We live in a world that stops for no one. Time keeps ticking no matter how strongly we need it to stop sometimes. No matter who you are, we all have responsibilities, deadlines, bills, pressures and enough stress to overwhelm us just at the thought of it all. We keep running in a constant non-stop cycle of rapid motions until we get sick. At some point, we all reach a burnout. When that time comes, your body will make time stop for you. You may get sick and even sleep more than usual. That is your body's way of telling you and the clock that it all just needs to stop. Here are a few ways on how to recover:
1. Do Absolutely Nothing
Not only may you be physically exhausted, but mental exhaustion is a huge part too. Before you work yourself into a migraine, take some time for yourself. Literally, take as much time as you can to just do absolutely nothing. Odds are, that is probably all you want to do anyways and for great reasons. When you can, just do absolutely nothing, which could be in the form of meditation, laying out in the sun or staring at the wall. If you have run yourself ragged, you may really need this and it will help tremendously.
2. Rest, Sleep, Nap
It may have taken you many weeks, months or even years to get you to this state of burnout. Put down the java, place your phone on silent and take some time to get as much rest as you can. It took time to get you to this point; it will take time to get out of it too. Dream some good dreams and catch up on all those Zzz's you missed because sleep debt is real!
3. Relax
Once you have rested a little, to aid in your recovery, it may help to do something that will boost your spirits. Be gentle with yourself and choose a calming activity that you enjoy to help build you up. Try talking with your friends and loved ones, watching your favorite Harry Potter movie, drink some medicinal teas, listening to some healing music at 528hz, spending time out in nature and looking at pictures of cute kittens.
4. Do the Bare-Minimum
We know you cannot just simply stop everything just to rest no matter how much you may need and/or want that. However, that doesn't mean you can't make a necessary compromise. An understanding must be reached if you are to keep going and succeeding at everything you are doing. Find those boundaries and set them to do the bare-minimum of what you need to do so that the time left over can be utilized for your recovery.
5. See A Doctor
If you are feeling burned out, excessively tired, stressed, depressed and overall drained beyond belief, you should see your doctor to rule out any serious conditions so you can resume recovering positively. Additionally, in order to seriously take some time off, you should get a doctors note if necessary.
Just remember that it is OK to be burned out, as it happens to the best of us. Continue to try your best, pace yourself accordingly, and take all the preventative steps to avoid getting burnout again. It is healthy to take a break right now when you may need it the most. In order for you to continue staying as necessarily productive as possible, you need to make sure you are able to do so. So take some time to rest, recover, and refresh your mojo! Time may not stop, but it can slow down enough for you to feel your best again!