How to recover from emotional burnout
Written by Amanda Miller
Emotional burnout consists of chronic exhaustion that occurs due to excessive physical and emotional stress. For the most part, stress and burnout often go hand in hand. Extreme, long-lasting amounts of stress can have mental and physical consequences that can eventually lead to chronic issues such as other elevated heart disease and elevated blood pressure levels.
When under high amounts of stress, individuals are more prone to reaching emotional burnout. Especially during the COVID pandemic and the personal and political chaos this year has brought, many have reached a stage of emotional burnout. Some signs of emotional burnout include an absence of social engagement, inability to concentrate on work or school, lack of motivation, physical exhaustion and poor self-care. Often, physical symptoms such as insomnia, headaches and stomach aches can be overlooked, though this is how your body tells you that it needs a break.
As someone who deals with burnout episodes, I know how important it is to listen to your body and relieve stress when needed. While it's often challenging to move away from my busy schedule of being a full-time student, taking a step back by simply distracting myself with retro shows and movies from my childhood can help relieve some of the stress. Occupying my mind allows me to escape the craziness of life and relax, even if it's just for an hour or so.
Most importantly, during this time in which we have dealt with stress more isolated than ever before, it's vital to find a happy and calm place throughout all the chaos and stressful situations. Those who already deal with mental health issues should especially pay attention to how their bodies and minds alert them of mental burnout.
As the COVID pandemic has changed my summer plans and I have stepped into a new career, I have noticed myself dealing with exhaustion, lack of comfortable sleep and unreasonable migraines. After explaining my symptoms to my epileptic specialist, I realized that I was experiencing signs of burnout and have since made efforts to bring myself back to the center.
As burnout often results from work-related stress, I have made an effort to stop overdoing and overextending. I've always had a tough time establishing borders, but now, I'm discovering that one of the most effective alternatives to release myself from all burnout is to say no, even though it's a hard thing to do.
I have also begun to unplug from the demands of the world. I'm starting to step back and not always be accessible to everyone because it can become very emotionally and physically taxing. I've acknowledged that it's okay to take breaks, including social media and even phone calls—it's okay to disappear.
Taking my physical health into consideration, I have realized that sleep is vital to my functioning. I know that my body and mind need 6-9 hours of sleep to function at it's finest. Reducing sleep isn't helping me, especially with my already existing disorder of epilepsy which makes proper sleep even more essential. While it's been a work in progress, I have tried to get myself on track, but dealing with insomnia has made it a struggle. I do, however, try to take naps to keep myself refreshed and focused throughout the day.
Most importantly, remember to reconnect. With the pandemic still buzzing, finding some clarity through nature and even stepping out of my comfort zone to explore new horizons has helped me stay grounded. For the most part, social media, texting and facetime have been my saving grace as physical isolation has become prominent. Regardless, social connection is still vital. While people are now slowly but surely returning to their busy schedule, maintaining connection may be difficult, but even a simple text saying, "just checking in" can make a world of difference.
