Are you in serious need of burnout recovery and at the same time looking for some serious motivation to move forward?
Burnout and motivation could appear to be the furthest things away from each other. But it is possible to transition from burnout to motivation and get yourself back on track.
Any time you put serious effort towards your goals or your dreams, you have a serious potential for burnout. Balance can get lost when you have tunnel vision on your objectives.
And when you feel like you have nothing left to give, motivation seems to take more energy than you have.
Take time to reassess your path forward from exactly where you are.
You can recover from your burnout, build your motivation, and regain your productivity towards your goals. But you may have to take it one step at a time.
How Did You Get Burned Out from a Goal You Actually Wanted?
It feels like every day another expert is sharing all the glory of working on your goals.
The best methods to create them, how to make them SMART, and all the improvement benefits to your life at the hands of productivity towards what you want.
You followed the proper process, selected the top priority, and put your whole heart and soul into your vision of achievement.
The issue is the very thing that motivated you to move is the same thing that has now forced you to stop.
Burnout does not mean that you no longer want your goal. However, burnout is when you allow your energy output toward your goal to exceed your energy input.
And be clear that this energy imbalance can be physical, emotional, or mental energy-related. It can even be all three.
Regardless of what part of you feels depleted, your tank has gone beyond empty.
When your normal and backup energy reserves fall short, you start to pull from other parts of you in likely unhealthy ways.
As a result, you become even more fatigued and have even less energy to move forward.
In recognition of your tank depletion and your lack of goal achievement, you now have no choice but to see and accept your burnout status.
So let’s take a look at where you can go from here to initiate your burnout recovery and revive your motivation:
#1 Surrender
This may be the hardest step.
Even when you know that you are in bad shape, something inside keeps you moving forward.
It is that same part of you that has moved you forward this whole time.
And it is that special spark that is the most magnificent piece of the human spirit. How can you give up on what you know you are being called to do?
But the strongest people make the hardest decision based on the best logic that they can derive.
Even if it is not what you feel like doing, surrendering may be the smartest decision to make.
Surrendering is stopping.
- Stop moving.
- Quit thinking and planning.
- Pause the momentum that is moving you forward.
- Pull the emergency break.
Just by stopping you signal to your mind and body that you have listened and will tend to its needs.
Even if not fully relaxed, you permit an opening for ease to slip in, remove tension, decompress and begin the burnout recovery process.
#2 Take Inventory of Your Status
Burnout can be an overused word and an under-explained concept when describing your specific condition.
You can say that you are burned out and actually be physically fatigued.
Another symptom associated with burnout is severe mental fog or lack of clear thinking.
You can also be burned out through emotional exhaustion, where feelings like stress, anxiety, hopelessness, and irritability combine and short-circuit your system.
No matter what your version of burnout looks and feels like, you must define it for yourself.
And this can be difficult. Because you are in the middle of the total burnout phase and likely would rather move away from it than stop and look at it closer.
Burnout recovery starts with recognition and acknowledgment.
You cannot address a problem that you cannot identify.
And you cannot cure an ailment if you don’t know what it is.
Whether you write it down, say it aloud, or share it with a friend or confidant, it’s time to take a moment and state what exactly is wrong.
When you can identify the exact form of burnout that you are experiencing you will be in a better position to address burnout recovery well.
#3 Heal Your Burnout Wounds
The level of healing and burnout recovery will directly correspond with the level of breakdown you have experienced.
No matter the level or severity, whether perceived as big or small, you must heal.
Healing is filling your cup and replacing what you have exhausted in your energy tanks.
- Take a period of mental rest
- Sleep
- Eat
- Rally resources for support
- Exercise for mental clarity
- Bathe as a form of relaxation
Take any action and as many actions that lead to your physical, mental and emotional replenishment.
With your base level healing in place and repeated as often as necessary, you can well prepare yourself for reigniting your motivation.
Do not take the position that this process should occur rapidly. This is a statement best served by quality and not speed.
Practice extreme self-awareness in observing your shift from burnout to an improved state of health and well-being. Before you undergo any additional pressures related to moving toward your goals be sure that you are in a state to withstand the journey.
#4 Reset Your Path
While you may be attached to your methods and your progression, you must abandon your past plan and set a new path.
This may be hard to imagine because it is your plan that you have been diligently following this whole time to reach your goals.
But it is this plan that led you down a path of burnout and the crushing reality of your need for burnout recovery.
In order to meet your goals, you must have two things: 1) a clear vision of what you want and 2) a clear plan to get there. Both your vision and your plan must include you.
Start to rebuild your plan with yourself in mind:
- Is your goal realistic and achievable for you?
- Do you need other support or resources?
- Does your timeline give you adequate time to complete all intended steps?
- Can you execute your plan while maintaining your mental, physical, and emotional health?
Now that you have considered these questions, you can reset your path toward your goal and know that your new plan is fully comprehensive.
Your new trajectory is to achieve your goal, avoid burnout, and to become better through the process of fulfilling your vision.
#5: Evaluate Your Readiness to Start Again
When you have a goal that you have a strong passion to complete, every moment in inaction can feel like an eternity.
But unless you are ready for the road ahead, moving forward too fast can only serve to set you back.
Evaluate all the tools in your toolbox meant to serve you on your journey. This includes your mental, physical and emotional well-being.
Review your plan again and ensure that you have what you need to execute it.
Be accountable to not only your finished goal but your journey to get there.
Motivation and productivity cannot be achieved with a broken spirit and incomplete plan.
#6 Get Motivated
You are present, and your goal is in hand, but you need one more component to get yourself to the finish line.
You must be motivated.
Sometimes the biggest casualty of your burnout is the breakdown of your spirit.
And how do you stand on the strength of what has been broken and put back together?
You can gain influence from others and use 101 tools outside of yourself. But the single most impactful lift to your spirit and renewal of your motivation comes from you.
- You have to believe that you can achieve your goals.
- You must have faith that you can recover and thrive after your burnout.
- The vision you have created must be real to you.
How Do You Motivate Yourself ?
Motivation is built on your beliefs. You are motivated when you believe in yourself.
To build confidence in what you are capable of, you must see yourself first as capable.
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
helen keller
Take the time to take inventory of yourself, your accomplishments, your skills, your vision, and your drive.
- Why did you create your goal to begin with?
- How did you get motivated to start on your path the first time?
- What challenges have you already overcome?
- What did you learn from past failures?
- How did you manage to heal from your burnout?
- What have you learned about yourself and your will to start again?
- Why are you still pursuing this goal?
- How will you feel when you achieve it?
You are the key factor that fuels your motivation. It is your drive that moved you forward before and even propelled you past your limits.
And while you want to move forward in better balance this time, you have living proof that you possess motivation, passion, momentum, and unbelievable drive at your core.
Believe in what you can do because of what you have done.
And realize that your past is only a part of your story.
You have serious motivation within you.
And at any moment on your journey when you need to be reminded, revisit these questions, proclaim your answers, and reclaim your position as being good enough and strong enough to move ahead.
Conclusion
Burnout can be the nemesis of motivation and drain you of your will to move forward.
Take the time to focus on yourself, engage in a burnout recovery plan, and surrender to the pause of your goal progression.
When you allow yourself to reboot and reset your objectives, you can create an even stronger plan toward your goals that keeps you healthy, whole, AND accomplished.
As you review the milestones that you have already achieved and continue to hit more of them, you will fuel the motivation needed to accomplish your vision with pride.
Did any recommendation stand out to you on burnout and motivation? If so, I would love to hear your input. Please share in the Comments section below.
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