Are you ready for the perfect burnout storm?
First, start with a heaping dose of mental illness. Stir in way too many responsibilities. Add just a touch of depression, and top it all off with a scoop of busy work that seems endless but needs doing.
If your friends are going MIA on you, it might not be anything to do with you… they too, might be coping with the perfect burnout storm – you know – not *actual* burnout (yet) but darn close.
In the mental illness world, everything is a juggling act where you are trying to keep symptoms at bay and still juggle every other responsibility that comes your way… and then… depression (or another lingering mental illness symptom) hits.
For awhile, everything loses momentum.
This might mean that those balls you are juggling fall.
But they can be picked up, again – much like depression and the perfect burnout storm can be recovered from (in due time).
Identifying Depression VS Burnout Or Both
Did you know, you don’t have to have a history of mental illness to suffer from a bout of depression? So, truly, it could be a case of either/or….
Sometimes it seems they go hand in hand. However, burnout is usually caused by “overdoing it” or loading your plate with too many responsibilities for too long, whereas depression is (in my words) a mood disorder.
So to identify which is the issue, look at the history (been very “busy” for awhile? Stressed? Have a tendency towards depression?) before you decide.
Recovering from the Perfect Burnout Storm
After you pin the tail on the donkey *ahem* problem, it’s time to gauge the route to recovery. Suffering from the a perfect burnout storm? Great. That’s easier (in my opinion) to deal with than depression.
Some helpful tips to get you started with recovery:
- Check your boundaries. If these are too lax, it can stress you out and as a by-product put more on your workload. Consider reading Boundary Issues to help identify boundaries that are too strong or too weak.
- Cut as many responsibilities as reasonably possible (and try to keep from adding them right back on later or you might end up in the same proverbial boat)
- Give yourself time to rest and recover before jumping back in to (reduced) responsibilities
Recovery from Depression
First, remember that recovering from depression is HARD, and getting back on your feet again is just as hard if not harder. Cut yourself some slack and give yourself a grace period.
Now, some helpful recovery tips:
- Consult with a doctor or mental health professional and take any medication as prescribed EVEN if you are feeling better (stopping medication without a doctor’s prior approval is one of the MAIN reasons I’ve found to relapse or have an issue)
- Despite the core problem being different, tips from above or On the Verge of Burnout Self Care can be extremely beneficial.
- Unlike caring for yourself right before or during burnout, I have found that SLOWLY adding responsibilities (within reason) or pushing limits for yourself SLIGHTLY can help speed or aid the recovery process.
Remember, your doctor, mental health professional, or counselor/therapist is often your best resource for information on coping with these problems. This is simply meant to be a helpful article in distinguishing between burnout and depression, and coping with those issues.
Are you dealing with a case of burnout and/or depression? What helped or is helping you through? Let me know in the comments below!
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or mental health professional. This is not to be construed as medical advice and does NOT replace advice from your doctor or mental health professional.
Christian, wife, “hybrid” mama, I run the site All Behind A Smile to help others like me.
Leave a Reply