115 Your burnout recovery plan

Burning out? About to? No worries. This episode is your burnout recovery plan.

This week’s Inspire Me quote is from Dallas Willard:

“Understanding is the basis of care. What you would take care of you must first understand, whether it be a petunia or a nation.“

In this energy-packed episode, Leary and Armin talk about burnout, what it is, its symptoms, questions to ask to learn if you have it, and the difference between burnout and fatigue. They also give us hope that we can recover from the cul-de-sac of burnout. Here’s how:

1. Recognize it. Admit your condition. 
2. Accept a long recovery. Burnout doesn’t happen instantly—it won’t fix quickly.
3. Don’t make immediate life decisions. Things feel more charged than they are.
4. Schedule self-care time. Take control of your schedule—set boundaries.
5. Limit the number of changes you make. Any change can absorb mental energy and add stress.
6. Ask for support from a friend. It gives you motivation, provides encouragement, and invites vulnerability.
7. Evaluate the cause of burnout. Really understand what’s causing burnout so you can adapt to avoid it from happening again.

Quotes from the show:

• “The earliest warning sign for me that I’m approaching exhaustion and burnout [is…] when I feel like the people I love the most are encroaching upon me and what I’m trying to do.” —Leary
• “Burnout is extended, chronic fatigue that gets to this point where you feel like there’s nothing you can do. Your options are limited, you have no real controls over your life.” —Leary
• “If you are in denial about all of the broken promises you’ve made, then it’s time to admit that, hey, ‘I probably am in burnout right now.’ It’s not like you’re a failure if you’re in burnout. It’s better for you to admit it and work on a proactive recovery plan than for you to take it further and do significant damage to yourself and your life.” —Leary
• “You don’t make good decisions when you’re fatigued.” —Leary
• “People who burnout are really good at scheduling their burnouts [by] making sure [their] schedule[s] [are] full. The opposite of that is to schedule self-care time.” —Armin
• “Occupation—it’s the thing that occupies us. If we don’t set boundaries to it, that thing becomes like a camel in a tent and it takes over. Pretty soon, we have to vacate because our occupation has killed us.” —Leary

This week’s Challenge Me:

If you’re in burnout or the early stages of burnout, what one change will you make to your schedule to create a boundary for self-care? Make it specific and actionable so you can apply it today.

Comments? Questions? Stories of how you’ve overcome burnout? Share them in the comments section below.

Resources mentioned in or related to this podcast episode:

• The Mayo Clinic’s burnout question list, as published in their article, “Job burnout: How to spot it and take action.”
• Episode 73, “How to set personal boundaries.”
• Episode 112, “Can drive and contentment coexist?“
• Episode 24, “Why now is the best time to start journaling.”
• Toolbox episode 1, “How to journal more consistently.”