Boundaries beat burnout at work. 3 things you can do to fuel your recovery.

If you found this post, then you know the feeling of being “burnt out”. Perhaps you find yourself feeling empty or unmotivated. Some people even feel irritated or angry. Part of the challenge with defining burnout is that this complex work-related stress response shows up in your emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and even physically. Rather than focusing on how to define it, let’s look at three simple yet powerful ways to get through it…and over it!

Boundaries. Your first line of defense.

Imagine you are away up in Alaska for a weekend retreat at a friend’s cabin. To prepare for the weekend, you spend all day chopping wood. You’re quite proud of that pile you’ve built up! You and your friend haul the wood inside and light the fireplace. You’ve got a warm fire going. The cabin is warming up. Your friend says “I’ve forgotten something in the car, I will be right back, please leave the door open for me, I will be right back!” and off they go.

It’s freezing outside.

How long are you going to keep the door open? The wind is picking up, and cold air is swirling around the cabin. That warm fire you started isn’t keeping the cabin warm. You start throwing more wood into the fire, adding more fuel, but it doesn’t do much good. Before you know it, all your firewood is gone, the fire is out, and the cabin is freezing. “I have had enough of this!” you say to yourself, and you close the door.

Too late. You’re quite literally burnt out.

But what if you had said “no” and closed the door?

Say “No” once in a while

If you’re suffering from burnout, consider saying “no” to something extra at work. Think of it as keeping the door to your cabin shut so you can keep your fire burning. Start small and with something that is low risk. As you get used to practicing saying no to something small, you’ll find that your boundaries are being rebuilt.

Turn off your notifications on your phone once in a while

My personal favorite. You’re in control of your device. It’s 11:00 PM. No one on your team will fault you for not answering a text. If you’re feeling nervous about disconnecting, you can get up early the next day and grind away. But for now, try on that sense of control for size. Turning off your notifications is very much like an out-of-site, out-of-mind approach. Pro-tip: Use a different device to watch Netflix.

Seek support once in a while

The human being is a social creature. Share what you’re going through with someone else. Lean into the very thing that makes us human; connecting. Call your mother to vent. Post on Reddit about it. Go out with a friend. Get a professional coach. Just remember that you don’t need to, nor are you meant to, do it alone.