How to Return After a Burnout?

The concept of emotional burnout is familiar to many people firsthand. If things have gone too far, then the decision is ripe to quit everything and quit somewhere – just to relax. Or to radically change the sphere (relatively speaking, to leave accountants for artists). But time passes – acute emotions calm down, and thoughts about returning to reality come. The idea of ​​a new field no longer seems so successful. The former profession after the rest does not seem so “terrible” and boring, as it was at the peak of fatigue. How to go back after this pause? Here’re some tips to return after  burnout.

Why in a state of burnout it is better not to chop from the shoulder

In 2019 the World Health Organization classified burnout as an occupational disease and catalogued it in the International Classification of Diseases.

According to the WHO, burnout is a syndrome that occurs as a result of chronic stress in the workplace, which cannot be overcome. The WHO lists three signs of burnout:

• The Feeling of exhaustion and lack of strength.
• Feelings of mental detachment from work, feelings of negativism or cynicism associated with the performance of professional tasks.
• Decrease in professional efficiency.

It’s good if you take action when you notice the first signs of burnout: plan a long vacation, start sessions with a psychologist or psychotherapist or stick to a sleep and rest regimen.

Remember: psychologists do not recommend making cardinal career decisions – about the dismissal, changing the field of activity – in a state of emotional decline.

“People tend to think in such states that they need to change their field of activity. However, a job change will only give a short-term result. It could turn out to be a waste of time. In addition, there will be questions of money, self-realization, and recognition.”

Unfortunately, in the real picture of the world, not everyone can relate to their condition rationally. More often, a person realizes the problem when it is already completely boiled, and prefers to leave.

Returning to your usual professional activities is not easy. Where to start after you recuperate?

Conduct a root cause analysis

Even if you have overcome your condition on your own, without the help of psychologists, do not dismiss the problem. Try to analyze the reasons for what happened before rushing into the “fight” again. Otherwise, the problem may recur.

Analyze the factors that led you to this state. Regular revisions? Or maybe you suffered from the fact that you did not see the result of your activities? Was there too much communication, including with toxic people? A deep analysis of the factors that served as the reasons will help you form something like a stop list of undesirable circumstances for you. It is important to always keep it in mind when choosing a new place or returning to the previous one. Will it be possible to build a work without these destructive circumstances for you, or at least minimize them and come up with something that compensates for your discomfort?

Also read : How to prove that you are not a ‘Flyer’?

How to look for a job to return

Finding a job when returning after a burnout is a special story if the pause was long – more than six months. At interviews, the question will definitely arise: why you left your previous job and what you were doing at that time. Should I be honest about burnout? There is no single unanimous opinion here.

It is worth talking about this and such a story will not scare away a good employer. “Why should a new leader be scared that you are burnt out? If you then worked on yourself, concluded and changed something in your life, the employer should rejoice at your awareness, she says. – The main thing is your understanding of why you found yourself in this situation and what you tried to do to fix it. Simply put, show some work on the bugs, and not a story that “there are enemies around”. If you see that a new potential leader is indifferent to such things and does not care about the emotional state of employees, then you should ask yourself: is it worth going to such an employer?

But our career consultant thinks differently: “If you are interviewing your friends who are generally aware of your situation, the answer may be frank. If this question is raised at a meeting with complete strangers, it is hardly worth opening your soul and sharing your experience. You can say, for example, that you took care of your health. Be sure to add that now everything is in order and you are completely ready to go. Or you can refer to the solution of family problems. Choose those facts that will play a plus for you, and will not make the future leader doubt.

Work on your resume : You should not show your throwing in it if you have been trying to do something else for some time. Relatively speaking, do not write about studying in landscape design courses if you are an accountant.

If you are afraid that you have fallen a little out of the cage in the profession, go to specialized conferences – this way you will find out what’s new has happened during this time, maintain old connections and make new ones. By the way, mentioning participation in specialized events in the summary will not be superfluous at all.

If you managed to maintain a constructive relationship when you left, do not hesitate to contact your former employer. Do this even if you don’t see open positions. There you are already known as a specialist and may be happy to offer to return. At a minimum, there may be an opportunity for part-time work and one-time projects. In a familiar environment, it will be easier to resume work.

For example, I know a talented project manager who, after a burnout, worked as a courier for a while. So many ideas came into his head during that month that when he happened to cross paths with his former boss one day, he had something to offer him – and thanks to this he would receive an offer to return.

Take care of yourself, because health is a basic condition for any career victory. Work with a twinkle, but do not forget about safety precautions!

Also read : How to look for a new job after conflicted dismissal?