5 Signs You're Burned Out and How You Can Start Recovery
Did you know that there is such a thing as being TOO tired? This feeling is called “burn-out” and is defined as being “in a state of physical or mental collapse”. Burn-out happens when your body and mind don’t have the ample opportunity to recover.
While tiredness can be remedied with a day at home sleeping, recovering from burnout takes more time and intentional effort. The best way to deal with burn-out is to avoid it by paying attention to the signs of tiredness and giving yourself plenty of time to rest and recover.
Read on to learn about 5 signs that can point to burn out:
The “Screw It” Mentality
Resistance
Emotional Mood-Swings
Always Falling Asleep
Difficulty Getting Out of Bed
1. The “Screw it” Mentality
Decision fatigue is real. Making decisions takes mental stamina and when you’re feeling depleted, you have no energy to spare. A “screw it” mentality surrenders any control over a situation and accepts whatever situation Fate deals. If you find yourself deciding situations by replying “screw it”, you may not have enough energy to fuel your mental focus.
2. Resistance
Medieval city walls were a form of resistance that kept foreign invaders out and protected the citizens of the city. When you’re exhausted, you feel the same need to protect yourself and building your own form of resistance. Whether physical (turning your head to look away, curling up into yourself, or walking away) or mental (“I don’t want to wash the dishes today”, “I’m not looking forward to walking the dog”, or “I’d rather be doing something else”), resistance reveals the need to defend your tired and vulnerable self.
3. Emotional Mood-Swings
Your rested self has more mental stamina and emotional resilience than the exhausted version of yourself. When fatigue depletes your emotional resilience, emotions swing from one extreme to the other. You could find yourself overjoyed one moment and irritated the next moment.
4. Always Falling Asleep
When the body senses tiredness and depletion, it will do whatever it can to restore itself at any cost, which includes trying to induce sleep. Sleep is one of the body’s main forms of restoration and integral to maintaining normal body functions. If you find yourself falling asleep during meetings, in line at the grocery store, or (more dangerously) while driving, consider it a warning sign that your body is in desperate need of rest.
5. Difficulty Getting Out of Bed
Once the body is given the opportunity to rest, it will want to continue to rest until you feel completely rejuvenated. Feeling like you’re trying to lift heavy weights when getting out of bed could be your body’s way of demanding more rest.
While each sign may not be a big deal on its own, having 3 or more of these signs could signal a state of energy depletion. Give your body and mind ample time to rest by doing things that restores you: Spend an afternoon outdoors, sleep in for a few extra hours, or dedicate a day to being screen-free. Looking for a way to rest? Restorative yoga is a style of yoga that promotes deep relaxation and rest in the mind and body through long periods of stillness. Try these restorative yoga poses:
Question: What are things or activities that restore you?
For more on restedness, connect with me via Instagram (@NirelTheYogini).