Burnout Recovery: Prioritize Your Physical and Mental Health

Burnout affects more than your ability to work. Often, your physical health and psychological well-being also suffer. While on medical leave, as you get adequate sleep and your energy level begins to improve, addressing these concerns can help you achieve a more complete recovery.

In the video below, Dr. Patricia Turner, a Registered Psychologist in private practice in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, explores these concepts.

The accompanying article expands on these ideas, explaining why your physical and psychological health also need attention during burnout recovery.

Addressing Physical and Psychological Health Issues During Burnout Recovery

When people go into burnout, they are often struggling on multiple fronts. Burnout is not just about work.

While you are on medical leave, it can be a valuable opportunity to begin addressing underlying physical and psychological issues that may have been neglected while you were pushing through exhaustion.

Physical Health Issues Are Often Overlooked During Burnout

During burnout, many people postpone seeking medical attention. They delay seeing physicians, chiropractors, and other health professionals because they do not have the capacity or time to manage one more thing.

I have worked with clients in burnout who have reached the point of needing a hip replacement but who have not acted. Others have developed frozen shoulder. Digestive problems are also common. Physical problems are often neglected while someone is focused on meeting the demands of the workplace.

While you are on medical leave, it can be helpful to begin addressing these concerns.

Initially, sleep should remain your priority. Once you have recovered sufficiently, however, it is appropriate to begin making medical appointments and obtaining referrals to specialists. Addressing physical health concerns will make it easier to return to physical activity when the time is right so that you can avoid burning out again in future.

Psychological Conditions That Commonly Co-Occur With Burnout

Burnout rarely exists in isolation.

Some people, for example, experience panic attacks alongside burnout. Others struggle with a high level of anxiety. Depression is quite common. ADHD is another concern that may warrant attention. Obsessive-compulsive disorder may also be present.

I have worked with women who were sexually assaulted in the workplace, which is a significant psychological burden to carry. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), experiences of domestic violence, and relationship difficulties are not uncommon. In some cases, couples therapy can also be helpful.

Many people in burnout—whether they describe it this way or not—have a history of developmental trauma that has not been addressed. This means they reached adulthood with unresolved issues from childhood that need attention in order for them to feel whole.

Using Medical Leave to Support Whole-Person Burnout Recovery

I have just listed a range of concerns that help illustrate how burnout often reflects exhaustion that derives from more than work alone.

Medical leave can provide an opportunity for you to engage the help of a psychologist without the constant pressure of a job competing for your attention. Addressing physical and psychological issues during this time can support deeper recovery.

The goal is not simply to return to functioning, but to stand back up feeling healthier and more whole.

Considering Next Steps

If you are on medical leave and recognize that burnout has affected more than your work, this can be an appropriate time to address the physical and psychological issues that you have set aside.

With some distance from job pressures, working with a psychologist can help you attend to these concerns in a more focused and sustainable way. Addressing them now can support a more complete recovery and help you move forward feeling healthier and more whole.

Related Articles

• This article explains why using alcohol to cope with burnout and exhaustion can seem appealing, and how this pattern often interferes with recovery.
• This post examines why burnout symptoms are sometimes misdiagnosed as ADHD and how this misunderstanding can complicate treatment and recovery.