Burnout is a state of physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental exhaustion due to prolonged and excessive stress. Let's be real, this feeling sucks. Burnout is one of the most common feelings people can relate to. Having something you were once passionate about feels like the biggest chore in the world. It's not something that is outwardly seen. It's a gradual feeling.

Hell, I could be doing something that I love doing which is writing and reading one day, get excited about the story and where it could go, and the next day, not even bother continuing where I left off. I have found ways to catch my early signs of burnout and I hope this will benefit you too.

Here are ways to fix your burnout.

1. Take Small Breaks Throughout The Day

Small breaks are the best ways to combat burnout. There are so many stressors in our society that we sometimes don't realize. I believe that it's all these little stressors that bleed into feeling burnt out or worse a complete breakdown. Let's take a regular weekday and incorporate the little stressors that may occur that day.

Wake up in the morning; preparing yourself for work when you hear on the news that there's going to be traffic on your commute. You quickly get yourself ready in hopes to beat the worse of traffic.

On your commute, some jerk cuts you off on the road, you honk your own and they try to brake check you as if you're wrong. After a long drive, you finally make it to work only to find out that the elevator is out of order and your office is on the fifth floor. You get to your office and now begin your day of working till 5.

As you get ready for lunchtime, you overhear one of your bosses talking about promotion. Lunch break is over you realize that the promotion goes to someone that doesn’t deserve that promotion and you go on about your business.

5 o’clock hits, you leave the office (down the stairs,) head to your car, and leave for home. Once you're home, you start to unwind a bit, make yourself some dinner, run errands around the house, watch some TV and get ready for bed. Laying in your bed you realized that today was only Monday.

We go through and put up some much throughout the week. It can seem like there isn't a day we're not working. Our society is built on work first, rest later, but to me, that's not a healthy mindset.

I work in the profession of showbiz and I have seen my fair share of people breaking down. Even myself. This work first, rest later is why burnout rates are rising and will continue unless we take care of ourselves first. I'll share with you what I do whenever I'm on the verge of burnout.

2. Take Up A New Hobby

Stuck in a rot? Try something new and who knows you may end up enjoying it! Trying out a new hobby may seem like a daunting task, but I assure you that it is well worth attempting. You don't have to go full in, just take it one step at a time.

For me, what I love doing as a hobby is playing chess. Crazy, I know. Chess to me is such a fascinating game me and watching chess games is NOT boring. Would you believe if I told you that within the first three moves of chess there could have been well over one million possible games? All of that on an 8X8 board.

Start small and build a love for it; be the curious child you were discovering the world for the first time. Here are some of the hobbies that I personally recommend.

Drawing. You don't have to be an artist to draw. Take out a piece of paper and make whatever you want! The reason why I like to draw is that it is the essence of creation. Creating something from nothing is what excites me the most.

Next, is reading. Reading takes me away from our world and into a world of, mystery, thrills, love, adventure, etc. To me, this is the best form of escapism.

The last hobby that I recommend is journaling. Journaling is an excellent way to see your growth throughout the years. I started taking journaling more seriously during the pandemic.

I would write how I feeling during that time and how I hated every second of being isolated. Now, I look at those entries and I'm like, "Damn, I went through all of that. Wonder what else the world has in store for me."

There are plenty of other hobbies and leisurely activities out there, but these are the ones that have personally helped me. If you find that none of these work for you, at least you can say I tried and I'm glad I did.

3. Get up early and exercise every morning

Moving your body is one of the best things you can do to prevent burnout. Rather than be going to the gym, doing some yoga, going on walks, or just jamming to some music in your room. Move your body how you want to and own it! Spend 20-30 minutes a day to move your body and not focus on anything else. 

I try to start my mornings off with yoga and meditation. It's a way for me to get my heart, mind, body, and soul connected with each other to start the day. I have recently incorporated interpretive dancing to that morning routine and hot damn has it been wonderful. I don't see myself stopping that process anytime soon.

4. Set Healthy Boundaries For Your Well-Being

A healthy boundary, to me, is an agreed-upon limit that two parties or more don't cross over or disrespect. This can range from, physical contact, sensitive topics (politics, mental health, past relationships) time, property, and much more.

We need to be able to set boundaries with our loved ones in order to maintain a stronger relationship and to practice our self-worth. Once you are able to do that, you will see all the benefits of setting boundaries.

I expressed a boundary to a close friend of mine and the relationship has remained strong ever since. I told her that I wanted more time to myself and that we should talk to each other every other day.

She respected me saying that and gave me her boundary to not cross over. Boundaries are what keep sustainable relationships and if we didn't do that, I am afraid our friendship with each other would come to an end.

It's not selfish to set boundaries with your loved ones. Think of setting these boundaries as a way to keep your identity and self-respect by telling a loved one how you want to be treated. Setting healthy boundaries should be common practice and taught more in schools.

We are getting to the point where people are starting to realize how vital it is to have healthy boundaries with loved ones. We still have a long way to go before boundaries setting becomes the norm. 

5. Adopt A Daily Routine and follow it with discipline

Some people think that having a routine is boring and you should go with the flow. To them I say, I will have this discussion with you at 3:45 pm. This one is a personal favorite of mine because, without a routine or method, I don't recognize the man I see in the mirror. I need a routine in order to function to get through the struggles of the day.

Having daily routines can be fun if you make it to be fun. Sounds silly, but it's true. Make your daily routine an extension of your identity. If you're the type of person that dances like no one are watching, then dance like no one is watching! Do the things that make you happy and you'll be surprised how doing something daily can drastically alter your mood.

6. Connect With Loved Ones

I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for my friends and family. There have been numerous studies showing the positive effects of having close relationships with friends and family can do for you.

Having that person(s) be there for you when you need them and vice versa is reassuring. Talk to these people about anything that's bothering you and express what you need from them. The close ones will always make time and space for you as long as you give the same treatment back to them.

Family is forever. No matter what happens, family members will always be there. Having friends is easy, having close friends is hard, maintaining a friendship is even harder. I may have almost a thousand friends on Facebook, but would the majority of them care about how I'm feeling?

Much the same, I probably wouldn’t care too much about them either. However, there are select friends on my Facebook that I care deeply about and they care about me too. Those are the ones that truly matter. I didn't have close/real friends until I went into college, so don't fret. Your tribe will come to you as they did for me.

7. Reconnect With Yourself

Rather that is connecting with your Fatih or finding solace in solitude, having the space to be by yourself and think is the best thing you can do for yourself. In a world that never sleeps, you can get lost in all of the chaos. What I needed to do was distance myself from people for a period of time in order to find myself again.

The best I went about this was through the art of mediation. It helps me slow down my fast pace mind and focus on the present moment. Which for me was to calm down, take a deep breath in then out, and repeat. I suffer from anxiety, so meditating helps me regain control over my mind and body.

Even if it's just for 5 minutes, centering yourself is key to take on the many challenges that lay ahead. Try incorporating 

8. Ask The Big Questions to reflect upon where you are heading

What do I want? Am I doing this for me? Do I love what I do? I encourage you to ask yourself these questions about what you are currently doing or what you want to pursue. Reflecting on ourselves and asking others for help/support is key to growth. We go through life with a ton of uncertainty, so make what you want out of your life a certainty.

I want to be an actor. I want to be a writer. Say what it is that you want and focus on achieving those goals. They will be days where you think that your best is not your strongest. In those moments is where you find your true strength.

Conclusion

All and all, burnout is real and can have life-altering effects, but with these tips, you can prevent this feeling before it manifests in those life-changing events. Cherish the ones you hold dear, have routine, set boundaries, journal your thoughts, spend time with yourself, and this above all others, take a break. You deserve it.