Recovery From Severe Burnout
Recovery From Severe Burnout
Have you ever felt so exhausted that no amount of naps or sleep could fix it? Have you ever felt so detached from your work or your life, like you were just on autopilot, going through the motions without really being present? Or maybe you’ve felt emotionally drained, almost to the point of feeling numb, where joy or even frustration feels out of reach?
If any of this resonates with you, you might be experiencing burnout. And while “burnout” is thrown around so often these days, the weight of the word can sometimes be lost. But make no mistake—burnout, especially severe burnout, can take a profound toll on your emotional, mental, and physical well-being.
What is Burnout?
Let’s start with clarity. Psychology Today defines burnout as “a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress.” While it’s often linked to work, burnout can arise from many different areas of life—whether it’s parenting, caregiving, managing relationships, or even juggling multiple responsibilities. The chronic stress that builds up over time can leave you feeling like you’re running on empty.
Symptoms of Severe Burnout
Burnout isn’t just about feeling tired. When it becomes severe, it can affect every aspect of your life. Here are some common symptoms of severe burnout to watch out for:
Emotional Exhaustion – You feel drained all the time, unable to muster up the energy to care or engage emotionally, even in situations that once brought you joy.
Detachment or Cynicism – You might start distancing yourself from work, family, or friends. This detachment can sometimes manifest as negative or cynical thoughts about your job or responsibilities.
Decreased Performance and Productivity – Tasks that were once manageable feel overwhelming. You may struggle to focus, make decisions, or complete even basic tasks.
Physical Symptoms – Chronic headaches, digestive problems, and a weakened immune system can all be physical signs of prolonged burnout.
Numbness – Feeling emotionally numb, as though the highs and lows of life no longer affect you, is a clear indicator that burnout has become severe.
How to Recover from Severe Burnout
Recovering from burnout is a long term process and healing from burnout (just like any other mental and emotional healing process) is not linear. You will have ups and downs, but that’s ok. True recovery requires both an internal and external change, along with a commitment to self-care. Here are three crucial steps to guide you through recovering from burnout:
Shift Your Mindset & Expectations
Burnout often stems from the pressures we place on ourselves to constantly do more, be more, achieve more. If you are someone who struggles with perfectionism or fear of failure, you may be more prone to burnout because of the unrealistically high expectations you may place on yourself. You might bush yourself to the brink because you believe that you have to be perfect whether it’s at work, home or in your relationships. Recovery starts with recognizing that perfectionism and overextending yourself is not realistic or sustainable. The key is to learn to redefine what success means in a way that prioritizes your well-being.
Here is a tip for you to try: Take a moment to reflect on one area in your life where you are placing unrealistic expectations on yourself. Ask yourself: “Is this expectation helping me or hurting me?” If the expectation is hurting you, just know it’s ok to let it go. This small but impactful change will help you retrain your mind and encourage you to prioritize your wellbeing over everything else.
Make Changes to Your Life
The internal work, like changing your mindset, is important but it’s not going to create long lasting change alone. Recovering from burnout requires you to take inventory of what is causing the burnout. Maybe it’s the environment that you’re in or the responsibilities that you have on your plate. This might look like reducing yout workload, delegating tasks to others or even seeking out a new job if the environment is unsupportive of your needs.
Here is a tip for you to try: Start by assessing what areas in your life are feeling stressful or overwhelming. Is it your job? Taking too much on at home? Identify one area that needs an adjustment. Then brainstorm ways you can change your conditions - that could look like talking to your boss about reducing your workload, delegating tasks to others in the home or cutback on commitments you’ve made. Now assess which one of these changes are actually realistic that you can implement today. By actively seeking out ways to lighten your load, you’ll create more space for recovery and reduce the stressors in your life.
Prioritize Self Care
When you’re burnt out, self care can feel like just another thing on the to-do list. It may feel almost impossible to even think about where or how to fit it into your life. Although it’s hard, self care is one of the most important things you can do for your burnout recovery. Self care isn’t just manicures and massages. Self care is any intentional action that helps you to feel calm, grounded, joyful, rested or fulfilled. You want to create a routine that supports you physically, emotionally and mentally. Self care can look like saying no to an additional request so you can rest or reconnecting with activities that bring you joy.
Here is a tip for you to try: Set aside 10-15 minutes once a week (and overtime you’ll work up to every day gradually) for an activity that you love to do or that makes you feel fulfilled. This could be a quiet walk outside, journaling, practicing mindfulness or listening to your favorite artist. The key here is consistency so pick something that feels restorative and that you can commit to doing regularly. Over time the intentional self care practices will reduce stress.
Burnout recovery can be a long road, but you’re taking the first step by being here. With these strategies, when practiced consistently, you will be closer to recovering from burnout and feeling more balanced. By shifting your mindset, making necessary external adjustments and integrating self care into your routine, you’ll begin to recover your sense of self, energy and purpose.
As a therapist who works with Black women professionals navigating these same struggles, I know all too well how challenging it is to first identify these symptoms as burnout and how to seek support.
If you’re looking for support on your burnout recovery journey, I invite you to book a call with me today to see how I can support you.
