If you have noticed the first symptoms of professional burnout or are in doubt whether you are burned out or not, the previous article will help you. This article also concerns what to do if you are already burned out.
The good news is that it is possible to recover from burnout and regain your interest in your professional life. Let's talk about how AI can help you recover from burnout and the steps that can help you regain your enthusiasm below.
Five steps to recovering from burnout, and how Voiset can help you do it
Step 1: Give yourself permission to stop engaging in professional activities
Most likely, you will immediately ask the question: how long does it take to recover from burnout? How long do you need to step away from the business? Having a precise answer to these questions is exactly what will prevent recovery. The Latin word "finis" has two interpretations: it is both a goal and an end.
We actively move towards something when we see the goal clearly and set a time frame in which we want to achieve it. But remember that it is constant movement, "reaching" that is the first stage of professional burnout. The faster you run, the more strict limits you set for yourself, the faster you get exhausted, and as a result, you burn out.
Burnout at work is about filling up a full tank of petrol, spending it at record speed, and eventually running out of gas. You can't go any further: the tank is empty and no matter what time limits you set, the car doesn't care about it. Maybe there will be a petrol station in a few kilometres, or maybe you will have to wait for help for a long time - it happens too. But it's important exactly not to put a time frame on it and to give yourself as much time to recover as you need.
You can change the direction of activity, if not working now is not the best option. You can get a new education. You can start a new business. In fact, you can do anything! Now is the time to figure out exactly what it is that you want? What evokes in you even the slightest inner response?
The task at this step:
1. Write down all your wishes in Voiset. What have you wanted to do but never got around to it? Perhaps you've always wanted to become a coffee roaster? Or write a book? To grow orchids? Traveling to Africa? Do charity work? Get your body in great shape.
2. Create a list of tasks that inspire you and focus your attention on realizing them. Dictate each one, talk about why they are important to you. Form new tasks out of them, put them on your calendar just as you once added work tasks.
3. Chronic burnout leads to a loss of interest in life. It begins to seem that life itself has become dull and grey. But this condition is reversible, and it is important to remember this.
Step 2: shield yourself from reminders of the activity/company you burned out on
After reading the last step, you probably wondered: maybe you should just go on holiday? Unfortunately, a holiday as a coping strategy to recover from professional burnout is not always effective because any reminders of what led you to burnout are likely to be perceived negatively. At least at first.
If you're lucky enough to have management willing to give you unlimited days of holiday in the hope that you'll return, consider the offer well. Sometimes such offers become an additional psychological burden that is very difficult for a burned-out employee to carry.
For the fastest recovery, it is useful to limit any contact with what causes negative emotions. Remove from your field of attention subscriptions to the company's social networks, get out of work chats, throw away printed reports, etc.
The task at this step:
1. Remove all those work areas and tasks from Voiset that you no longer need to do. Do this with pleasure and relief.
2. Review your Voiset schedule and the to-do list you made in the last step and prioritise your tasks.
- It's nice to know that a picnic in the park can now be a priority, rather than turning in a report on Wednesday, right?
*Everything in the world strives for balance. Usually, professional burnout occurs in those who have not kept a balance between work and personal life for a long time. If now you feel that you want to shift your focus in favour of your personal life rather than work, it is quite natural.
Step 3: If you feel a little bored with your past work, analyse your mistakes
It is likely that at some point in time you will feel that you are starting to "drop out". If what you've been doing is your life's work and your vocation, it's very likely that at some point in time you'll want to know how it's going. What's new in the industry? Has someone been hired to take your place? How are the competitors doing? How has my idea developed?
However, it's at this point in time that it's important not to rush into work, but to maintain that fragile feeling. Don't scare it away, and use your renewed enthusiasm to complete the next tasks.
The task at this step:
1. Create a new task in Voiset called: "Reasons for my professional burnout." Now, looking back, you can analyze what caused you to burn out at work. What mistakes did your employer make? What mistakes did you make?
2. After analyzing the causes, move on to the next task: "What steps will prevent me from getting occupational burnout again?". Some of them, like regular psychotherapy, finishing your working day no later than 6 pm, and similar tasks that are always relevant, you can add to your schedule immediately.
Step 4: If you feel the desire to return is stronger, reinforce it
You have already analysed all the reasons that led you to professional burnout. Now it is important to find something that can bring you a fresh perspective on your profession and strengthen your desire to return to it. Visit profile seminars and conferences, read new books about your chosen line of work, etc. Give yourself a new perspective on something that has stopped inspiring you at some point in time.
The task at this step:
1. Add to Voiset's schedule those tasks that are related to your professional activities and that inspire you.
2. Make an example of an optimal schedule for you. How many hours a day do you feel comfortable working so that you don't burn out again? How many days off per week do you need? What personal activities should be on your schedule?
Step 5: Come back, but slowly
Not everyone reaches this step. Some stay on the second or third step and change the direction of their activity. This happens, too, and it is normal. If, however, you feel enthusiastic and ready to return, imagine that now you no longer have a full tank of petrol, but only ¼ and a speed limit of 40 miles. And so it is for every day, at least at the start.
Some psychologists recommend starting your return to your profession after burnout with only one hour of work a day. If this is not possible for you, try to take care of yourself and not make the mistakes that led to the state of professional burnout.
The task at this step:
When it comes to scheduling, trust Voiset. If the artificial intelligence tells you that you are once again overloaded with tasks - reduce your workload. If you get a reminder that your working day is over - end it.
Tomorrow will be a new day to do everything you want. This kind of leisurely movement towards your goal is actually the best strategy in the long run.
Professional burnout is not always a bad thing. The US Navy SEALs have an exercise where they tie their hands and feet and let them enter a pool three metres deep. Their task is to hold on for five minutes. The more a person tries to stay afloat, the more effort they put in, the less chance they have of passing the test. There is only one way to pass the test: relax and go underwater. Next - you need to push yourself off the bottom, take a breath at the top and repeat.
Professional burnout is a way to push yourself off the bottom to start a new life where you know your capabilities better and will not make old mistakes. And Voiset will help you do just that!
