Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. Again, burnout occurs when people have high-stress levels for a prolonged time. If we look at the world right now, it is extremely stressful. People are unsure what tomorrow holds for them and their families, let alone next month. This stress is not only causing burnout alone. People are losing the will and desire to push and be better, so they succumb to the choices of the world. In today’s blog, I will speak about burnout in our world and how to prevent and cure it.

The year is still in the early months, but what has transpired in these last months is proof that the stress you are feeling is the real deal. You have so much stress on your plate that you are forgoing any future progressions because you are bogged down with what you have right now. If you are familiar with the stress and understand the health challenges it can cause, then you will be aware that stress does more harm to you than it will good. That stress will act as a decay that keeps you poisoned and in a constant flux of not feeling 100%.

We are approaching the point where people will burn out from their New Year’s resolutions. They gave themselves a goal(s) that were not broken down into an approachable manner. Most of the time, burnout can be avoided. However, sometimes you have to reach a deadline or location by a given time. This can cause stress and hardship in your life now and in the future, but the reward could outweigh the damage. I tell people to start small and then aim big but always keep the final goal in their minds. The steps we take to reach our goal will be necessary for long-term change and for forming better and stronger habits.

Though it is difficult to recover from burnout, some methods can fix the issue. The methods I will share with you will help you avoid and get rid of burnout, but I do not want you to seek burnout because you know of a fix. Burnout can have a long-lasting effect even after you recover from it. The aftermath of burnout is like recovering from a cold. You can do things to feel better, but you will not be 100% until the body has had the time and nutrients it needs to repair itself. Something similar happens with burnout. Once you reach burnout, you can recover from it fast, but you can also fall back into it easily. I do not want you to be in a constant flux of dealing with burnout.

The best way to prevent burnout is not to let it happen. Though that is easier said than done, sometimes we can avoid most of the typical burnout in our life. Whether it be school, relationships, work, etc., we can control the stress level that will come our way. If enough stress enters your life in a given period, you will be at a higher risk for burnout. Although having stress alone is not enough to create burnout, it can signify that something has to change in your life.

The stress you gain will be coupled with sleep deprivation, poor eating, and bad habits/routines. This will make it even more challenging to get out of any negative emotions and habits going on in your life. Burnout is not something you can just say, “I feel burned out. I’ll get some sleep and be fine tomorrow.” Burnout will linger like depression or bad habits until you break or you realize that you are the person that has to regain control of your life. Burnout is setting yourself ablaze and not doing what is necessary to douse the flames.

If you are facing burnout right now, the best thing you can do is unload. You have to throw out unnecessary stress or situations that will not bring about the change you are looking for by unloading. We often hold onto stress for no good reason. We keep things internalized and try to deal with everything instead of throwing out the unnecessary trash in our minds first. When we start to take out the garbage in our minds or the situations that we cannot control, we can focus on the things we can control.

The three things we can control are our thoughts, feelings, and actions. If we have control of those, then any outside stimulus will not play as big of a factor in our stress levels. However, burnout can be internal, so it is not so much about what is outside that we have to worry about. Burnout happens when our mind becomes overwhelmed by everything that is happening. Some people can handle stress and adversity better than others, but we all have a breaking point. That breaking point might be that you can only go a few days without recharging your batteries.

When you “recharge your batteries,” it is a way of thinking of taking some much-needed time to rest and relax. When I ask people the number one way they deal with burnout, they tell me that it is self-care. Though self-care is essential, it is only a bandage on top of a wound that needs surgery. Self-care helps alleviate the pressure of burnout, but our burnout will come back quickly if we cannot pool the root cause out of our life. The root cause can be anything you let become the problem, but the solution is how much time you can stay away from more roots to develop.

The root cause of burnout can come from anywhere, but I want you to notice that when we are faced with burnout, the remedy has to come from within. You might think that taking a vacation alone will be enough, but when you return from the break, you will find all the problems you had will still be there. Running away is a good temporary fix, and it could give you enough energy to complete the tasks that created burnout. However, if you do this, you are reinforcing burnout and its nature. You are subconsciously saying that burnout is ok, and to fix it, I just need some time and self-care.

When we define burnout as the need for self-care, it shows that our schedule or routine is not in line with the care we need. That means we are doing things that do not promote a constant state of care in our life. Though not everything will be pleasant in life, we control how many unpleasant things we have to deal with in a given day. Even if the icky stuff came our way without our consent, we are still the people who decide if we keep them there or get rid of them. I am fortunate in my line of work that I can choose who I want to work with. If a client is not working for me, I can tell them the issue and deny any future coaching. I am not abandoning the person; I am saving myself.

You might think at first that my decision is mean or cruel, but I have learned early on in life that life can be as sweet as you want it to be. You do not have to let anyone sour it because they feel a certain way. You will not make everyone in the world happy, but deep down, we want to. We want the world to like us, and we want to feel appreciated by everyone. This is an unrealistic goal because people will take more than they give and expect you to be ok with that. You can give to your heart’s desire, but you should know who you provide to and who you surround yourself with.

The people in your life will also play a crucial role in how much burnout impedes your life. For example, if you are a family man and have to provide for your family. You will be more stressed if your partner is not pulling their weight, so you take their load on top of your load, and at that point, it is only a matter of time before you burn out. That is why making sure the people in your corner do not add to your levels of stress or obligation. This might not be avoidable if you work for a big company and need that job to provide, but ultimately this situation is still your fault.

I know it can be challenging to hold yourself accountable, but it will be the final line in preventing burnout. If you know what you are worth and have a value system that will not allow you to be trampled on, then you will not allow others to cause you any additional stress in your life. Stress is not always a bad thing. Stress can help light a fire within you to produce better results, but the outcome will determine if you hold stress or let go of stress quickly and correctly. If you are letting stress go by falling into habits like substance abuse or escaping reality, you are destructively going about burnout.

Though you will feel a temporary feeling of ease and relief, it will not be long last. What I want you to understand about burnout is that it requires your consent. Though you do not welcome it with open arms, you feel it building up inside you. Eventually, it gets to the point where you are at your burnout ceiling and faces no other choice but to deal with it. I make sure not to reach a certain threshold because I never know when I might have to exceed that burnout ceiling due to an uncontrollable circumstance. I do an excellent job of not allowing the world to dictate how I live or feel, but I also have to be aware of how much I am taking on. Being aware of where I am on a scale of stress, happiness, etc., helps me avoid burnout.

I see burnout coming from a mile away. If I take on a job or project, I will multiply how I feel in a week, a month, or a year, and I will determine how much rest or destressing time I do not need to let burnout reach a certain point. Though I would love nothing else to avoid general stress, I understand its importance. You cannot have the good with the bad. However, so many people get caught up chasing the good that they allow the bad to overflow and surmount any good that will be the result. That is why I tell people not to break their backs for a company that will replace them in a heartbeat.

In short, how do we prevent and cure burnout? The best way is not to reach the level where you feel burned out, but if it is too late, then follow these steps.

• Step one is to take a breath. This can be done by meditation or just applying a series of meaningful and focused breaths. It is amazing what some fresh air can do to the mind.

• The second step is to clear your mind. If you can clear your mind from all your tasks, troubles, and stress, then you can allow your brain to rest. Even when you are not in a situation that causes stress, the brain is still under pressure. You have to release that pressure gradually over time because if you do it at once, your mind will not comply, and you will find yourself in a burnout situation that can take months to get over.

• The last step I recommend is to talk or write it out. I tell my clients that they need to either talk it out or write it out if they are burned out.

The steps and scenarios I spoke about above to help you deal with/ fix your burnout will work to some degree. If you are far past your burnout ceiling, it could take much longer to feel normal again. You must mitigate how much stress you allow in your life. If you see constant low levels of pressure building up, then start to find ways to fix it before it can elevate to higher levels of stress. No matter how you deal with burnout, you must understand that the reason you are doing this work is to get back to yourself. You were not meant to live a life full of stress, so take some time to extinguish the things causing you to burn out. If you require some professional help, then I can help you here.

Until then,

Michael Rearden

Founder of Reven Concepts