Rekindle Your Burned-Out Flame

In this article, learn what burnout is, what might cause it in your life, and gain insight on what is involved in rekindling the flames that once burned.

Identifying Burnout

Before I became burned out, the nursing school I went to and the hospitals I’ve worked for tried to prepare me through resilience education and empathy fatigue awareness, but still I as left lacking. A lot of us are. Global prevalence of burnout is skyrocketing, and to our alarm, burnout is reported much higher in the Gen Z than in any other generation.

Signs you might be experiencing burnout:

• Physical and mental fatigue

• Emotional exhaustion

• Not performing as you want to at work

• Feelings unlike your self

• Feeling unmotivated

• Lack of creativity

• Dreading work/school/caregiving

• Feeling disconnected from your work, colleagues, activities you enjoyed, etc.

• Irritability, cynicism, or negativity

• Lack of focus

• Feeling down

• Social withdrawal

• Changes in appetite

• Physical complications: headaches, changes in sleep, stomach issues, vision changes

  
  

Burnout vs Depression

Burnout is caused by overworking or exhaustion in certain area(s) of your life and affects all or some areas of your life. Depression is not rooted in overworking or exhaustion and affects all areas of your life.

Creativity Starvation

The main thing burnout does is sap your energy and deplete your creative drive to try new things, discover, invent, or accomplish. Even non-creatives will benefit from seeing burnout through the lens of “creativity starvation”.

“Creativity is…seeing something that doesn’t exist already. You need to find out how you can bring it into being and in that way be a playmate with God.”

Michele Shea

Every job brings something that was not in the world previously into being. Whether you initiated that or not, you are still part of the overarching creative process of bringing a dream to life. What is the dream your job brings to life for your clients, patients, customers, etc.?

There is also an aspect of creativity involved in all of our work. When we run into a problem – we use creativity. When we come up with a new idea on how to do something – that was creative. And yes, also the crafters and chefs and poets creativity and writers are creative too!

What do writers call burnout? Writers block.

What do you call your block?

If you are burned out right now, you are stopped in your tracks, unable to move, maybe even unwilling to move, lacking inspiration, ability, and focus to do what used to be so easy and invigorating to you.

In burnout, there is a frustrating wall making you think “what is wrong with me” right in front of you. In other words, you used to have a fire that burned (your motivation, drive to do things, etc.), and now it’s getting smaller and smaller (lack of motivation, exhaustion, disconnection). It might even be just embers now. Your fire needs some help!

When you build a fire there are two things to consider:

What will start the fire

What will stop the fire

To build a fire you need dry wood, dry kindling, maybe some firestarter, a match or flint, or maybe even some gas if you’re going loud and proud.

Besides this, there are some other things to consider. You walk up to a firepit and find a mess of wet leaves in there? You remove them. The wind starts blowing strong or rain falls? You protect the fire with a wall, shelter, or move inside. A mean person walks up with a bucket of water or a wheelbarrow of dirt? You chase them off.

What else do you need to keep this fire going? A stash of wood to restock the fire and keep it burning.

Rediscover what Kindled your Fire

1) Think back to what started your fire. What got you doing what you’re doing today? What did you love about your work, your school, or those you cared for in those beginning days. Why are you doing what you do?

2) Where do you want to be 5 years from now? Is what you’re doing now going to help you get there? (If not then maybe reconsider it, but even plain income also gets you somewhere!)

3) What are you grateful for in your work? What would you miss if it was suddenly taken from you?

What is Quenching your Flames?

Everyone is unique. Think "what is draining your energy most":

• An overloaded brain (from too much work or unprocessed emotions)

• Too much Social Media consumption or other addictions

• Lack of regular rest (both sleep and non-achievement centered days)

• Feeling controlled by your life instead of controlling your life

• Lack of creative input and fun

• Toxic environments/people

• Dietary choices

• Lack of good community

  
  

A Word of Caution

Conventional wisdom says that if something or someone drains you, leave.

This can be helpful, but it is not always wise. Weigh your choices carefully. Pray. Sometimes situations are so bad that we need to leave, other times, situations are bad and they are present in our lives to make us stronger as we walk through them.

Maybe the fastest way to recover from burnout is to leave, but maybe the way to be stronger so next time you don’t burnout as bad is to stay and learn how to balance your needs with your work’s demands. This decision will take time and prayer to decipher.

Your Work Drains You, But you Have to Stay

Recovering from burnout:

• Sleep well and sleep regularly

• Consider establishing a day of non-accomplishment in every week (like the Biblical Sabbath)

• Consider doing just one creative activity a week just because you love to do it

• Unburdening your body from toxins (processed foods, plastics, scents, sugars, caffeine)

• Practice gentle body movements and gentle muscle building

• Explore journaling (stream of consciousness journaling can specifically help you uncover unconscious thoughts and streamline your journey to uncovering what is holding you down)

Priorities

There is no way you're implementing all this at once! I see you trying. Don't do that to yourself my friend.

Pick one part of recovery to implement for the next two weeks. It doesn't have to be perfect. Once you have that down add another.

If you forget to implement rest in some way, just try it again the next day again, no sweat. This process will look different for everyone. It is not about perfection. t's about taking the stress off for a few moments in your day and week so your body can hold under what life brings it.

Realize it's a Journey

Take it slow! Even the path to burnout recovery will be a journey. You don’t want to “recover from burnout” at the same pace that burned you out in the first place! It may take years. It’s time for patience to set in.

Give yourself the time and space you need to heal your mind and body. Rest so you can be productive. Do not be productive alone and ignore rest! This is the long-term game now my friend.

What Might be Happening in your Body due to Burnout

• Gut microbiome disturbances (SIBO/SIFO)

• Cortisol LOW caused by extended periods of cortisol highs (thus not having the ability to respond to stress well anymore)

• Glucose and insulin imbalances

• Sugar cravings or lack of desire to eat

• Autoimmune disorders

• Weakened immune system

• Increased inflammation

  
  

What is your Body Telling You?

If you need a partner in your journey toward healing your body and motivation, reach out! Patience is a trained coach who would be honored to help you on your journey to heal your body and rekindle your flames.

Take Aways

If you are reading this and not currently burned out, take a lesson from the lot of us and incorporate consistent, rhythmic rest of body, mind, and soul! Be intentional. Have clear goals and know how to get there. Be patient. Every success takes time to achieve. It is better to get to your end goal full of life than to achieve “success” and be a skeleton of yourself!

If you are reading this are burned out, that does not make you any better or worse than anyone else. This is just your journey, a journey you take alongside millions of others who need to find answers of their own

It's a journey! Let life, God, community, friends, books, and fun enrich you along the way. Take time to enjoy life and be filled with gratitude for it.

Stoke your fire, fan your flames, and keep it burning!