5 Tips on How to Recover From Burnout in 2022
Burnout is one of the banes of modern life. It can deprive you of creativity and leave you drained and unmotivated. When left unattended, this can severely impact your mental health. Fortunately, there are ways to combat the effects of burnout and let you get your drive back. Here’s how to recover from burnout.
Get into Nature
One of the simplest ways to obtain burnout recovery that you can do right now is to simply get away from the noise of your daily grind and immerse yourself in nature. A study published in 2019 showed that nature exposure for as little as 120 minutes a week is good for your overall wellbeing, but in particular your mental health. Additionally, there is evidence that it improves the cognitive development in children. The study also found that living in greener urban environments results in lower risks for other modern conditions like cardiovascular disease, obesity, and asthma.
Reset your sleep schedule
One of the major benefits of reconnecting with nature is resetting your body clock. A study back in 2013 shows that a week spent camping under the stars is enough to reset the body’s circadian rhythm, especially if you give yourself a dose of sunlight early in the morning to enable your body to increase its cortisol levels naturally. If you are having a hard time getting enough sleep and sleeping on time, camping in the woods might be the thing you need.
Discover new experiences
Spending time in nature is also a chance to experience new things. When you are in an unfamiliar place, your mind is stimulated by the sensations that you experience. As a species, humans are curious. Our minds are intrigued by anything new, whether it’s a new trail to hike, a first-time experience, or even just a change of scenery.
Rest and Recalibration
Finally, surrounding yourself with nature lets you unwind. The calm and serene environment in quiet places enables your mind to settle down. The stressful and hectic aspects of modern life take a toll on your health, both mentally and physically. Spending time in nature gives you a chance to fight off these effects and regain balance in your life.
Travel to help provide perspective
When you travel, you are not only exposing yourself to new environments, you are also opening yourself to new perspectives. Traveling lets you interact with many people and cultures, each having their own unique understanding of the world and viewpoints. Granting yourself this experience helps you expand your worldviews, connect more with other people, and develop empathy.
How to make the most of your travels
To get the most out of travel, there are a few things you can do:
Be more mindful of where you travel
First up, be discerning of the places you visit. Instead of focusing on the instagram-worth photo hotspots, think of the culture and the people that surround you. The more different a culture is to yours the more opportunity for growth, understanding, and empathy. Adding this human element to your travels enables you to have a complete experience, making it much more fulfilling and transformational.
Connect with the local culture
When you’re there, if the community you are visiting is open to it, strive to interact with and understand the local culture. Talk to the people and listen to the stories they have to share. This can be very daunting, especially if this is something you don’t normally do. But the experience itself can be very rewarding.
Pro tip: seek advice or, when needed, trust your judgment when interacting with people from a different culture. It’s good to meet and connect with new people, but your safety should not be compromised.
Go on a guided adventure
Although going on a solo trip can be very rewarding, it may also be overwhelming. While it gives you freedom and flexibility, it also means you have to do everything on your own. Having a knowledgeable guide lets you explore and discover without worrying about the little details. Some advantages include not needing to navigate through the wilderness (like this guided trip in the Boundary Waters in Minnesota, USA), or not needing to worry about packing all the right equipment for a desert camping experience like this one.
Practice mindfulness
In recent years, mindfulness has been growing in popularity as a way to fight off burnout – and with good reason. Mindfulness practices have been found to help people relieve stresses of modern living. Here are a few tips for burnout healing through simple mindfulness practices:
Practice Gratitude
Sometimes, the simplest of things have the biggest effects on our lives; such as the act of showing gratitude. Making this a habit can induce a profound shift in the way we live our lives. By showing gratitude, we acknowledge and affirm all the positive things in our lives. It also helps us acknowledge the role of other people in how we live our day-to-day lives.
Breathwork
Breathwork exercises are yet another way to experience the positive effects of mindfulness. In recent times, it has been known that breathing awareness meditations and other similar exercises have helped practitioners in improving some cognitive functions. It also helps in relaxation and in improving your overall mood. Try methods like Wim Hof, shamanic, or even holotropic breathwork to relieve stress and anxiety that may lead to burnout.
Meditation
This ancient practice has long been regarded as an effective way to counter the effects of stress and burnout. As we understand it, meditation began in the Indian subcontinent where it held important cultural and religious significance. It became popular in the west in modern times as a way to improve overall well-being. Recent studies show that meditation significantly decreases the effects of burnout and other related issues.
Engage your body
It has been long established that engaging your body as well as your mind through physical activity has many benefits for one’s overall health. It is recommended that adults have at least 75 minutes or above of exercise per week. Recent findings indicate that exercise does more than improve your physical health; it also has tremendous effects on your mental health. Here are some things you can do:
Hiking
Hiking is a great way to engage your whole body while enjoying the outdoors. With hiking, you get the best of both worlds: a good full-body workout and spending time in nature. Hiking is a hobby that almost anyone can pick up. That is why it is enjoyed by millions of people across the world. If you are up for some outdoor adventure and are looking for a good sweat, hiking is the one for you. If you want a specific suggestion, take a look at this backpacking trip in the Hoh Rainforest.
Cycling
If you are looking for a bit of a challenge, why not try out cycling? This endurance sport lets you test your limits while exploring places. There are several sub-disciplines you can try like mountain, road, gravel, or even fat tire biking. All offer fun and excitement as well as a well-rounded workout.
Paddlesports
There are many different types of paddlesports, all of which have a unique draw to them. Canoeing is one of the most tenured and popular types of paddlesport. Kayaking and rafting are popular, especially if you plan to venture into whitewater (advice: always work with an experienced guide). If you are looking to do a backcountry trip, you may want to check out packrafting. And lastly, one of the fastest growing watersports is stand up paddleboarding. All of these will challenge your body physically, as well as connect with the water and its natural healing properties.
Reflective Journaling
Journaling has been a time-honored tradition that many people swear by. Many great figures from history have been avid journal keepers. Here are a few benefits of keeping a journal:
Keep track of your progress
Journaling is a great way to record and track your growth and progress. When done regularly and correctly, this lets you look back and see how you’ve done. Where you’ve grown and where you need more work done. This lets you become more aware and appreciative of your overall journey.
Recover faster from injury
Believe it or not, journaling has a tangible effect on your physical health as well. A study done in New Zealand suggested that expressive journaling, characterized by descriptions of one’s deepest thoughts and feelings, also benefits physical health. 76% of the control group who journaled frequently healed faster from injury than those who didn’t. This makes journaling an even more worthwhile thing to do.
Reduce the effects of stress and anxiety
Stress and anxiety are some of the challenges that people face in today’s world. If not properly managed, these can severely impact one’s quality of life. Fortunately, journaling is a great way to deal with and manage stress and anxiety.
There are many ways we could discuss how to recover from burnout. All of the ways we listed above are great on their own, and incorporating more than one may produce even better results.
Here at Recal Travel, we’ve designed our mindful adventures to have many of these elements. We specialize in guided outdoor adventures, with coach-led mindfulness practices at the core of what we do. Our trips for 2022 are officially open for registration, which include the Quiet Parks Series, The Dark Sky Series, and the Signature series. Find out more about our 2022 lineup here.