How to recognise and overcome burnout
Calypso Barnum-Bobb is a self-discovery coach who helps people express their most authentic selves so they can create lives they’re truly obsessed with.
She’s also our resident Jobs Lead and curates career opportunities that our community will love on The Know Jobs Board, designed to help you find your next purpose-driven role.
This piece is part of a new series by Calypso which is all about helping you level up in your career and work out the path that’s right for you.
It’s likely that you’ve experienced burnout at some point in your life - I certainly have! In my last career as a fashion buyer, I experienced burnout in a massive way. I ignored the warning signs of high stress for months - always telling myself that things would soon get better - before my body finally forced me to stop.
Burnout manifested in a very physical way for me - I felt sick, had terrible brain fog and withdrew from social situations. But it wasn’t until I went to the GP and got signed off work due to stress that I finally began to take my symptoms seriously.
Lots of industries normalise and even celebrate burnout culture but it’s important to remember that it’s not okay to feel constantly stressed at work. How can you function at your full capacity or think creatively when you’re in a perpetual state of fight or flight?
We all deserve to be the best version of ourselves in our workplace. That’s why I’ve pulled together my top tops for recognising burnout - and for overcoming it.
How to recognise burnout
One of the key signs is a change in your desire to do the things you usually love. Whether that’s seeing friends, being creative or going on long walks, being unable to bear the thought of activities which usually light you up is a tell-tale indicator.
Burnout can also manifest physically. If you’re constantly getting colds, feeling under the weather or your body simply isn’t looking after itself in the way it usually does, that could be another indicator that things are not as they should be.
Feeling exhausted, drained and defeated all or the majority of the time is another burnout warning sign which is worth looking out for.
A change in sleep habits - are you lying in bed for hours each night, unable to switch off? Or do you struggle to heave yourself out of bed in the morning? Both could be signs of burnout.
Finding it difficult to think creatively can also be an indicator of burnout. When your body is in fight or flight mode, it’s just focusing on keeping you alive ! There’s no space for creativity or innovation.
Mood swings. It’s not uncommon to experience mood swings, especially around the time of your period. However, if you find yourself being uncharacteristically short with the people around you, it’s worth examining whether burnout could be responsible.
Do any (or all!) of the above sound familiar to you? Read on for how to start feeling better.
How to overcome burnout
Do an energy check
I recommend thinking about your life as a pizza, where each area comprises a different slice - careers, friendships, love life, family, health, etc. Look at all the slices and rate each one out of 10, then look at how they compare.
Why is this helpful? We often think that it’s just our career which is burning us out, but in reality lots of areas often feed into a state of high stress. Focusing too much on one individual “slice” can make it harder to figure out exactly why we’re feeling so low.
By looking at every area of your life, you can begin to figure out where you need to focus your energy to feel whole again.
Set some boundaries
Once you’ve checked your energy levels, the next step is to figure out what needs to change in order for you to feel like yourself again.
Often, this means setting boundaries - like telling your boss you need to finish your workday earlier or spending less time with a friend who drains you. This can be incredibly hard, but it will make life a lot easier in the long run.
There’s a common misconception that setting boundaries - especially as a woman - makes you selfish. This is absolutely not true. Boundaries are just a way of protecting your energy, in turn enabling you to show up as the best version of yourself.
Rest
You have to give yourself some downtime. This can feel like the hardest thing in the world when you’re burned out - as it can feel like you have way too much going on to slow down - but it is seriously needed.
Call in sick or take a day’s annual leave if you can, or prioritise spending some time in nature. It is only by taking a step back and giving yourself time to rest and recuperate that you’ll get clarity on what it is that you really need to feel better.
Check your vitals
Ask yourself whether you’ve been doing all the regular things you should be doing to look after yourself. Are you fed and watered? Are you moving your body? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you going outside and getting fresh air?
These are the things that usually go out of the window first when we’re under high levels of stress. But it’s crucial to care for yourself and advise yourself in the way you would a friend.
Be kind to yourself
When you’re burned out, it’s easy to feel a lack of motivation to make any positive changes - but you have to work hard to push yourself out of this fatalistic phase. This definitely doesn’t mean berating yourself about how you should’ve done things differently, but rather being compassionate to yourself.
This could involve making some nice plans with friends or having a self-love date day where you put your phone on aeroplane mode and eat your favourite meal, reminding yourself that you are the most important thing.
As far as we know, we only get one life on this planet - and we deserve to have a life that fills us up rather than burns us down.
There will be moments of stress on any journey - especially when you have big goals and dreams - but they should be short, sharp moments, and definitely not the baseline.
If you’re looking to kickstart your career or move roles, check out our Jobs Board. And you can find plenty more advice like this from Calypso on Instagram.