THE BURNOUT SERIES
PART 2: HOW TO MANAGE BURNOUT AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF BETTER
While burnout is a symptom of a stressor, we often can’t entirely eliminate the stressors present in our life. So, learning how to manage the impact of stress and prioritize our well-being is the best way to manage and reduce burnout. Go to Part 1 to review what burnout is, how to spot it, and what causes it!
HOW TO BUILD A SELF-CARE ROUTINE
What is self-care? It is a habit of regular and intentional actions to take care of yourself. It is not selfish! It allows you to be the best version of yourself. To build a self-care routine that supports you, your goals, and your overall health and well-being you need to spend some time paying attention to the actions in your life that support you. Some questions to consider:
What makes me feel good emotionally? Physically? Spiritually?
What excites me and invigorates me?
What heals me?
What actions can I take to support myself in leading a life focused on my wellness?
How can I practice more self-compassion?
When it comes to self-care for burnout specifically, you need to pay attention to the areas of your life that are contributing to burnout and how to build routines that protect you from future burnout.
UNDERSTAND WHAT IS DRIVING YOUR BURNOUT
In order to effectively build a self-care routine that will reduce and prevent burnout, you need to understand what is causing burnout in your life. Given the information you now have about what burnout is, pay attention to where in your life you’re noticing it. Is it caregiving? Your jobs? Relationships? Friendships? Parenting? Is it due to stressful or toxic situations in these areas of your life or is it boundaries that you are not maintaining? How can you prioritize yourself more in these situations to support your mental health and increase your motivation and pleasure? For example, if you are feeling burnt out in your friendships, is it because of a specific friend (or many) who are adding stress to your life and not reciprocating care back to you? Is it you taking on too much in your friendships without being asked and not setting boundaries? Can you set boundaries to limit the expectations on you or shift your focus, energy, or engagement in these relationships? Pay attention to where the stress and expectations are coming from. Sometimes the call is coming from inside the house and we’re the only ones putting ourselves in difficult positions because we don’t want to seem difficult by setting boundaries.
BUILD THE ROUTINE
After you’ve spent time paying attention to the drivers of your burnout and reflecting on what supports and harms you in your life, you can begin to build routine and intention in your self-care. This can either be with daily check-ins to ask yourself some of the questions listed above to guide your actions for the day or a set action you do each day to take care of yourself. It is important that you build this into a routine so that you are prioritizing your wellness on a daily basis, to help prevent future burnout and to prioritize your mental and physical well-being. A key component of self-care and wellness, especially with regards to tackling burnout, is prioritizing rest as a part of your routines. Often when we are overworking ourselves and growing resentful and angry it is a sign we have not been resting enough. There is more than one way to rest, which is important to keep in mind when building your self-care routine.
REST TYPES
According to Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, there are 7 different types of rest:
Physical rest: relieving your body of physical stress such as muscle tension, headaches, and a lack of sleep. This can be passive, such as napping, or active, such as stretching and massage.
Social rest: spending time with people who don’t need anything from you and who you feel give you life and make you feel good.
Mental rest: giving your brain a break from the inner chatter, thinking, or focusing too hard - this can be done by utilizing mindfulness skills or taking a break from technology and going on a walk.
Spiritual rest: connecting with something that gives you a sense of purpose - whether that is religious experiences or personal ones that you enjoy.
Emotional rest - sharing your feelings honestly and openly and stepping away from people pleasing behaviors.
Creative rest - engaging in behaviors and activities that wake up your feelings of awe and wonder - you do this by exposing yourself to environments that feel inspiring and exciting without the pressure or need for creation. Examples are: nature, art gallery, a creative hobby, etc.
Sensory rest - our modern lives are filled with constant sensory experiences, such as computer and phone screens, TV, loud noises in a city, and so on. This is an opportunity to intentionally get a break from these to support your brain in getting rest.
WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?
You can take this information and build your self-care routine. Remember to practice self-compassion as you begin to engage intentionally in your wellness routines and reduce burnout in your life. It can be difficult to build routines in your daily life and we are often afraid of prioritizing ourselves. But, every day that you intentionally work towards caring for yourself is another day where you can reduce burnout and improve your quality of life. If you’re still struggling with the idea that self-care is selfish, remind yourself that you can’t be present for other people if you’re not taking care of yourself, so you can think of it as another way of giving to others but in a more sustainable way.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or just want support in navigating self-care and wellness, reach out to a therapist at the New York City Psychotherapy Collective today to be paired with a therapist who can support you on your journey!
Follow the steps below to get started:
Click here to share some information about you so that we can match you with the perfect therapist for your needs.
Have a low-pressure, 20-minute call with your therapist to make sure they are the right fit.
Schedule your first session and start on your journey to feeling better right away.
We offer specialized services for related issues like Anxiety, Depression, LGBTQ Affirming Therapy, and Therapy Specifically for Young Adults. We can help you feel less overwhelmed, more relaxed, and more like the self you want to be.