What To Do When You Feel Burnt Out

Burnout can happen when my job feels monotonous over a period of time. It can also happen when I have taken on too much and find myself overwhelmed. Burnout is frustrating and can be hard to overcome. Here are some ways I have used to recover from burnout.

1. Take a break! If you can (deadlines permitting), take a moment or take a day to regroup.
   Sometimes when I have been doing the same thing day in and day out it just takes a break to reset my mood. For example, I used to do a job 6 days a week (kids in tow). Our one day off was Sunday when we rushed to get the family ready for church. There was never a day where we had a chance to relax in the morning. Come Monday my kids were complaining that they didn’t want to go anymore and I was feeling the same way. I pulled back to 5 days a week, allowing for Saturday to be our day for relaxed mornings and everything changed. The kids and I no longer feel burnt out when Monday comes because we have one morning that allows us to regroup and not on a schedule.
   Sometimes you can’t pull back or take an extra day to regroup but even scheduling a moment to breathe can help. If you are taking a moment be sure not to use it to think about what you are working on. Grab a beverage, sit, breath and clear your mind, do some yoga, take a walk or talk with a friend. Do something that is going to release stress, not add to it.
   
2. Do something that is the complete opposite of what you’ve been doing.
   When I do the same thing over and over I can end up on autopilot and feel uninspired or motivated. When this happens I try to do something completely different than what I have been doing. If I’ve been physically working, then I do something more sedentary. If I’ve been working mentally, I do something more active.
   
3. Tackle what needs to be done first and ignore the rest.
   If I am burnt out because I have taken on too much I focus on the thing that is most pressing and get that taken care of first. I often make a list of all that I need to do so I don’t have to have the tasks on repeat in my head. Then I figure out what needs to be done first and focus on that one thing. If there is nothing that clearly needs to be completed first then I will often knock off as many of the smaller things on the list first. If I can shorten my list quickly by doing the little things and only have one or two bigger things left, the overwhelm and burnout lessens. I also create a timeline for the tasks. If I set out to tackle 2 tasks on one day then I stop when I complete them. This gives me a chance to take a break throughout my list of projects so that I do not burn out as easily.
   
4. Change the game plan.
   Sometimes I get burned out because I keep trying to accomplish something but I am not getting the results that I desire. Instead of continuing to do the same thing over and over, I change my approach. I may find a better way to do something or I may learn a valuable lesson but at least I don’t feel like I am beating my head off the wall.