When we’ve experienced burnout, total exhaustion and a dangerous decline in our overall health, it is so important that we take the steps to heal ourselves. Burnout makes us more susceptible to substance abuse, dependency and relapse. We can’t tackle our addiction recovery when we’re not at our best and strongest. Here are some things we can do to heal from burnout.
Get adequate restful sleep. Physical exhaustion is a common factor in burnout. We often haven’t slept properly or sufficiently for too long, and the lack of rest catches up with us in potentially very dangerous ways. Exhaustion contributes to our depression and anxiety. When we’re not well rested, our inner strength and resilience become depleted. We’re more likely to make harmful decisions and perpetuate destructive habits. We struggle to think clearly, to process our thoughts and emotions, and to act rationally. One of the first things we can do to start reversing the damaging effects of burnout is to get enough sleep. Exercise, yoga, and natural remedies such as chamomile tea and melatonin are all helpful in achieving restful sleep.
Rest goes hand in hand with self-care. When we’ve experienced burnout, chances are we’ve neglected our self-care for our work or other responsibilities. Taking care of ourselves mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually is the foundation for everything else. We can only recover when we make self-care a priority. We can’t function healthily or productively in our lives if we aren’t taking good care of ourselves. Getting enough physical activity, seeing a therapist, having a spiritual practice and meditating are some of the ways we can implement self-care into our regular routine.
Along with self-care comes the super important practice of setting priorities and boundaries for ourselves. We have to decide that taking good care of ourselves is the most important thing we can do. We can’t work, keep up with our daily lives or take care of anyone else when our health is faltering. We have to become comfortable with prioritizing ourselves. We can find this challenging when we’ve been conditioned to think it’s selfish or irresponsible to care for ourselves. Part of this process is creating boundaries in our relationships and sticking to them, learning to say no, and letting go of the sense of obligation and guilt we feel that keeps us from prioritizing our own happiness and well-being.
Taking care of ourselves and healing from burnout are so important to maintaining our goals in recovery and preventing ourselves from relapsing.
At Riverside Recovery, our treatment programs place an emphasis on healthy living, and we provide a calming and supportive environment to help you in the healing process. Call us today: (800) 871-5440.