How to Improve Your Health after a Burnout

Written by: Peter Minkoff

While stress might have become an integral part of our lives, the truth is that our body can only handle feeling so overwhelmed for a short period of time. After the stress has accumulated, we reach a point where we simply feel physically and emotionally burned out, often losing motivation to continue with our usual daily lives. Thankfully, burnout is something you can easily overcome, even though it might feel impossible at the moment. Here are some ways you can recover after burnout and improve your overall health:

Find the cause of the burnout

It can be quite difficult to make any positive changes without knowing exactly which aspects of your life need to change, but trying to explore potential causes of stress might be of help. Whether it’s a demanding job, a hectic academic schedule, juggling work and family life, caring for others, or even relationship issues, burnout can stem from a number of different situations in life. Once you identify which aspect is the cause of your burnout, it might be simpler to delegate, minimize responsibilities, or simply refuse additional tasks, helping you to begin your recovery.

Take care of your basic needs

When you experience burnout, both your physical and mental health will often suffer, which is why it’s essential to start taking better care of your basic needs, in an effort to improve your health and overall well-being. As any burnout tends to be particularly draining, getting enough sleep is arguably the most important aspect, allowing you to fully relax, have a good night’s rest, and wake up rejuvenated. Eating a healthy, balanced diet and drinking plenty of water throughout the day is also necessary for boosting your health, as well as moderate physical activity to help elevate your mood and release that built-up stress.

Boost your immune system

As already mentioned, mental burnout can have a significant impact on your overall health, often leading to increased stress levels and chronic fatigue, which could then negatively affect your immune system as well. And while taking care of your basic needs could help to ease some of the symptoms, it might not be enough to fully recover your body after a burnout. Instead, it might be a good idea to include some beneficial immunity supplements into your daily diet, which will nourish your body with essential nutrients, and help to support and strengthen your body’s immune response to stressors.

Reassess your priorities

If you’ve reached the point of burnout, that usually means you are overworked in one way or another. For that reason, it would be quite beneficial to reassess your responsibilities and life goals; chances are you’ll immediately be able to recognize a couple of ways to lighten your load. If not, try to think about your values and objectives, and only accept the responsibilities that will help you achieve them. Delegate necessary tasks, take care of time-sensitive and truly important aspects first, and leave the rest for later, while politely declining or rescheduling those less important yet stress-inducing responsibilities.

Take some necessary time off

If at all possible, taking some much-needed time off can be one of the best ways to relax and unwind, forget about your responsibilities for a while, and allow your body to fully recover after a burnout. Although a longer, more enjoyable vacation would be ideal, even a few days off could be beneficial for your mental and physical health. You could spend them with friends and family members that will offer you the necessary support, talking to a therapist about ways to tackle burnout, or simply prioritizing self-care as a way to recover and rejuvenate.

Even though experiencing burnout can be incredibly challenging and draining, the helpful tips mentioned above will hopefully allow you to recover, and be well on your way towards better overall health.

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