A GUIDE TO BEATING BURNOUT

WORDS RACHEL EDWARDS

Every week, if not every day, somebody tells me they are burnt out. And if someone's not telling me that they are, then I'm telling someone that I am. If you live in London it feels like a rite of passage, like getting on the Victoria line or complaining about the weather. I try to ignore the side of my brain that tells me that burn out is a normal part of forging a creative career. Friends tell me they don't ever really log out - they check emails at the weekend, they create things with a capitalist agenda, they work with their dinner on their lap. A bit like the laptop I close each night without ever properly shutting down, I always have one part of my brain that's switched on. I rush to my side jobs, telling myself that I'm side stepping the 9-5. I am, in a way. But I can't side step the burn out.

Fires easily burn out. I learned this in my showing-people-posh-houses side job when I had to try to keep the fire burning in a house for all eight of the viewings. It was work - by the end of the four hours I'd used up every scrap of wood and kindling, and was eyeing up the coffee table book, desperately trying to stop the flames turning to ash. When you know how to, though, fires aren't so hard to keep going. It's all about thinking ahead, balancing the wood in the right way and the timing of adding the kindling. Maybe, then, in order to stop ourselves burning out, we need to think ahead and be strategic. I haven't yet succeeded at this, but I have rounded some up some tips for the next time you feel the BO looming (burn out that is... not body odour).

TECH-FREE RETREATS

The thing with technology is that it’s not just work that can burn you out — it’s the constant pressure to reply to messages, respond to voice notes, and keep up with the annoying bird on Duolingo. It’s almost impossible not to spend half the day staring at some kind of screen, and by the time you go to bed, your mind is still wide awake. A tech-free retreat not only forces you to go cold turkey and take a break from the guilt of a slow reply since you physically can't reply, but it also gives you the chance to reset your nervous system and remember what silence feels like. When you re-enter the world of noise, you do it more intentionally. Nestled in the wild, off-grid company Shacks invited guests to switch off and spend time in nature, free from distractions, schedules and spreadsheets. Each space looks incredibly cosy and relaxing, and gives you the chance to spend the evening looking up at the stars rather than down at a phone screen. They also give you the chance to reflect on what is truly important.

SUPPLEMENTS

When you're stressed, it's easy to focus on the fact that on top of being mentally stressed, you are probably also damaging your body and your immune system. Then the stress over being stressed makes things worse, and it turns into a whole spiral. This is where supplements come in to play. I swear by herbal echinacea pills and rigorously take these the minute I feel rundown, but Rejuvenated have formulated a supplement called 'cellular calm complex' that contains a mixture of nootropics, adaptogens and vitamins (basically things that are good for your body and brain) to combat cellular stress. Rather than trying to keep up with fifty vitamins, this streamlines it, and there’s something mentally soothing about simplifying your routine when everything else feels chaotic.

SLOW DOWN

Apparently we can trick our bodies into thinking we're less stressed than we are simply by doing things slowly. Because your nervous system constantly interprets signals from your body to decide whether you’re safe or in danger, when you breathe deeply, move slowly, or relax your muscles, you activate the parasympathetic nervous system or the body’s natural “rest and digest” mode, which lowers heart rate and cortisol levels. This physical calm sends feedback through the vagus nerve to your brain, telling it that the threat has passed, even if nothing external has changed. Essentially, by changing your body’s rhythm, you shift your brain’s interpretation of your state, allowing you to feel calmer and think more clearly.

SAUNA AND COLD PLUNGE

I don’t know why I resisted this for so long (maybe because the idea of sitting in an oven and then jumping into an ice bath felt like the opposite of relaxing) but it works. The combination of heat and cold exposure helps regulate your nervous system, boost circulation, and reduce inflammation. The sauna pushes your body into a controlled stress response, while the cold plunge resets it. Together, they train your body to handle stress more efficiently and recover faster. Plus, there’s something Bear Grylls-esque about it, and people that cold plunge always walk with a slight smugness.

SLEEP

Don't ask me why when we're burnt out our body decides it's going to make it 10x harder to sleep, but it does. During deep sleep, your brain literally cleans itself - it regenerates and refreshes. Sleep deprivation blurs the line between being tired and being burnt out, until they become indistinguishable (trust me, I've been there more times than I care to admit). Protect your sleep like it’s part of your job: go to bed at the same time, be strict with screen time before bed, and you're far less likely to experience the wrath of burn out.

DO NOTHING

This one is the one I struggle with the most. Someone wise once told me: If your calendar looks full, your mind probably is too. They also told me that a messy room = a messy mind yet I still struggle to keep on top of that. Try to keep at least one day a week that’s unscheduled with no plans - no chores, no catch-ups, just lounging around. By doing this, you actually enjoy the time you're socialising and find that you're much more productive at work too.