Quit Burnout: 5 Simple Steps On How To Enhance Energy

Burnout can hit us all differently. Some of us can keep our body going but have mentally or emotionally checked out and become numb. Eventually it hits the body in some way if we continue down the spiral of misusing our energy. 

Although the process can seem overwhelming, I wanted to give a 5 minute overview to show how we tackle this process for our clients. If you’re someone who loves to independently educate, learn and make your own adjustments, perhaps this is enough of an outline to give you a direction.

Here are the 5 steps…

1. Time and Priority Management

I refuse to add more onto a plate that is already so full it’s spilling over. It’s silly and a waste of precious energy. That is why we start here, because to embrace change, we have to create space. Space in the calendar, space emotionally, mentally and even space in our identity.

We spend the first part of our program diving in and analyzing how energy is being used and where mismanagement or leaks may be occurring. 

Once we have prioritized our energy, we can begin to work on how we use our time. Learning about our rhythms and flows, the type of consistency we have and how to handle growth / change phases.

2. Sleep and Rest

If you’re burned out, you’re tired and rest is needed and should be prioritized in order so that the body can get back to a more energetically flexible state.

I remember in my own recovery, it was common for me to sleep for 15 hours a day. I was that tired. These days, I have a deep 6-8 hours of sleep and am refreshed when I wake up around 4:30am - 6:30am every morning. 

Many are impatient and have some resistance setting aside the time they need for rest because those of us in burnout can be quickly trapped in the “busy” cycle and habits. I always do my best to encourage endurance over excitement with our approach to the “sleep when I’m dead” attitude. There’s a reason why we end up in a state of energy deficit, “the hustle” can quickly get us there.

3. Energy Recuperation

Alongside rest, there are a few foundational factors that help in the recuperation of the body. Proper nutrition and nutrition habits that are aligned with the body in its current phase plays a foundational role in energy management and is why I have doctors and coaches on my team to guide this process.

I have had the joy of working with both the extremes of burnout clients who have:

1. Burnt out due to neglecting anything health and fitness to
2. Burnt out due to overly intensive and restrictive athletic programs.

This brings me to the second focus in energy recuperation – activity.

Understanding your ever-evolving threshold for intensity is extremely important. The messages by the body can quickly and easily be overridden by the willpower of an athlete or the neglect of an already stressed out individual. 

Learning what works best for you once again can keep you from burning out and being unable to play the Game of Life at all. 

4. Stress management

Stress management is a topic that we spend most of our time on. This is where the more complicated intangible work lies and we have different things we focus on within the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual / identity space.

We have to remember that it wasn’t just one habit that got us into burnout, but a collection of habits, beliefs and fears that have holistically created an outcome. A lot of uncovering and expansion happens when we get to this part of the process. It is the part where much deconditioning takes place and many limiting factors are broken through. Here we get growing glimpses of what it is like to thrive.

To properly tackle burnout so that it is no longer a repeating cycle we help clients filter through their mental, emotional and physical habits and approaches to successfully evolve the identity and habits of an individual. 

5. Energy enhancement

Enhancing our energy is where things begin to get exciting because we are no longer working from a deep deficit. Instead, energy usage becomes extremely efficient here and the shift of the downward spiral reverses its direction, changing into a vortex of our unique success. 

Learning through guidance, awareness and experimentation on what works best for the individual can be a testing process. It’s one that teaches and develops self-trust, which is an extremely important factor if you want to live a fulfilled life.

Many of us in burnout have lived in a state of survival for a lifetime and are unfamiliar with what a thriving life can feel like. What it can feel like to breathe deep often, not feel hollow and rest from drowning. A lack of self-trust can very often be at the root of this. 

These 5 steps require a level of patience to undo and reprogram the lifelong layered conditioning that keeps us in a state of survival. The motivational thing is that as you build your practice and begin your recovery from burnout, you can slowly achieve new states of thriving. 

As you leave survival, life and living become quite simple because your energy becomes so aligned. Your being is more magnetic because you live more authentically to yourself, which is highly attractive. It’s common and encouraging to watch individuals get out of abusive relationships, build the confidence to receive a promotion (in some cases multiple), finally find a loving partner, repair their marriage, even create or uplevel their business. 

It’s a beautiful thing to witness and no one could ever begin this process too soon. In fact, every day that we delay the self-love process is another day that the world misses out on our greatness. Right now, the world cannot afford to miss out on anyone’s greatness.