In this first article, I am going to share with you how recovery from burnout is possible.

My name is Dr Jo Braid and I am the Burnout Recovery Doctor. Also a rehabilitation physician (MD) and certified burnout and life coach.

Taking the first step in #burnoutrecovery is asking for help. The typical personality profile of someone in #burnout is a high achiever, well-educated, problem solver and “do-er”. They often look for ways to sort out their perceived decreased efficiency at work by doing more. But with emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation as two other main areas in burnout, this strategy does not often work. Other traits they often have are #perfectionism – setting very high standards for themselves, #procrastination – putting tasks off that are associated with uncomfortable feelings, and #peoplepleasing – saying yes to someone else and saying no to themselves.

I have been through my own burnout recovery journey as a healthcare practitioner.

Addressing the standards I set for myself so they were actually achievable, and I would know when I had met them was important. Developing the awareness of the self-talk I had if I did not complete something to my “perceived standards”. I changed from having a very critical inner voice to that of curiosity, kindness, realizing I am a human with a human brain and growing my #selfcompassion.

Learning how to quiet down the primitive (lizard) brain that was always looking for safety, avoiding pain and minimizing energy expenditure. And trusting that I could engage with and use my pre-frontal lobes (the advanced front part of our human brain) to make decisions ahead of time and stick with them even if it felt uncomfortable sometimes. To learn to trust myself and stick to my personal boundaries has been a game changer. So that Sunday night dread that can show up before the week is going to start, and can result in zoning out with Netflix, some snacks and possibly alcohol, is completely different now. I love my Sunday evenings as time to chill in a way that fuels my energy bucket for the week ahead rather than draining it. Choosing to look out for my needs to thrive as a human rather than denying or ignoring them supports me so much more.

This is totally possible for you if you are dealing with overwhelm on the daily or feel burnt out at times.