Having gone through her own journey with burnout, Lisa Grey is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to navigating stressful times and pathways to recovery. Since the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, Lisa has witnessed an increase in clients battling burnout, a severe form of exhaustion resulting from repeated and prolonged mental and physical stress. 

If the stress you are experiencing feels relentless and is accompanied by feelings of exhaustion, negativity, apathy and despair, you are likely experiencing burnout, and putting your health at serious risk.

For many individuals, work is not only a necessity, but also an essential part of our identities. So when lockdowns hit and socialising becomes prohibitive, we find ourselves confined to our homes, with work taking on even more importance. As work offers a sense of connection, meaning, and normality to our days, and with little else to do, we put ourselves at a high risk of over-working, leading to burnout. 

So what can we do about it? Here are nine helpful strategies for combating burnout. Choosing one or two to focus on is a great place to start—trying to do everything at once will only create more pressure, stress and burnout.

1. Set boundaries

Create breathing space in your day by adding ‘no’ back into your vocabulary. No is often the first word we learn, but the first word we stop using as we become socially indoctrinated. 

Say no to running yourself ragged with back to back meetings. Put non-negotiable breaks between Zoom meetings to recenter yourself. Take a few big deep breaths, grab a cup of herbal tea, refresh your mind, and reset. 

If you are a workplace leader, lead by example and help those around you do the same by introducing a minute of meditative silence to the beginning of every meeting. 

2. Organise your space

A chaotic brain needs an ordered environment. Before you can truly make headway on clearing your mind, you may need to organise what’s around you. Less mess means less on your to-do list and a lower sense of pressure and urgency to get it all done. 

Also, having a desk space that is used only for work purposes signals to your brain that you are not at work when you are not at your desk. Step away from your desk for lunch and avoid using your bedroom for anything other than rest. Our brains run on patterns called schemas that encourage us to look for familiar environmental triggers to unconsciously guide us. If we have one space for work, our brain learns not to associate work with any other part of our house. 

3. Meditate

While daily meditation can seem burdensome, it’s a powerful antidote for stress and increases levels of feel-good hormones oxytocin and serotonin. 

Meditation centres the mind, slows breathing, and enables the body to find a sense of calm. When we are calm, we can achieve a sense of mental clarity and avoid moments of frustration that happen when we feel overwhelmed. 

If self-guided meditation is beyond your reach, try a mobile app like “Calm” or “Insight Timer”. Both apps offer a variety of timed meditation sessions that can help you go from chaos to clarity in as little as five minutes. 

4. Move your body 

Physical movement is one of the most underutilised tools for fostering mental wellbeing. Find a good routine that permits you to challenge your range of motion, cardiovascular health and strength. 

Movement boosts neurochemicals like endorphins that make us feel good and have an instant mood-lifting effect. In one study by the University of Vermont, the mood-lifting benefits of just 20 minutes of exercise were shown to last for up to 12 hours. 

Remember, though, when it comes to exercise, balance is key. Too much exercise can lead to burnout. You don’t have to exercise twice a day and for hours on end to reap the health benefits of exercise. 

5. Find your inner creative

Channelling your inner artist is highly therapeutic. Using your creative brain reduces anxiety and stress by boosting levels of dopamine—a pleasure and reward hormone. 

Being creative takes your mind off work and encourages non-linear thinking. If you can’t draw to save yourself, there are many ways to get your creative juices flowing. Painting, puzzling, and pottery are just some of the ways you can unleash your inner creativity.