Burnout happens to everyone, whether you’re at school, at work, or even just at home when you have to take care of the kids or the house. It’s described as a type of chronic stress that affects one’s physical and emotional condition, and was considered a psychological concept found in academic texts than the news. But after nearly a decade, burnout became increasingly common among people to the point that it alarmed even the World Health Organization (WHO).

Political burnout, parental burnout, relationship burnout, fitness burnout, even Zoom and video game burnouts exist. Working from home due to the pandemic doesn’t help, either. According to a job-site searching survey taken last July, 69% of employees had been experiencing burnout due to the work-from-home setup. So what are some examples of effective burnout recoveries?

Doctoral candidate from the University of Jyväskylä (pronounced as “Yuvaskula”) in Finland Stela Salminen co-authored some studies and research on how to overcome burnout. One thing in common that Salminen found from her studies is that people who recovered from burnout realized that they’re the ones in control. She explains that once people have the confidence to somewhat influence their environment, they will know what to do in order to turn the tables. In other words, self-recovery.

For example, if you haven’t been sleeping well the past few days, then think or look for ways on how to improve your sleeping habits based on your personal preference. Sleep is an essential factor in burnout recovery since it’s a way to “reset” your body and mind. Another is by drawing a line between your work and non-work time, especially if you’re working from home. Lastly, of course, is a healthy personal life by taking up new creative hobbies or exercising more.

Outside factors such as our own workplace plays a pivotal role in contributing to burnout, so Salminen says that recovery must come from within ourselves. But of course, this isn’t enough. Finding validation from others, like a family member or a friend, can potentially improve our motivation and the way we see ourselves. Beat burnout by improving yourself starting today!