Feeling burnt out, but can’t take a vacation?

You are in the right place, my friend! You can recover from a period of burnout, even if you still have to work. 

Welcome to Part 5 of the Guide where we’re talking rest and recovery!

If you’re new to the Guide, start here! The Busy Season Survival Guide is a cumulation of a decade of lessons I’ve learned about managing busy season burnout while trying to stay connected to creativity. This Guide is meant to support you in staying resilient and creative, even with a demanding day job!

I felt burnt out pretty early into my busy season this year. With a long way to go I knew I couldn’t take a break, but I was still able to recover without taking major time off. (A big factor in this was that it came on fast and I could identify it right away – it wasn’t a well-established pervasive burnout from months of unchecked stress.)

If you’re experiencing burnout but you can’t take a proper break, don’t ignore it! You can still begin the recovery process. If you can catch it early enough and you can pull back a bit, you could stop the smoulder in its tracks. 

For some of you, these tips might be enough. For others, you can use this section as a band-aid to get through to the next available off-ramp when you can properly recover.

But first…

How Much Is Enough?

When I hit the floor in a heap, I used to think. Meaning, when some part of me gives out, that’s when I’ll know I did enough.

As it turns out… that’s too much!

Think about exercise. A sustainable and productive workout doesn’t involve running until you collapse or lifting weights until your muscles give out. Why? At worst, you’ll injure yourself, and then you’ll be out of the game. At best, you’d be hobbling around feeling sore, ineffectively trying to carry out the rest of your week while you recover. The recovery time needed between workouts is too great to make it a habit and to really achieve results.

If you’re starting to burn out, you’re hitting a limit. If you push through, you’ll increase your recovery time exponentially. 

Instead, you want to push yourself just enough for a challenge, while still being able to recover effectively so that you can show up ready to go for your next workout (or work week)! 

How do you know where “just enough” is? Well, that’s the golden question, isn’t it!

Right now on my journey, it’s when I start to see those early warning signs for burnout. I take those signs as cues to start adjusting my strategy. The sooner you can do this, the quicker you can recover!

(Update: I’ve been thinking a lot about what to do if you truly cannot pull back at work. We take an introspective dive into how much is enough in the linked post.)

Strategizing Rest and Recovery

I wish I had a magic pill that would cure my burnout without having to change my work habits. Regrettably, I don’t, so we’ll have to find another way!

(As an aside, I’m actually on my second wave of tax season burnout as I write this section, so may this be my love letter to you, and also to me, and may I take my own advice. I’m feeling very Peter from Office Space – is there any way you could just zonk me out so that I don’t actually know that I’m at work?)

As they say, for things to change, you have to change something, and if you’ve been working to the point of burnout but still have to keep going, I would say the more change you can make, the better.

We can strategize rest and recovery by adopting a “recovery mentality”, and finding (or creating) opportunities for rest in ways that are small but allow you to keep showing up.

What to Do When You’re Starting to Burn Out

First of all, congratulate yourself:

• You had enough awareness to identify the early symptoms of burnout! That is not easy to do when you’re constantly busy and under pressure.
• Know that you got to this point because you’ve been crushing it! Maybe a little too well, but still – you’ve been giving it your all. Now you deserve a break. It’s time to turn your focus inward.

Then, do what you can to try and shift into a “recovery mentality”.

You know when your kid or partner or pet falls ill, and suddenly you stop the presses and go into care-mode? The recovery mentality is exactly this, but you are the one who needs the care, and you’re going to care for yourself the same way you would a loved one. (Yes – you’re hearing echoes from Part 4 – Sustainable Self-Care!)

So rather than being on the lookout for all the ways we can fit more work into our day, we’re going to be on the lookout for ways we can fit in more rest and more care.

We also want to start reminding ourselves of what balance looks and feels like for us, and grasp any opportunities to start tipping the scales back toward balance.

Finding (or Creating) Opportunities for Rest & Recovery

You can totally keep working – I promised you could – but you will need to pull it back a bit so that you can engage in your rest and recovery process.

Here are a few strategies to find or create opportunities for rest and recovery:

The classic mental health day 

It’s just one day, and I’m sure you’ve been grinding away for quite some time by this point. You’ve earned it. 

Besides, what would happen if you became physically ill? (By the way, I hope you haven’t, but you might if you don’t get your burnout in check!)

Yup – sick day. 

So pick a day, strategically if possible so that you won’t be getting phone calls or knocks at the door, and take a serious one-day break. 

Some things to do for the day:

• If you know what type of rest you need, get it. That could mean extra sleep, desensitizing with some distraction-free quiet, going for a run or having a dance party. Do you need to work on a meaningful project or do something creative? Or do you need to get introspective and do some journaling?
• Eat well and hydrate. Yes, just like you would if you were ill! Burnout isn’t just mental – it can impact your body in many ways. Focusing on nutrition and hydration will help you recover more quickly.
• Treat yourself, too! Savour that fancy cup of coffee, luxuriate in the bath, watch a favourite show… Any little something that puts a smile on your face. A little joy can be quite healing!

There was a time when I’d be so riddled with guilt and anxiety about taking a mental health day that I’d basically be worse off than if I had just kept grinding. If that’s you, know there’s no need for guilt. Being well-rested benefits not just you, but the people around you, and the work you produce. Let the guilt go!

It may take a few tries to let it all go, so if you need to, start pulling back in baby steps: 

• If you’re the type of person who responds to work matters at any time of day or night, try turning it off for a few hours.
• Notice how nothing bad happens.
• Feel empowered, and pick something else to try.

You’ll find that people can generally get by and figure it out, or wait a business day, while you maintain your healthy boundaries. It’s important you do this so that you can continue to show up for the foreseeable future.

Reduce your availability

Have you become known for being available at any hour of the day or night? Is it written in your job description? 

Is it really, or is that a standard that you had set for yourself?

It’s great to go above and beyond, but if you’re burnt out, it’s time to stay surface-level and sufficient.

Look up how to turn off all notifications on your various work apps (or have them only go off during certain hours). If you wish to be available, you can manually go in and check the app to see if any new emails or messages come in. This puts the chaos back in your court. 

Communicate your reduced availability if needed. Be transparent and get it cleared if you have to. Know it may take some time to “train” others to get used to your new availability, and that’s okay.

It may take time for you to get used to not being available, too! Trust me, you will get used to it. 🙂

Don’t “answer the call” for a bit

This one might not apply to everyone, but at a public practice firm burnout usually happens during tax season, when the firm calls for “all hands on deck” to push through to the tax deadlines. So together we “answer the call” and step up our hours and efforts. 

The problem is that we don’t stop, and we end up with some major burnout by May.

Answer the call when you can, but if you’re in the early stages of burnout, unless you’re really trying to prove yourself and climb the ranks, fall back!

It’s hard to pace yourself when everyone around you is pushing on, so contextualize your actions. You need a rest. You know your mind, body, and personal burnout recipe. Understand that everyone’s recipe for burnout is different, so don’t compare!

And in case you need to hear it (because I know I do):

You are not single-handedly responsible for the success of an entire organization.

Engage in dramatic reprioritization

Sometimes you need a mental shake-up to get into rest and recovery mode. So, think about what you’re working on, and then think about what you’re not doing by working on it so much. Examples:

• There will always be more work, but I only get one shot this semester to pass my exam.
• My kids are only this age for so long, and I don’t want to miss it.
• If I can devote 50 hours per week to my employer’s vision, I can devote 5 hours to my own.
• What good is my career success if my body starts failing?

(But also give yourself grace when your priorities start sliding back to your work – workplaces are designed to get results!)

Set boundaries for your focus and boundaries for your breaks

In other words, avoid multitasking, and be intentional with your time! You need: 

• Boundaries for your focus: During periods of deep work, shut your door or turn off notifications as much as possible. It takes a lot longer than you’d think to get back into the flow after an interruption! Remove or limit distractions and dedicate your focused work time to exactly that.
• Boundaries for your breaks: You are not available when you’re taking a break. But be intentional about it. I know, I know, it’s so easy to just pick up the phone and start scrolling when it’s your break time, but do you really feel as though you’ve had a break when you’re done, or did time just momentarily disappear and now you’re just working again?

This strategy is about being more effective and efficient with your time. This in and of itself can be a form of recovery. When we’re always “on”, available, and/or trying to multitask, our minds are stretched and less effective at doing any one task. If you are able to find pockets where you are only focusing on one task, which could be work or could be rest, you’re creating more peace of mind.

Identifying the Type of Rest You Need

So now you’ve found some opportunities for rest. Whether that’s some extra minutes taking a dedicated break, an extra hour per day, or an entire mental health day, we want to use that time effectively for recovery.

To use that time effectively, it helps to identify what type of rest you need. 

Here’s an approach you can try. Stop, drop, and map out:

1. What you’re feeling
2. What the feeling is telling you about what you are missing / what you need.
3. What you will do about it 
4. When you will do it 

What is the most concerning feeling now? Are you irritable and angry? Tired and listless? “Nothing” or disengaged?

What would make this better? Quitting, of course! Okay sure, but what is it about quitting that would help? Do you need more autonomy? Peace and quiet? Time with your favourite hobby? Deeper connection with family? A chance to find meaning? Spending time in your body or exercising? More sleep?

Then you need to take action. If you can’t do it right now, plan for the activity that will help you feel better and put it in the calendar.

You may need to get creative about how and when to fit it in, but it’s important to do it!

Elevated Sustainable Self-Care

Yes, you’ve been hearing echoes of self-care from Part 4 of the Guide! If you haven’t checked out yet, I encourage you to do so because it’s got some practical, sustainable self-care tips that you should try applying now. 

In the rest and recovery phase, I call these “elevated” because they now become your priority and your major focus, rather than something you’re just trying to habitually maintain.

Any self-care activity will probably help, but aligning the activity with the type of rest you need will be most impactful.

Here at the End of All Things

My friend, this concludes the Busy Season Survival Guide! Thank you for being on this journey with me! 

If you’re experiencing burnout right now, honestly – me too as I write this, which is of course why I’m writing it. Creative expression is a wonderful healer.

I would love to hear your stories. Have you found an effective way to rest and recover when you’re burnt out but still have to work? 

How have you reclaimed your busiest seasons? 

I wish you a smooth busy season and a speedy recovery thereafter. 

See you on the other side of your next busy season!