Recovering From Burnout and Depression - Kieran Tie

Be honest with friends, family, and work colleagues about your struggles. Don't be ashamed of feeling weak or incapable. You'll likely find that others have dealt with the same problems in the past, and can help you out. Try to delegate as many things as possible, even if the person you're delegating to may not do them the way you envision.

Regaining your balance will take longer than you expect, but you'll learn a ton about yourself and what you really want from your life in the process.

Take time to think about what you really want in your life – your goals, priorities, hopes, and dreams. Think about what gives you meaning in your work - not just what you think should matter to you. Think about what might have been missing that caused the burnout in the first place.

You didn't end up burned out overnight, and undoing burnout can be a long term effort that demands some pretty drastic changes. Even if you're feeling good short-term, chances are you may not be ready to jump back into it, or that jumping back into the same role isn't a good idea. Be prepared to end up in an entirely different place to where you ar... See more

Talk about it with your family and colleagues. Take some downtime, and truly switch off. Recognize there's a problem, and think about what caused it. Find ways to reconnect with yourself, and make a plan to fix it for good.

Burnout is a cunning thief. It feeds on your passion, your energy, and your enthusiasm, taking these positive qualities and turning them into exhaustion, frustration, and self-doubt. It's way more than just having a bad day, or being tired and worn out. As an article in New York magazine described it, burnout is "a problem that’s both physical and ... See more

Talk to your manager about offloading some of your work or trying different projects. It's also worth considering taking an extended break, or just use as much of your vacation time as you can manage (I used all of mine). If you're self-employed, think about dropping some or all of your client work for a while, to buy yourself some headroom. Use th... See more

Even the simplest of tasks become monumental efforts when you're burned out. Start small. Try to focus on eating regularly – proper meals, not just snacks or alcohol. Make sure you're getting as much sleep as you possibly can. If you have trouble with insomnia as I did, sleeping medication helps a lot. Get out of the house every day – get some exer... See more

Burnout isn't something that goes away on its own - the recovery is just as slow and painful as what caused the burnout in the first place.

Trying to power through only makes things worse. While quitting your job like I did is certainly one option, it's not the only option. Finding space to recover is all about setting boundaries between yourself and your work.