When a Nap Isn't Enough: Strategies to Recharge When You Are Beyond Burned Out

By Christine Murray

In today’s all-too-busy and stressful world, the importance of practicing self-care is widely recognized. Most of us have learned much about burnout and its impact on our work, personal lives, and relationships. While basic self-care strategies, like making time for rest and relaxation, are often enough to recharge, there are times when our usual self-care strategies fall short. Sometimes, we find ourselves beyond normal levels of burnout, deeply exhausted, and in survival mode.

Periods of major changes and transitions can contribute to this extreme level of burnout. Often, people enter new life chapters because they recognize that certain aspects of their past season were unhealthy or unsustainable, and these burdens might carry over into the new chapter. Major life changes also can bring added stressors, decision fatigue, and an overall feeling of being overwhelmed. If you find yourself in this deep state of exhaustion, there are steps you can take to address it, get to the root cause, and set up systems to avoid reaching this level of distress in the future.

Here are a few approaches that might be helpful. Keep in mind that everyone is different, so it's important to experiment and see what works best for you.

1. Seek Professional Health Evaluations: Consider scheduling one or more health evaluations with qualified mental and physical health care providers. Sometimes, feelings of burnout and exhaustion might reflect underlying physiological or mental health conditions. Scheduling a checkup with your general physician or family doctor is a good start. They can help identify any physical issues that might be contributing to your fatigue.

Additionally, consider seeking a mental health evaluation with a trained professional. Undiagnosed conditions like depression or anxiety can significantly impact your energy levels and overall well-being. Addressing these conditions with the help of a professional can be an important step toward recovering from deep burnout.

2. Engage in Deep Self-Evaluation and Reflection: Taking time for deep self-evaluation and reflection can help you examine and uncover possible root causes of your exhaustion. Reflect on your life circumstances and stressors. If you have trusted friends, family members, or a partner, consider talking to them about your feelings. They might provide valuable observations and support that offer insights into your experiences.

Here are some questions to guide your self-reflection:

• What might be the root cause(s) of my burnout?
• What is my tiredness signaling to me?
• How is this exhaustion showing up in my life, body, thoughts, and emotions?
• What steps might I take to help myself feel better in this moment?

3. Find Moments of Stillness, Quiet, and Calm: Unplugging from distractions and finding moments of stillness can be incredibly restorative. Practices like mindfulness meditation, journaling, or simply sitting quietly can help you reconnect with yourself.

Sometimes, stillness can be uncomfortable, especially if you’re coming out of a busy, stressful season. Be gentle with yourself and start with small doses, such as a few minutes of quiet time each day. You can gradually increase this time as you become more comfortable.

4. Review and Adjust Your Schedule: Conduct a detailed review of your schedule. Look for activities or meetings that you might remove to create more space for self-care. Consider proactively scheduling self-care activities, like a daily walk or relaxation time. This can help ensure that you prioritize your well-being, even when life gets busy.

Additionally, look for opportunities to delegate tasks or say no to additional responsibilities. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it might be because you’re carrying so much on your own. Seek support from others who can help lighten your load.

5. Strengthen Emotional Support and Connections: Building emotional support and connections is very helpful during challenging times. Consider speaking with a counselor for professional guidance. Also, as much as possible, try to carve out time for the important people in your life. With people you can trust, consider opening up about your struggles instead of putting on a brave face. Emotional support from trusted people in your life can make a significant difference as you face difficult seasons.

6. Seek Opportunities for Fun, Joy, and Bliss: Consider how much space you’ve currently got available for fun and joy in your life. Burnout can be exacerbated by a lack of positive experiences and emotions. If at all possible, try to find small ways to bring laughter and joy into your day, whether through hobbies, social activities, or simple pleasures. When you do have these moments of joy, try to stay present in the moment instead of mentally checking out and worrying about your to-do list or other demands you’re facing.

7. Assess Your Season in Life: Life can feel overwhelming when we are straddling two different seasons of your life. Sometimes, we find ourselves carrying burdens or hurts from a past season, as well as from feeling stuck in our current one. This can be overwhelming, although sometimes there is a natural overlap across different seasons and stages in life. Make time for self-reflection and/or consider seeking support from a professional counselor to process past burdens so you can move forward in a healthy, positive way.

Conclusion

Facing extreme burnout can be isolating and lonely. It's important to be patient with yourself as you process your feelings, examine the causes, and work towards making changes. Seek support and take the necessary steps to address your burnout. With time and intention, you can move forward into a more peaceful and balanced future.

Remember, healing takes time, and it's important to be kind to yourself throughout the process.