In 2019, after decades of conversations on the topic, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized burnout as an occupational phenomenon. They defined burnout as “a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress characterized by feelings of exhaustion or energy depletion, negative or cynical feelings related to a job, and reduced professional efficacy.”
Job stress is estimated to cost the US industry more than $300 billion in losses due to absenteeism, diminished productivity, and accidents. A Gallup survey found that 76% of people report having experienced burnout at work—that’s three out of every four people, an alarming statistic.
This article will show you how to recover from burnout, a pervasive issue across organizations globally.
Note: This article provides information on the potential causes and mitigation methods for burnout at the workplace. It is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment of any health condition.
How to Recover From Burnout
Summarize this article for me pleaseUnderstanding Burnout
While studies differ on the path burnout takes, they are all aligned on one thing—burnout occurs due to a gradual buildup of various factors, the most critical being work stress.
Burnout is one of the most significant causes of attrition in the workforce and leads to nearly $1 trillion in lost productivity globally. Burned-out employees are 63% more likely to take a sick day and 2.6 times as likely to seek another job.
Its impact is felt not only in the workplace but also in individual quality of life. Prolonged stress and burnout harm our physical and mental health. Recent research has found a link between burnout and cardiovascular disease.
What causes burnout?
Burnout develops over time from the interplay of organizational, individual, and contextual factors. Let’s break these down:
Organizational factors: Workplace conditions are the largest contributors to burnout. Burnout happens when your work environment depletes instead of energizing and overwhelms instead of supporting. Excessive workloads, insufficient reward or recognition, a lack of adequate resources, and an absence of work-life balance all lead to gradual burnout.
Contextual factors: Sometimes, the nature of the work environment or the context in which work happens can lead to burnout. Thus, people who work in highly stressful situations—such as police and emergency responders—report higher levels of burnout. Similarly, during the pandemic, healthcare professionals were highly susceptible to burnout due to the nature of their work.
Individual factors: Someone’s personal characteristics or situation can also influence their tendency to burn out. For example, an employee who feels a disconnect between their values and those of their organization or lacks control over their work will likely burn out faster. An individual who is less resilient than their coworkers could also experience stronger burnout symptoms than their colleagues.
Signs of burnout in an individual
These are some of the common burnout symptoms to watch for:
- Physical and mental exhaustion
- A lack of engagement at work
- Cynicism and detachment from others
- Low motivation levels
- Reduced productivity and efficacy
- Impatience or irritability
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feeling a lack of accomplishment or achievement
- Loss of interest in self-care
- Physical symptoms such as headaches, anxiety, panic attacks, unusual sleep or eating patterns, and digestive issues
Burnout vs. fatigue
Sometimes, people are unable to distinguish between fatigue and burnout. Here is a quick comparison to help you know the difference:
| Factor | Fatigue | Burnout |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | Fatigue is usually a temporary or short-term condition. | Burnout is a long-term or chronic condition. |
| Cause | One gets fatigued due to over-exertion or overwork for a short period. For instance, spending long hours preparing for an important exam | An individual gets burnt out due to prolonged stress. For example, burnout due to consistently long hours at the workplace |
| Scope | Fatigue is primarily physical | Burnout also impacts mental and emotional health |
| Motivation | A fatigued employee doesn’t lose their interest in work or see a drop in their engagement levels | Burnt-out employees become disengaged and lose motivation at work |
| Recovery | Rest is usually all the cure you need for fatigue | More comprehensive changes are needed for burnout |
Also Read: Preventing developer burnout
The impact of burnout on health
While burnout uniquely affects each individual, it has some common physical and mental health effects. Here are a few of them.
Effects on physical health
- A weakened immune system
- Increased risk of cardiovascular issues
- Chronic pain and fatigue
- Sleep disorders
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Hormonal imbalances
Effects on mental health
- Higher risk of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse
- Cognitive decline (memory issues, difficulty concentrating)
- Emotional exhaustion and mood swings
- Reduced self-esteem
- Social withdrawal and relationship problems
A 12-year-long study found that increases in burnout predicted increases in subsequent antidepressant medication prescriptions.
Summarize this article for me pleaseHow to Recover From Burnout: Strategies and Tips
If any of these symptoms seem familiar to you, know that there is a way out. While every individual experiences burnout differently and requires a personalized recovery process, here are some common tips that have helped many people overcome burnout.
Start by acknowledging it
Sometimes, the most challenging step is recognizing that we are facing burnout. We might view it as a personal failing in some way instead of a legitimate condition.
However, as we’ve seen above, burnout is a complex outcome of multiple influences. Even the most competent, hardworking, and best-intentioned professionals struggle with feelings of burnout. The best way to return to being productive and engaged with your work is to accept that a problem needs fixing. Acknowledging your burnout is your first step toward burnout recovery.
Read More: On toxic productivity
Seek help
As we’ve seen, burnout is more than fatigue; severe burnout can drastically impair your health. If you are experiencing burnout symptoms, it’s advisable to seek the advice of a qualified health professional who can show you how to recover from burnout and also how to prevent recurrence. Therapy or counseling can assist you in working out the best solution for you.
At the same time, discussing your burnout with your manager or a human resources representative can get you immediate help at the workplace.
Set boundaries at work
Overwork and high stress levels are the leading causes of burnout. Establishing and maintaining a healthy balance between your work and personal life might seem hard initially, but it is essential to regaining good health.
Here are some ways to start:
- Identify your major priorities at work and in life, and plan your days and weeks around them
- Learn to say ‘no’ to more work or responsibility when you are at full capacity. Don’t add more to your to-do list than you can manage
- Decline meetings where you don’t have a role to play or contribution to make
- Avoid work conversations after work hours, during your scheduled downtime or over the weekend
- Have a frank discussion with your manager and agree on your preferred ‘rules of engagement’
Not feeling confident about broaching the topic of burnout at work? Here are some assertiveness tips that may help.
💡Pro Tip: Set Task Priorities in ClickUp to ensure you get the most important work done first—this keeps you productive and helps reduce your stress levels, too
Take breaks
You know what they say about all work and no play. Science shows that working excessively long hours without breaks impairs productivity rather than improving it.
It is a proven fact that workers who take regular breaks to do something they enjoy, even for a few minutes, have fewer physical ailments and higher job satisfaction.
So, ensure you build sufficient breaks into your day to give your brain some essential downtime. This may also mean reducing screen time.
If you’re severely burnt out, consider taking time off to rest, recharge, and recuperate, just like you would if you had a physical illness.
💡Pro Tip: Schedule breaks into your workday by adding them to your ClickUp Calendar
Learn stress management techniques
Research shows that being in nature and visiting green spaces can reduce the levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, in our bodies.
You can try several techniques to manage your stress and reduce anxiety levels. These include:
- Meditation or mindfulness exercises
- Physical activity—it needn’t only mean going to the gym; anything you enjoy that gets you moving is great, from dance to marathon running
- Journaling to help give your stressors expression
- Spending time with friends and family
- Spending time outdoors
- Practicing deep breathing techniques
- Focusing on the moment instead of brooding over the past or future
💡Pro Tip: Cognitive load increases stress. Create task lists, jot down notes, and add reminders in ClickUp so you feel less pressure to remember every little thing!
Establish a support system
It takes a village! A strong network of friends, family, and colleagues you can talk to and spend time with helps reduce your stress levels. Moreover, being part of a community and doing things outside of work will help you balance your life and feel better about yourself.
You can also find new friends through interest-based groups, such as hiking groups, book clubs, or whatever else interests you.
💡Pro Tip: Create groups in ClickUp Chat with colleagues who share your interests. Conversations around football or the latest Netflix series with your coworkers help break the monotony of a workday and reduce stress levels
Design your work environment to suit your needs
How you feel at work impacts your performance. A cluttered or noisy workspace can reduce productivity; conversely, a cheerful and personalized workspace helps you enjoy work more.
If you work in an office space, add some personality and inspiration to your workstation with pictures and other personal mementos. Are you working from home? If you can, designate one spot solely for work, add bright touches with cushions, paintings, a rug, etc., and a spot of green with an indoor plant.
Here are a few more tips to make your workspace a pleasant experience:
- Use noise-canceling headphones to block out noisy surroundings
- Try a white noise machine–or just a custom playlist—to help you focus
- Make sure you have as much light as you need
- Ensure your work desk and chair are ergonomic so you can work in comfort
- Try time-blocking and reducing context-switching to make day-to-day work less stressful
💡Pro Tip: Keep unnecessary notifications at bay by customizing your ClickUp Notifications
Prioritize self-care
No, self-care doesn’t only mean massages and scented candles. It can be as simple as:
- Getting a good 7-8 hours of sleep every day
- Eating healthy, nutritious meals
- Exercising regularly
- Cutting caffeine to no more than 2 cups of joe a day
- Scheduling some ‘me time’ for yourself each week to just relax
- Identifying stressors that trigger you and working to minimize and control them
Is your burnout explicitly linked to what you do at work or who you work with? Consider changing your role or team as an act of self-care.
💡Pro Tip: Set up Reminders in ClickUp to ensure you end your workday on time
Reconnect with personal passions
When did you last spend time on a hobby? Doing something you enjoy can be beneficial for your well-being.
It could be anything—poetry, fishing, baking, woodwork, art, music—find what used to spark joy in you and take it up again. Having a creative outlet also helps you be more innovative and productive at work.
Building a pleasurable life outside of work is essential to recovering from burnout and preventing its recurrence.
Develop resilience
We mentioned earlier that an individual’s specific condition can also influence burnout.
Scientists have found a negative correlation between resilience levels and burnout. By building resilience, you can equip yourself to better manage the stressors that cause burnout.
How do we develop resilience? While this is often an innate quality—some people are more resilient than others by nature—we can improve our resilience with deliberate effort. Here are some ways to do this:
- Building a network of supportive relationships to lean on
- Practicing emotional regulation
- Improving communication and problem-solving skills
- Developing a growth mindset
- Drawing strength from our values and beliefs
- Learning to view setbacks as opportunities for learning and growth
Recovery from burnout is a gradual process, and a combination of these strategies can help. However, remember that job burnout is complex, and each individual might experience it differently. Try different things till you find the best holistic approach that works for you.
Also Read: How to prevent meeting recovery syndrome
Summarize this article for me pleaseTools and Resources to Aid Burnout Recovery
Contrary to what some people think, not all technology is harmful. Technology has also given us several ways to manage stressors. Let’s look at some apps and tools we can use to prevent and recover from job burnout.
- Meditation and mindfulness apps: Websites and apps like Headspace and Calm offer breathing exercises, guided meditation, and mindfulness tips. Their regular use can help bring down stress levels and improve resilience
- Sleep improvement apps: Apps for sleep cycle management track your sleep habits and show you how to sleep better; this goes a long way in managing your stress levels
- Time management tools: Tools like Harvest track time spent on various activities so you can have a better idea of where you can improve time management
- Mental health apps: Therapy and counseling apps can help by providing access to online mental health support, mood tracking, and wellness tips. They are helpful for people who may not have access to a mental health provider
- Physical wellness resources: Apps like Nike Training Club and others help improve your physical health through online workouts and healthy diet tips
- Journaling apps: Journaling regularly can reduce stress and help you manage your emotions. Apps like Day One help in creating a journaling habit. You can also use a tool like ClickUp Notepad for quick notes to yourself on the go
- Task management tools: Specialized work management tools reduce your workload and improve your productivity, which can help prevent job burnout.
It’s important to note that while all these tools can be helpful, they’re not substitutes for professional medical advice or treatment. For severe burnout, it’s strongly advised to consult with qualified professionals.
How platforms like ClickUp can support burnout recovery
ClickUp helps prevent burnout by offering tools that reduce workplace stress. Let’s see how:
- Better workload management: Plan and execute your work and manage your team more effectively with ClickUp Tasks. Views like ClickUp’s Kanban board view and the List view help you stay on top of everything with less effort, so you don’t feel overwhelmed
- Automating repetitive work: Manage routine work faster with the 100+ prebuilt ClickUp Automations so you can focus on the stuff that matters. You can also create custom automation using ClickUp Brain, the integrated AI assistant. It’ll take care of essential but tedious tasks like sharing progress updates, creating new subtasks, summarizing meeting notes, and so on
- Staying productive: Utilize native time tracking in ClickUp to track and log time on tasks, create timesheets, set and track due dates of projects, generate reports, and stay ahead
- Enabling transparency and accountability: Build individual and team accountability by creating shared ClickUp Goals and ensure transparency around performance through customizable ClickUp Dashboards
- Keeping teams connected: Bring all team communication in one place with real-time ClickUp Chat, so you can share updates and links, assign tasks, and collaborate without switching through multiple tools
- Creating collaborative workspaces: Work effectively with your team regardless of location using collaboration tools such as ClickUp Whiteboards for ideation and planning and ClickUp Docs for documentation
Summarize this article for me pleaseOvercoming Organizational Hurdles to Prevent Burnout
Organizations and leadership teams can play a significant role in creating a workplace environment that helps keep burnout at bay. It involves developing a healthy, supportive workplace culture that offers work-life balance while also providing job satisfaction.
Autonomy at work isn’t just a trend. Employees who have a choice in deciding what tasks to do and when and how to do them are 43% less likely to experience high levels of burnout.
Leadership in an organization can create a culture that reduces the risk of burnout by preventing employee overload and putting employee-centric policies in place:
- Prioritizing transparency and open communication to improve employee engagement and minimize workplace anxiety
- Offering flexible work arrangements to help employees manage their personal and professional lives equally well
- Promoting wellness through mental health resources, on-site fitness facilities or gym memberships, counseling support, stress management programs, and so on
- Creating generous time-off policies and ensuring that employees take enough down-time to prevent overwork
- Providing regular feedback and opportunities for professional development to help employees achieve their career goals
- Supporting employees in improving job satisfaction through job crafting initiatives
- Creating a collaborative workplace where employees feel respected and recognized and regular interaction reduces feelings of isolation
- Training people managers to adopt a supportive leadership style and provide their teams with feedback and recognition
- Using tools to ensure adequate staffing levels. proper workload distribution, and periodic assessment of employee satisfaction levels to identify and prevent burnout
ClickUp’s Employee Workload Template is designed to help team managers keep track of employee workloads, manage projects, and assign tasks. They can view the team’s workload with the Team Workload View and monitor the progress of tasks with the Tasks View. The Individual Workload View helps ensure that no team members are overworked.
Also Read: Work prioritization tools for your team
Summarize this article for me pleaseStart Your Burnout Recovery Journey Today
While you might feel that burnout is a personal issue, the reality is more complex. Burnout is the outcome of multiple stressors and has a major impact on the health and success of an organization. It requires intervention at the individual and organizational level.
Recovery from burnout is a slow process, but a thoughtful use of the right tools and strategies can support you through the journey.
An all-in-one project management software such as ClickUp can help reduce the stress of managing multiple tools and screens by offering task management, communication, and collaboration tools in the same solution. It also aids in better time and work management and improves teamwork.
Create a free account today.
Summarize this article for me pleaseFrequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How long does it take to recover from burnout?
There is no specific timeframe for burnout recovery; it depends on each individual’s resilience levels and how severe their burnout is. Some studies indicate an estimate of two to three months; we recommend taking it one step at a time.
What is the fastest way to cure burnout?
There is no quick cure for burnout—recovery is gradual. However, some quick ways to start include taking a break, setting boundaries at work, reorganizing your schedule to fit in time for health and wellness, and finding a support network and professional help.
What does burnout feel like?
The signs of burnout include physical and mental exhaustion, reduced productivity and motivation, disengagement at work, and physical symptoms like headaches and sleep issues.
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