Today many people struggle with burnout. Burnout happens when stress levels become untenable, too high to manage, and high enough to disrupt daily life. Burnout often happens at work, but can also happen in the home or when trying to meet new goals, like being in recovery. Thankfully there are ways you can avoid burnout and stress. In this blog, we’ll discuss tips on how to avoid burnout.
How to Avoid Burnout
If you are looking for ways to avoid burnout and stress, you can incorporate holistic practices into your daily routine, as well as outpatient care when needed.
Holistic Care
You can learn how to avoid burnout and stress with holistic practices. These techniques might include setting boundaries and putting self-care as a top priority, but they are also things that can be regularly practiced as a way to control responses to stress.
Yoga
Yoga can teach you to stay present in the moment, instead of depressed about the past or anxious about the future. It also teaches you to sit with temporary discomfort, mentally acknowledging that all stress is temporary and you cannot control it or stop it, but you can control your response to it. It has been found to be an effective tool for stress management.
Music
Music, whether singing or dancing or just listening, has been shown to help avoid burnout and stress by boosting endorphins, which can improve your mood.
Art
Art therapy can be employed anywhere. Art can be effective at focusing on the present moment and avoiding high cortisol, or stress, levels no matter the form it takes. For example, there are small water coloring pens that you can use on the go, filling a small reservoir with water and squeezing the middle of the pen to release. This means when you are stressed, you can find an anxiety or stress-reduction coloring book and use a travel kit to paint on the go.
Meditation
Meditation has been shown to reduce cortisol levels and boost endorphins when practiced regularly. This can be walking meditation, moving meditation (like Tai Chi), eating meditation, or driving meditation.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a combination of meditation and yoga, a way to focus on acknowledging your emotions without trying to shut them out or avoid them. This practice enables you to acknowledge your feelings, sit with them, and allow them to pass without letting them control you.
Holistic care is a complementary form of support that can be practiced in conjunction with outpatient care or other psychotherapy.
For example:
A client learning to avoid burnout can practice yoga and mindfulness every morning as a way to prepare for the day, and this can put them in a better position to handle daily stress from unexpected places while also attending things like weekly support groups or therapy.
A client who has an anxiety disorder and a history of addiction might practice walking meditation when they notice physiological signs of stress while also attending a weekly music therapy class.
Outpatient Care
You can learn how to avoid burnout and stress with outpatient drug rehab. Outpatient care is uniquely situated to help clients avoid burnout by teaching coping skills that can be practiced in real-time.
For example:
A client who is learning to use square breathing when they notice the physiological signs of stress can practice their breathing techniques at night when they are home and report back during their next session on how effective they were.
A client who is learning to use a writing exercise called “The Decision Tree” might practice writing out their worries to determine which of them can be tackled at present and which should be let go, then report back to their therapist during the week on how useful it was.
How to Avoid Burnout and Stress with Ava Recovery
At Ava Recovery, we specialize in flexible programs for addiction treatment and dual diagnosis treatment. Part of our client experience is access to several forms of therapy, including on-site equine-assisted psychotherapy, group therapy, and trauma-focused treatment. We work to meet all of our clients where they are, offering access to tools that avoid burnout and stress during treatment as well as while at home.
Clients get access to ice baths, workout equipment, a volleyball court, professional chef, pool, and rec room during their program. When clients are ready to leave, they take with them the skills imparted for managing burnout and stress in a healthy way, without reverting to drugs or alcohol.
Overall, learning how to avoid burnout and stress whether you are in recovery, living with a mental health disorder, or trying to find food work-life balance can be difficult at times. By integrating holistic care into your routine, and investing in reliable outpatient care when needed, you can control your stress levels in a healthy way.
Reach out to Ava Recovery today to learn more about managing burnout and stress.
