Burnout

Hi- I can relate to this a lot- I am having quite a bad burnout at the moment too and also currently can’t pursue my interests and don’t have any hobby or relaxing activity I can do to recuperate. I don’t have a solution. It sounds like you have a busy time ahead- can you try to take some time off afterwards? Also can you try to set aside some time for relaxation each day? I know it’s not easy, especially when busy- what happens with me is that when I start to get burnt out I put even more energy into work and am so wound up that relaxing seems impossible and when i do stop I collapse and it feels bad... sadly with time this has completely worn me out to the point where I couldn’t work anymore or do anything (and unintentionally lost a lot of weight). It’s so important to not let it get to the utter collapse/ burnout stage as it takes so so long to recover. But I’ve not figured out yet how to prevent the burnout. Someone said to me recently that ‘relaxation’ is a skill we need to learn so apparently it’s not surprising that it feels hard. I also know I need to overcome my constant need to be productive and guilt if i am not... and I want to have a hobby again (or finally be able to start recuperating from injuries so i can do my favourite hobbies again...). Is there any activity you think you would like to do? I know it’s hard because when I am burnt out i do not have the energy for much, let alone trying out lots of new things that i probably won’t like anyways .... what is helping me at the moment is to try and put some daily relaxing thing into my routine (i started having a bath in evening before bed to relax). Also I am finally trying to engage with some anxiety reducing techniques, though it took a few weeks of time off for me to even reach a state where i could start trying so these- I tried some breathing exercises (not sure yet if i like it) and a grounding technique which i quite like- it involves finding 5 things you can see, then 4 things you can feel (eg feet on ground, texture of clothes etc), 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. I quite like this and i am trying to do it when i start worrying.
I hope you find some ways to prevent further burnout and to start recovering! 

Hi- I can relate to this a lot- I am having quite a bad burnout at the moment too and also currently can’t pursue my interests and don’t have any hobby or relaxing activity I can do to recuperate. I don’t have a solution. It sounds like you have a busy time ahead- can you try to take some time off afterwards? Also can you try to set aside some time for relaxation each day? I know it’s not easy, especially when busy- what happens with me is that when I start to get burnt out I put even more energy into work and am so wound up that relaxing seems impossible and when i do stop I collapse and it feels bad... sadly with time this has completely worn me out to the point where I couldn’t work anymore or do anything (and unintentionally lost a lot of weight). It’s so important to not let it get to the utter collapse/ burnout stage as it takes so so long to recover. But I’ve not figured out yet how to prevent the burnout. Someone said to me recently that ‘relaxation’ is a skill we need to learn so apparently it’s not surprising that it feels hard. I also know I need to overcome my constant need to be productive and guilt if i am not... and I want to have a hobby again (or finally be able to start recuperating from injuries so i can do my favourite hobbies again...). Is there any activity you think you would like to do? I know it’s hard because when I am burnt out i do not have the energy for much, let alone trying out lots of new things that i probably won’t like anyways .... what is helping me at the moment is to try and put some daily relaxing thing into my routine (i started having a bath in evening before bed to relax). Also I am finally trying to engage with some anxiety reducing techniques, though it took a few weeks of time off for me to even reach a state where i could start trying so these- I tried some breathing exercises (not sure yet if i like it) and a grounding technique which i quite like- it involves finding 5 things you can see, then 4 things you can feel (eg feet on ground, texture of clothes etc), 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. I quite like this and i am trying to do it when i start worrying.
I hope you find some ways to prevent further burnout and to start recovering! 

Hi, thank you for such a thorough responses and for sharing your experiences so openly. I'm sorry it's been so intense for you, and admire everything you're doing to find a way through. 
Relaxation is definitely a skill - it sounds so simple yet it feels meaningful actually to frame/articulate it that way. I'll try to find ways of doing this - I think I haven't yet found what 'relaxation' or 'time off' really look like for me now so that's something to work on.

I'm so glad you've found the grounding techniques helpful.

Hobbies/activities - I'm not sure. Many of the things I once loved have become fraught for me, so I think I need to explore new territory. I have a favourite playlist though - listening to music can help, when I'm able to focus in closely enough.

I hope you can find what you need soon. Thanks again and take care.