To return to work after burnout, you need official authorization from a doctor. He or she will examine medical and physical issues and decide if you are able to resume work.
The course of burnout and its recovery period is different for everyone. So whether you are ready to pick up the thread again is very personal. From our experience as job-, stress- and burnout-coach, career coach and experience expert, Travvant is happy to give you advice.
Overcoming burnout: get coaching!
During burnout, it is important to look for help. A stress and burnout coach will help you through the recovery period and also prepare you for reintegration.
Among other things, he/she will go over a scientific questionnaire with you, which will give you more insight on whether you are ready to return to work. You can then go to your doctor with this list.
How do you prepare yourself for successful reintegration?
Find out what triggered your burnout and what you can adjust about your job to avoid it. A conversation with your supervisor or HR manager using your career passport can get you started. Discuss your sources of stress, energizers and talents. Important: you do not have to be 100% complaint-free to successfully integrate.
Are you already managing, for about four weeks, to perform household chores and other activities in two-hour blocks with a break? Then, in consultation with your doctor, you can carefully resume work.
In doing so, build up slowly. For example, start with a short visit to your colleagues and chat over a cup of coffee. Afterwards, start with a few half-days or a few hours per week. Above all, listen carefully to your own body and do not force anything. A stress and burnout coach will work with you to draw up a personal plan to get you back to work.
Getting back to work after burnout: 7 tips
Going back to work after burnout? Pretty exciting and still a bit uncomfortable. These tips will certainly help you on your way:
- After burnout, it is possible that you will suffer from concentration problems for an extended period of time. Is this the case? Reduce your workload and discuss your branch package with your supervisor. For example, start with fewer tasks and limited working hours. Build up gradually afterwards and discuss this at work.
- Good time management is crucial. Take inventory of everything you do and then look at how much time you spent on tasks that are truly job-related.
- Guard your breaks well. When you're in the flow of your work, it's tempting not to take breaks. Yet it is scientifically proven that you work more efficiently when you take occasional breaks.
- A healthy mind in a healthy body will be your life motto! Eat healthy, exercise and make sure you relax sufficiently.
- Learn to say "no" when you have too much going on. Dare to say how you feel. After all, bottling up requires a lot of energy.
- Plan well and learn to prioritize.
- Relapse prevention is necessary! After all, the road to recovery is often littered with all kinds of pitfalls. There is a great temptation to get caught up in the rat race of the past. Therefore, even after your burnout, get guidance. That way you avoid the pitfalls and learn to respect your limits. Moreover, figures show that without proper coaching and counseling, burnout patients stay at home longer and find it harder to find their way to a successful reintegration.
"Written by Mieke Meynen, former consultant Travvant - Reworked by Els Piron, Career Coach Travvant"