Getting better after burn out, how do you do it?

Getting better after burn out, how do you do it?

Burnout is often all about the process of "getting better. Working on recovery as quickly and well as possible is then the goal. Here, many people focus on regaining the "old self. The longing for the old life and energy level is great. Being able to do everything 'normally' again. The way it has always been. Yet that is not wise. Because no matter how you look at it, when you find yourself in a burnout situation, you have not taken optimal care of yourself.

The choices you have made have not been good for you. After all, your old self has denied, failed to recognize or glossed over the signs. Your "old" life has clearly asked too much of you. So if you pursue that, chances are you'll never really get "better. Before you know it, you feel the pressure of your environment again. And you don't manage to take good care of yourself sufficiently. In this case, it is interesting to take a closer look at what 'getting better' stands for.

Getting better

You can interpret "getting better" more broadly. Better indicating your boundaries? Better able to say no? Better knowing what you should say "yes" or "no" to? Better knowing how best to convey that without feeling guilty or lingering doubts about the choice made? Deal better with the fact that you can't do everything? In short, better deal with yourself. And thus deal better with your limitations of your burnout.

But also knowing better what you like. And especially what not only gives you short-term satisfaction, but also makes you feel good in the long run. In other words, knowing better what costs you energy and what gives you energy! For this it is necessary that you recognize your motives and know how to feed them.

Drives

Motivations work like communicating vessels; so if you give one motivation more attention and space, it can unknowingly be at the expense of other motivations. That's how it works. This insight can make a big difference in taking good care of yourself in the short and long term.

Reflecting on what really matters to you can be a strong motivation to do things differently from now on.

Block on your leg

Who doesn't know it? You decide with great conviction and enthusiasm that you are going to join the gym. Or you sign up for a writing course. Or you start a course of study. These kinds of decisions are then often driven from one motive. For example, your intellectual motivation may ensure that you always want to keep developing. Or your social motive might cause you to be committed to your colleagues. But the moment you spontaneously make such a decision, there is often little room for other drives. For example, your practical motivation; "Can I afford that?", or "Do I have enough time for that?".

Or your individualistic motivation; "Will I stay visible enough?". Or what about your aesthetic drive; 'Will it still feel balanced?', 'Will it still provide me with enough of a long-term challenge?' So before you know it, a spontaneous enthusiastic choice becomes a block in the long run. After all, you promised. And how can you prevent or adjust the choice you made?

Self-Knowledge

It makes a big difference when you make a choice from sufficient self-knowledge and know how to communicate this choice clearly. Your way of communicating then feels so much nicer. Clearer and lighter. You will experience less pressure when others have a different opinion or expectation. That is allowed. And you don't find that annoying. That is the other person's opinion.

But that doesn't diminish what you think is important. After all, it's a choice you've thought about very carefully. And you stand behind it 100%. If you recognize that well and know what you want, know how to communicate it without doubts or guilt, you will automatically get more energy. Then you stay in balance. And you take better care of yourself; also for the long term!

Are you curious if you are also at risk for burnout? Or would you like to know more or this topic?

Would you also like to increase your self-awareness? To make the right choices? And to prevent yourself from ending up in a burnout situation? Feel free to contact us. We work closely with skilled coaches and trainers who specialize in increasing self-awareness and focus on prevention and recovery.