Burnouts

Hey Victoria, really the only way to handle burnout is through prevention. Once it hits it can take a while to get out of. The thing is that burnout is not just emotional or psychological, there are also physiological issues that develop in the body and even neural changes that happen to the brain. The most important thing is to learn to manage your stress while it's happening. The body's stress response is like a running faucet - if you don't actively shut it off, it stays on all day. Be very conscious of your triggers and have a plan for responding to them. Disengage as quickly as possible from bad moods/stress/anger. Don't ruminate on things that bother you but let them go and shift your attention to anything else immediately (this shuts off the fight or flight). Make sure that you take time to recharge your energy. You do this by investing time and care into yourself. An hour or 2 every day with no contact, only doing things you love to do. Feed yourself your favorite healthy foods. Exercise. But when you do things for you, don't do them as part of your routine for excellence, make a point of telling yourself that you are in the process of caring for you. You need to nurture your own body and mind the way you would an unwell friend.

I am a big believer in carving out time for yourself without screens, even if it's just an hour before bed or an hour in the morning before you start work. I tend to use this time to meditate, workout or just drink my coffee in peace.