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If there’s one unifying experience across humanity, it may well be burnout.

According to Samantha Dutton, PhD, an associate dean of UOPX’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, everyone experiences burnout at some point.

“Burnout is very real, and people do experience it,” she says. “They [just] might call it something else.”

So, how do you recover from burnout if you have it? Check out these steps.

If you want to know how to recover from burnout, you have to first understand what burnout is. Some universal signs are:

• Operating on autopilot
• Feeling unfulfilled at work
• Letting frustrations from work seep into your personal life
• Making regular or increasing mistakes at work

The last of these can be tricky to assess. “They could be little mistakes like you missed a meeting or you forgot to turn in the report on time,” Dutton says. “Then they get worse, and you start maybe getting into trouble at work.”

Things escalate when you stop caring. That, Dutton says, is the worst part. 

If any of this sounds familiar, take heart! You can come back from burnout, and it starts with self-reflection.

Dutton recommends asking yourself questions like, “Why did I get this job? What did I initially like about the job?”

Even if your answer ties back to salary, it’s something, Dutton says. You’re looking for a spark amid the debris of discontent.

Once you identify that bright spot, explore further. “Look for the positivity in that,” says Dutton. This revelation might be the guiding light for discovering a new career field or simply restructuring your day-to-day duties.

From there, explore the following.

While you might own your burnout, it’s not a license to quit your job, at least not immediately. As Dutton acknowledges, “You might not be able to do that. You have a house payment, mouths to feed, health insurance.”

This doesn’t mean you have to stay perpetually burned out and unhappy until you get fired, though. Instead, Dutton advises getting counseling or at least having a conversation with a trusted friend or mentor who can help you see outside of yourself and past the pain.

“Sort it out with someone who’s not emotionally attached to your situation,” she says, “because you’re very myopic. You can only see the pain and not the whole picture.”

If counseling and conversations aren’t an option, try a self-help book or an app. These tools are readily available and can also help you see past the immediate discontent.

Next, ask more questions. Reflect on prompts like, “What did you used to do for fun?” Dutton did this during the COVID lockdowns. She loved playing the clarinet in high school and decided to revisit it. As it turned out, her band days were firmly behind her — but trying it helped break her out of her rut.

Similarly, look for ways to pour your passions into activities outside of work, whether that’s reading a book after hours, learning to paint wildlife or volunteering in a capacity that increases gratitude for your own situation.

“You don’t have to go to the food bank because you have a job,” Dutton says. Those morning hours spent boxing food might just bring a new perspective when you log in to work that afternoon. 

Most importantly, Dutton says it’s important to take the wins as you work your way out of burnout. “Know that you’re not the only one who’s experiencing this,” she says. By focusing on what brings you joy and working toward a different outcome, you just might find yourself on the other side of burnout.

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