Beating Burnout: How to Rest Mindfully

Beating burnout is no joke.

You feel like you have no balance in your life, causing you to feel uninspired and apathetic. You may be experiencing fatigue, forgetfulness, insomnia, detachment, and a lack of concentration and productivity. Burnout can affect how you function day to day and can devastate both your mental and physical health. Burnout doesn’t manifest in exactly the same way for everyone, so it’s important that you recognize what your triggers are and understand when you are at your limit. When you are a perfectionist, put unrealistic expectations on yourself, take care of others before taking care of yourself, try to control what you can’t control, and support people when your emotional cup is empty, you will experience burnout. Here are some ways you can beat burnout and rest more mindfully:

Stop multitasking

Focus on one thing at a time. You’re not actually maximizing your work time like you think you are, you’re actually just draining your energy. You become less focused, and it becomes harder to get into that comfortable flow when you are doing too many things at once. You’ll wind up making way more mistakes, which will make your tasks take longer as you will inevitably have to go back to fix your mistakes.

Do something that genuinely interests you

Plan experiences that you love and that you know will restore your energy. If you’re just working, day in and day out, with nothing to look forward to, you will burn out. You will feel like there is nothing to live for but work, and that is an incredibly sad place to be. Instead of getting caught up in the cycle of waking up, going to work, and then going home and sleeping, try planning activities that you know you enjoy and treat yourself after you get off work. That makes your workday much more enjoyable because you have given yourself a restorative treat.

Reframe the way you look at work

Finding the value in the work that you do will help you feel less burned out. Of course, the quickest solution is to quit the job you hate and find one that brings you joy and fulfillment, but that is not always easy or attainable. Even if you detest your job, you can change the way that you think about it and find something that gives your work meaning. You can focus on how your work helps other people, or how you give the world a service that they are wanting and needing at that time. You can also focus on the parts of the job that do make you happy, even if it’s something small like connecting with coworkers or earning enough money to buy your favorite treat.

Beating burnout requires you to reevaluate your priorities

If you’re feeling burned out, there might be something within your life that you are neglecting. Are your wants and needs going unmet? It might be time to think about what your goals are and what you need in your daily life to feel happy and content. Slow down and give yourself enough time to reflect on what your needs are and how you can go about meeting them. This can be done with ease once you set boundaries, nourish your creativity, and set aside time to relax and connect with yourself.

 If you feel stuck on your healing journey, working with a therapist can help. Based on your needs, our intake specialist will help you get matched up with your perfect therapist. Click here to schedule a consultation.

Starting with a creative written voice and a BA in English from ASU, Alli Cravener has become so much more than Integrative Counsel’s voice! Not only is she a writer who is passionate about connecting concepts and content, Alli is also currently a grad student working towards her Master’s in Counseling. She is also the editor-in-chief, office manager, AND intake specialist at Integrative Counsel. When you call us, you’ll talk to Alli! Alli’s interests include painting, history, learning about other people, and wearing the color pink. She likens herself to a “mouse in a palm tree”, and she loves it that way.