that’s worked really well for me is paying attention to the patterns of my burnout. By paying attention to when my burnout starts, what can trigger or make it worse, and even any places that make my burnout worse, I can act around those factors. I’ve also realized that sometimes it helps to just simply acknowledge that I’m experiencing burnout and my life and routines are going to look different for a little while.
- Find the Things that Bring You Joy
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I know this might sound trivial, but it’s one of the most impactful things that I’ve incorporated into my burnout survival kit. It’s easy to get lost in how overwhelming burnout can be. I’ve started to work on actively partaking in the things that bring me joy when I’m experiencing burnout. This makes balancing the effects of burnout easier, which helps me deal with burnout for however long it lasts.
Burnout is difficult and overwhelming. It can make even the simplest tasks feel like too much. I hope my tips can help you through your burnout as much as they’ve helped me through mine.