Maintaining energy during times of burnout
Last week I wrote about the need to take an audit of where your energy goes when you’re feeling burned out since the amount of energy any one of us has is finite. I mentioned it helps to be realistic about your energy reserves, so you can conserve some amount of energy. When you’re thinking about conserving energy, you may think the goal is simply not to expend any. In this world, though, that’s nearly impossible; energy is going to be expended, even on things that aren’t your priorities. For folks experiencing depression, brushing teeth, washing one’s face, and showering are massive energy expenditures. I often encourage folks who are feeling depressed to try to muster up the energy for this self care because these things help one feel better, and when you feel better, your energy actually improves. But even if you’re not feeling depressed, it still requires energy to get out of bed, to dress for work (even when many of us are able to be more casual at work than we were five years ago), to make or get your morning coffee, to look at your inbox. This sequence of activities isn’t probably how you want to spend the limited energy you have just to get your day started, and this sequence of events is probably still necessary if you’re going to keep functioning in your job.
Conserving energy has two parts: limiting the expenditure of energy where you can and finding ways to recharge to replenish some of the energy that’s lost. When you think of your cell phone battery, you likely don’t want that to go below 20% because the red battery icon is designed to make us panic. (Okay, that’s maybe exaggerating a little–but if I’m out and have no way to charge my phone and am planning to be out for another six hours and see my phone’s at 20%, I may experience a low-level panic.) So when you see that 20%, you anticipate how long you’re going to need to keep using your phone and in what circumstances before it can charge again. You might stop using certain apps to try to conserve that energy; you might put your phone in airplane mode while you’re sitting with a friend or at a meeting. But as long as your phone is still on, the battery’s charge is still depleting, albeit at a slower rate than if you hadn’t taken some steps to conserve the remaining battery charge. Humans are kind of the same; though we may try to conserve energy by setting boundaries and saying, “no,” energy is still being used by simply being awake and in this world.
Conserve energy
Conserving energy is the not expending energy part of the equation; here are a couple suggestions to help you accomplish that.
Set boundaries and say “no.” Many of us are conditioned to say “yes” to everything because we think it could help propel us ahead in our work or maintain relationships in our personal lives. But saying “no” actually allows us to say “yes” to what truly matters to us; it doesn’t make sense to spend our energy simply because someone asked us to spend it. On the professional side, saying “no” allows us to concentrate our limited energy on the projects or work we already have, which ultimately may result in better work product for those. On the personal side, saying “no” to attending a party or invitation when you’re not able to be fully present may be best for others. It’s harder to maintain relationships when you’re not present or others can tell you don’t want to be where you are. And you’re not going to be present or seem interested in whatever you’re doing if you feel burned out.
Take sick time from work! Our jobs give us time to not be well. While working from home, many of us push through in states that we likely wouldn’t have if we had to commute to our offices. Work can be a massive drain on our energy, so if you have time when you’re feeling particularly burned out, use it.
Practice digital hygiene. Based on your electronic settings, you may get a ping each time you get an email; you might get notifications on your phone for each test message or email or social media related mesage. We’ve been trained to attend to those, and many of us immediately do. You can limit the extent to which these things interrupt you and call for your attention. Turn off some of the noises or notifications; or, turn off your device for several hours at a time. Close your email if you’re trying to focus on another project on your computer. Leave your device in another room or elsewhere if you want to be mindfully present for something else.
Limit clutter in all its forms. While we often think of clutter as the stuff that accumulates in our homes, I’m not suggesting you expend energy cleaning. (That’s likely not the best way to conserve energy.) Clutter is also all the noise or all the stimulation your senses attend to whether you’re consciously aware or not. You may find that going to the farmer’s market, as enjoyable as it is while you’re in a good place, is too much clutter for you while burned out because of all the stimulation: sights, noises, sounds, interactions, people and dogs walking in every direction and bumping into you.
Replenish energy
Replenishing energy is just as important for maintaining some energy, even if you’re feeling burned out. Your own personal battery may not feel like it’s at more than 20%, but you want to keep it there. Some of these techniques can help you increase the amount of energy you have available.
Sleep! The importance of good quality sleep cannot be overstated. Our bodies and minds need sleep to repair themselves. Our brains cannot be expected to function non-stop. As much as some of us wish (or try) to be superhuman, we are still human. Humans need sleep! If you’re having problems sleeping, look into sleep hygiene and see if there’s anything you can try that you’re not already doing. Setting and sticking to a sleep schedule can be among the most helpful elements to ensure you have restful sleep.
Rest! Rest is different from sleep. Rest can be physical, mental, emotional, social, creative, sensory. Rest is choosing to take a break, whether that looks like a couple minutes every hour or taking a full hour after several hours of attention. Rest allows all the parts of your body to re-integrate, to let the physical parts of your body reconnect with your mind, your emotions, your spirit. You may know of Tricia Hersey’s The Nap Ministry; if you haven’t read her book, Rest is Resistance, I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Find moments of solitude. When you’re burned out, you’re likely experiencing demands or requests on your time from all areas of your life. You’re also more easily flustered or find yourself more irritable because what happens in one area carries over into another. Sometimes, you just need unscheduled time to yourself while you’re not in the presence of anyone else. Perhaps you want to go for a little walk in nature; perhaps you want to sit alone in a room and read. Finding time for yourself to not answer to anyone or where you won’t be interrupted is essential, even if you’re typically an extrovert.
Connect with someone in a meaningful way. As humans, we need connection.We need to be heard and to be listened to. We need to be able to express all our feelings to someone who won’t judge us. Even introverts often feel fueled by one-on-one conversation with a close friend who is present for us. If you’ve been feeling burned out, you may not have taken the time to set up time to connect with close friends. Meeting up with one person (even if there’s several friends you may feel like you’ve neglected) may be best to recharge some energy. The experience of connecting to one person is different from meeting in a group. Allow yourself the space to connect with someone in a low-key way that allows the authentic you to be heard and not judged.
These are just some suggestions among many, both to help you conserve the energy you have and to bring a bit of revitalization so that you can maintain some baseline of energy while otherwise working through burnout. Recovering from burnout requires more than simply maintaining a baseline of energy; however, this could be a starting point once you’ve recognized what you’re feeling and before you’re able to figure out how and when you want to approach the bigger issues that lead to burnout.