Tips

Help! I have a burnout. What to do?



What if you suspect to have chronic stress or they diagnosed you with a burnout. This can be really hard to deal with. You might not want to believe it or think “Cannot be that bad. Just a couple of weeks rest and I will be the old me again.” Or you start to wonder “How did I ever get this far?” “How did I let this happen?”
Maybe you feel guilty towards others, because you feel you let them down. Perhaps you feel disappointed in yourself. This feelings and emotions are quite normal and understandable. And they are allowed to be there. It is part of the process of accepting the situation and it is the first step towards recovery.

One of the things you can do to stimulate your recovery is to take good care of yourself. Have a constant day rhythm, eat healthy and exercise sufficiently. It has been proven that within a couple of weeks you feel more energized by going for a daily walk. Do not go all-in at once. Start for example with a 10 minute walk. You might notice that in the beginning it will cost you a whole lot of energy and you might feel even more tired than before. After while it becomes easier and you might increase the time you walk to e.g. 15 minutes. By increasing the walking time again and again, you will gradually increase your physical condition and will feel more energized.

It is important to realize that you are the one who can make (lasting) changes. That you are the responsible for your future level of energy and self-confidence. You are responsible for your own recovery. Simply because you are the only one that can make changes in your behavior and thought patterns. But that does not mean that you have to do it all on your won. We would recommend you to seek help and guidance in the process by talking to a coach or a psychologist. But it is important that those professionals do have experience in helping people with a burnout.

Do you want to know how Road2Energy can help you? Please contact us.


Someone in my surroundings has a burnout? What can I do, or better not do?


First of all it is important to realize that everyone is responsible for his or her own happiness. Probably you have experienced that is not that easy to change yourself or your habits, let alone those of other people. They can only change themselves.
You can support the other by pointing out to them their qualities and the things you admire about them. Let them see what they do not see themselves at the moment. Show the other that you have the fullest confidence in his/her recovery. Give the other space and time to go through the process in their own way.

It is understandable that you want to give the other advice, tips and explanations. But strangely enough, it might work the other way round. The other might feel (emotionally), worse because it might not be that self-evident to him or her. Only give advice and tips if the other asks for it.

You do not help the other either if you start spreading your expectations or the ones of society on to him. If you start comparing, you override the expectations and wishes of the other.

Tips in these chapter are derived from the book: Gefeliciteerd met uw burn-out! (see reading tips)