The most passionate among us have no problem putting every ounce of ourselves into a project when the need to succeed becomes everything. We push and churn non-stop, often for days and weeks at a time.
Continuously expending intellectual energy in this way without taking time to rest can often run you aground. Instead of the usual thrill of a job well done, you may sometimes end up feeling completely sapped of inspiration and our usual zeal. What’s happened?
Burnout is characterized by a loss of focus, direction, and engagement with your work and made only worse by detachment, fatigue, and feelings of hopelessness. More than a sense of exhaustion after a demanding day, the agitating fog from burnout envelops your entire life.
To help you prevent burnout, or to overcome it, we’ve put together this list of tips to inspire a healthy lifestyle, stay connected with friends, find opportunities to grow, and more.
FREE DOWNLOAD: This cheat sheet is available as a downloadable PDF from our distribution partner, TradePub. You will have to complete a short form to access it for the first time only. Download the How to Overcome and Recover From Burnout Cheat Sheet.
50 Ways to Help Prevent or Overcome Burnout
| # | Tip |
|---|---|
| Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle | |
| 1 | Keep your water jug handy for easy access. Give yourself a hydration quota so that you don’t forget to drink. |
| 2 | Fruits and vegetables are brain fuel. For that bright lust for life, try to consume at least five to six servings daily. |
| 3 | Moving your body will help shake the boredom out of you. Join a class or hit the trails solo, whatever makes you more comfortable. |
| 4 | Stretching in the morning or at night after your day is relaxing and will keep you feeling more positive when deadlines start rolling in. |
| 5 | Screen fatigue will drain the life from your body. When you feel yourself glazing over, take a moment away from the computer to reset your brain for your next task. |
| 6 | Up all night? Cut off your caffeine intake around noon. |
| 7 | Feeling rugged? A hot shower will cure what ails you. |
| 8 | Working through a hangover is not conducive to a successful day. Avoid indulging on weeknights, and save yourself a few bucks in the process. |
| 9 | If it’s been more than a few days since you’ve felt the warmth of the sun on your skin, stepping outside for a bit of Vitamin D might be a good idea. |
| 10 | The body is wise. Don’t tell it that it wants junk food when it tells you that it needs a tall glass of water and a good night’s sleep. |
| 11 | Plan time to unwind into your day. Mark it in your calendar if nothing else works. |
| 12 | Snacking too often is not good for you. Choosing not to eat when you are hungry is a bona fide recipe for disaster, and late-night fridge conquest. |
| 13 | Commit to a new morning ritual. An energizing green smoothie? A daily facial? Listen intently to your inner Martha Stewart. Buy yourself a bouquet of flowers, just because. |
| Staying Connected with Others | |
| 14 | Have you called your mother this week? No time like the present to give her a ring. |
| 15 | Your group of friends is likely just as bored, burnt-out, and lonely as you are. Connect with them in this way over a strong cup of coffee. |
| 16 | A new pet may also help keep the walls from closing in on you. |
| 17 | Volunteering with your local community is one way to forge new friendships. |
| 18 | Put yourself out there. Make yourself available. Start dating again. Blossom anew. |
| 19 | Already involved with somebody? Devise new, romantic ways of keeping the spark alive. Plan a blow-out picnic or just go for a walk. |
| 20 | Try reconnecting with an old friend. If all of them are already by your side, maybe you should try adding a few new ones. |
| A Moment of Escape | |
| 21 | Vacations are expensive. Getting lost sans-GPS on your day off is not. |
| 22 | Switch up your home office setup when your bedroom or home office grows stale. Nothing says “go-getter” like Zooming your manager from a luxurious bubble bath. |
| 23 | Don a new identity. Try out the handlebar mustache you’ve been idly dreaming about. Or just get a haircut! |
| 24 | Need a time-out? Take a little nap. Sleeping in the middle of the day is no longer only acceptable for kindergarteners. |
| 25 | Make a list of everything that you want to get done in the short-term. Cross it off as you go for a little brain boost. |
| 26 | A stay-cation may be in the cards for you. Throw on a bathrobe. Break out the bonbons. Get your favorite comfort movie queued up. |
| Finding Opportunities to Grow | |
| 27 | Pick up a new hobby. Learn a trade. Join a union. |
| 28 | If you live near a library, free books can stand in as an enjoyable television alternative. |
| 29 | Try growing a plant from seed. Keep him on your desk. Share your secrets with him. |
| 30 | Ditch the takeout. Cook from home. Where is dinner? It’s already here. |
| 31 | Lay out your ambitions, fears, and wishes for the future. Come up with a two-year plan and a five-year plan. |
| 32 | Keep your day moving with small rewards: your favorite chocolate bar, a funny YouTube video, or a dance around your room. |
| 33 | Fantasize about starting a dream business. Get so into it that you accidentally succeed. |
| 34 | Give meditation and other mindfulness practices a shot. Connect thyself with the central, divine source of all wisdom, right from your home office. |
| 35 | Give your resume the old once-over. Write a new cover letter and clean up your LinkedIn. The digital equivalent of getting your tux re-fitted; just try not to let your boss see. |
| 36 | Keeping a daily journal will help you blow off steam, as well as give you plenty to chuckle about years down the road. |
| Staying Busy in Your Downtime | |
| 37 | Catch up on your laundry and tidy your room to keep your mind clear. |
| 38 | Take care of that home improvement project that you’ve been keeping warm on the backburner since moving in. |
| 39 | Find low-energy ways to get ahead in your work. Sort through your inbox. Write yourself a list for the week ahead. Keep it simple, yet gratifying. |
| 40 | Clear off your desk. A little bit of elbow room can go a long way. |
| 41 | Back-up your computer. Never find yourself unprepared for the inevitable. |
| 42 | Rearrange your furniture. The energizing potential of the time-honored tradition of feng shui is undeniable. |
| 43 | Find a new podcast to latch on to. Develop an interest in politics, or just something to laugh to. |
| Eliminating Sources of Negativity | |
| 44 | Start culling your life of clutter. Stop buying things just because Amazon tells you to. |
| 45 | While toxic people throw the best parties, building relationships with people who do not hate you will improve your life greatly. |
| 46 | A healthy sense of self-loathing turns into an unbearable echo chamber when you’re stressed and totally over everything around you. Try to give the hateful self-talk a rest. |
| 47 | Is there anything more depressing than doomscrolling on your newsfeed? Turn off the social media and get some well-deserved rest. |
| 48 | Play doctor with yourself. Are you feeling moody, irritable? Step into your own office. Give yourself a daily head-shrinking. |
| 49 | You can only be in one place, operating in one mode at any given time. When it’s play-time, politely show work-you to the door, and vice-versa for when it’s time to work. |
| 50 | Notice the habits and activities that make you feel lousy. Avoid the ones that you can (paying your rent, unfortunately, may be one that will be difficult to do away with). |
Never Find Yourself in a Rut Again
Part of burnout recovery is knowing yourself and your own personal symptoms. The other half? Taking the required steps to set yourself up for success. Planning your life around pitfalls that trigger you is made even easier when helpful apps and other tools are factored into the equation.
And, if all else fails, we always recommend taking a step back when the going gets rough. Nothing gets you back on track like a moment of pause after the storm has already passed.
