By Er. Nikita Garg, celebrity nutritionist and founder, Entech Wellness  

Burnout isn't just feeling lazy or unmotivated. It's like your body is running on fumes because your body fuel tank feels empty. The term "burnout" means you have used up all your energy without getting refuelled. 

Burnout symptoms include exhaustion, poor performance, and cynicism (like feeling "why bother?"). It is your brain yelling at you, “Please stop, give yourself sometime and take a break. WHO says its chronic workplace stress gone wrong. Deloitte's survey backs it up – 77% of high performing employees face burnout, often due to crazy workloads. 

"A Burnout Recovery Playbook for you” 

Possible Solutions: 

1. Identify the reason for Burnout, Acknowledge it and Work on it

Ask honest questions to yourself?

Ques: Do you really like your job?

Or are you doing this job because you are the only bread winner of your family? If yes, start carving out time for things you love. Working in the direction towards your passion even for 30 minutes gives you a lot of mental peace and calmness. It certainly removes FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and gives a sense of completion simultaneously saving from exhaustion at work. 

Is it not the job/work but the people?

Toxicity from management, co-workers or clients can give you burnouts even in your favourite job. 

Communication and team activities can foster better relations and strengthen trust.

If working environment still remains toxic, try choosing or switching to a workplace that allows to breathe and enhance productivity. 

Do you feel consistently incompetent compared to others?

Play: Make that “better” person your mentor and try to learn from them. Enhance your skillset, work on it rather than feeling burnout. Comparisons drain you and give you more burnout. 

2. Opt for Digital Detox

Your nervous system needs to regulate dopamine to reset.

Set a rule: No screens at least 30 minutes before wake up and 30 min after sleep. 

3. Take nature travel breaks

Plan a solo trip and stay disconnected from everything for few days. Places close to nature always helps in rebooting the system in the fastest way. 

4. Rebuild your Basics: Sleep, Fuel and Movement

Do you feel burnout because of health issues which you have been ignoring because of workload? 

Consult a Fitness expert to track your fundamentals and opt for Health Screening and Fitness Testing. 

Sleep is one of the most important recovery mechanism. During sleep, our system gets a reboot like various important hormones such as growth hormone, sex hormones are synthesized in the night. It also helps in consolidating memory, regulating emotions. When you face an emotional burnout, sometimes you post your emotions on social media during night time but when you wake up – why did I post this? It happens because after sleep you feel an emotional recovery. So, good sleep regulates memory and emotions. 

Target for 6-7 hours of Qualitative and deep sleep. If needed, take supplements after consulting your health expert like Magnesium, Ashwagandha and Phosphatidylserine. 

Keep your Energy levels balanced by having a balanced plate which comprises of primarily high-quality protein and fats and optimal carbohydrates (as per your sugar tolerance). 

Exercise/Physical Activity at least 45-60 minutes ensures muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons still have value in your body. Don’t treat your most important tissues for longevity like an alien. Move and make them feel alive. Join Zumba, Kickboxing, Weight Training, Dance etc but give work to your muscles. Physical activities also help in releasing BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor) – a neurotrophins that supports Neuroplasticity, Cognitive Function, Mood Regulation and Brain Repair. Chronic elevated levels of cortisol suppress BDNF. 

What organizations can do? 

At Organization Level, companies can opt for stress management tools which fosters new skill development, implementing tools that can identify Burnout.  

Burnout word became popular in 1970s by an American Psychologist and Psychotherapist “Herbert Freudenberger” to describe the Physical and emotional exhaustion among healthcare workers and volunteers. 

Years later, researchers Dr. Christina Maslach and Susan E. Jackson developed Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) by expanding the concept of Burnout. It is the Globally Recognised, “Gold Standard” psychological assessment tool for measuring occupational burnout. MBI is validated by the extensive research conducted for more than 35 years. 

It evaluates burnout as a “Multi-dimensional Syndrome” rather than just a Medical Condition. 

Different Industries implement MBI in several tailored formats which may contain 16-22 parameters or more. However, three components are essentially a part of MBI Assessment are: 

1.    Emotional Exhaustion: Measures feelings of being emotionally overextended, drained, and depleted by one's work.

2.    Depersonalization / Cynicism: Measures unfeeling, negative, or detached responses to other people at work (e.g., colleagues or clients).

3.    Personal Accomplishment / Professional Efficacy: Evaluates feelings of competence, success, and productivity in one's work.