Treating Yourself After Mental, Physical, and Emotional Burnout
At this point in time, you might be experiencing burnout—feeling mentally, physically, or emotionally drained—after months of continuous stress. Typically, burnout is connected to school- or work-related productivity, but after this semester especially, we can all agree that burnout also occurs in other aspects of our personal lives. Now that exams are over and the semester has come to an end, we can take a moment to reflect, breathe, and try to combat this lack of motivation.
Photo by Madison Inouye from Pexels
How can we heal ourselves after an extensive and stressful season of life? Taking steps to engage in self-care can help us relax and simultaneously build up any depleted energy. Examples of this might be going on de-stressing walks or reigniting your passion for a favorite hobby. Here are a few ideas for getting back to your pre-burnout self while keeping your mental health a priority.
Prioritize yourself first
Remember this is the season for you to take care of yourself! Decide which tasks are less important and hold them off until you’re feeling like yourself again. If you are not at your best, you can’t guarantee that you will give your all to a task.
Be firm about your needs
An important part of prioritizing yourself is letting your loved ones know and sometimes even asking for help. Let them know if you need support in your current mental health journey.
Take a no-goal walk
This physically distanced walk has no goal at all. You don’t have to be worried about making sure you hit that three-mile mark or burn those couple hundred calories. Enjoy the stillness of the world around you without the burden of achieving a set goal.
Take back your hobby
Throughout this hard semester, it was often hard to make time for the things we love. Dust off those journals, take out that book you’ve been meaning to read, or sit down to write that one piece you’ve been thinking about for weeks.
Declutter your space
Sometimes, clearing out the space around you can help clear your mind too! Try organizing your belongings for a junk-free space, or even rearrange your entire space to give it a fresh, new feel. Marie Kondo from Tidying Up taught us best.
Self-affirmation
Write down affirmations for yourself each day, whether it be right when you wake up or before you fall asleep. An example of affirmation is: “I am an intelligent individual that can do anything I put my mind to.” These positive affirmations reconfirm and remind you of all of your potential, helping to dismiss negative thoughts or self-talk.
If you aren’t as into the idea of brainstorming and writing down your own affirmations, check out apps such as ThinkUp, Eternal Sunshine, Shine, and Calm, which send you affirmations each day.
See The Edge Beauty and Wellness section for articles that touch on mental health and self-care. From recipes to tips for your everyday routine, we’re sure you’ll find self-care tips that resonate with you and can help you overcome burnout.