If you’re feeling overwhelmed by every new request, disengaged from your team, or uncharacteristically underperforming, you may be experiencing burnout. Learning how to recover from burnout starts with recognizing it — and knowing which stress management techniques actually help.
Burnout can build up over months or even years, or it can hit quickly after a period of intense stress at work or at home. Catching it early is ideal, but recovery is possible no matter how long it’s been building. Below are five practical, evidence-based ways to start workplace burnout recovery.
How Long Does It Take to Recover from Burnout?
Recovery time varies based on severity, lifestyle, and the support available to you. Mild burnout may ease within a few weeks through rest, stress management, and healthier habits. More severe burnout — especially when it affects both mental and physical health — can take several months to resolve.
Consistent routines, quality sleep, therapy, and regular self-care all help speed the process along. There’s no single timeline, but the techniques below are a proven starting point.
1. Prioritize Sleep
Sleep is often one of the first habits to slip on the road to burnout — and its absence makes everything else harder. Poor sleep amplifies emotional and physical symptoms, while high stress makes it harder to get the rest you need. It’s a difficult cycle to break without intentional effort.
“Less than six hours of sleep at night makes you 2.5x more likely to have serious mental distress,” says Jen Foley, Director of Clinical Partnerships at Spring Health, during Guardian’s webinar on sleep and mental health strategies.
Chronic sleep deprivation carries serious downsides, including impaired performance, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and poor mental health.¹ It also shows up physically — low energy, anxiety, exhaustion, depression, and reduced ability to cope with stress.² Prioritizing sleep is one of the most foundational burnout recovery tips available.
Tips for Better Sleep
- Timing. Go to bed and wake up at the same time daily. Build a wind-down routine — a warm bath, reading, or relaxing music — to signal it’s time to rest.
- Bedroom environment. Keep the room cool, dark, and quiet. Invest in a comfortable, supportive mattress. Keep work out of the bedroom, and use a white noise machine if needed.
- Bed behaviors. Reserve your bed for sleep only — watch TV, eat, or work elsewhere. If you can’t fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up and do something low-key until you feel drowsy. Limit screen time before bed.
- Consumption habits. Try a light snack before bed (yogurt, a banana). Avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and heavy or sugary foods late in the day. Move physical activity earlier when possible, and keep naps under 30 minutes.
2. Build a Stress Management Toolkit
Having go-to stress management techniques helps you stay steady when triggering moments hit. During burnout, even routine tasks can feel overwhelming. Nicole Roger, Senior Manager of Clinical Partnerships at Spring Health, shared this simple mindfulness formula during Guardian’s webinar on coping with burnout:
The STOP Method
- S – Stop. When a stressful email or assignment lands, pause. Push your chair back and give yourself a moment before deciding how to respond.
- T – Take a breath. Focus on your breathing for a minute. Inhale deeply through your nose, exhale slowly. Repeat until your heart rate settles.
- O – Observe. Notice what you’re feeling — your thoughts, emotions, and physical state — without judgment.
- P – Proceed. Choose one thing to focus on right now. Burnout can make a to-do list feel impossible, but you can only tackle one item at a time.
3. Make Room for Fun
When you’re juggling work, household responsibilities, and caregiving, fun can start to feel like an unnecessary luxury. In reality, it’s one of the most effective burnout coping strategies available.³
Fun activities produce eustress — a positive form of stress that keeps us feeling energized and alive.⁴ Think of the rush from a rollercoaster, a concert, or finishing a 5K.⁵
Major sources of fun may only happen a couple of times a month, but small daily doses — watching something funny, catching up with a friend — add up. Laughter in particular carries real health benefits, including lower cortisol levels and increased antibody activity.⁶
4. Establish a Supportive Routine
A daily routine acts as an anchor during stressful periods and supports burnout recovery by restoring a sense of control. Lack of structure, by contrast, can actually deepen feelings of distress.
A good routine covers your whole life — not just work — so job demands are met without crowding out self-care. Benefits of a solid routine include:
- Improved physical health
- Greater productivity
- Sharper focus
- Lower stress levels
When building your routine:
- Focus on what you can control — wake times, bedtimes, meals, downtime
- Set realistic goals
- Start with the basics you already do each day
- Block out time for people and activities you enjoy
- Keep the routine high-level — don’t let it become another to-do list
- Stay flexible and adjust as needed
- Forgive yourself on the days it doesn’t go as planned, and start fresh tomorrow
5. Use Your Employer’s Mental Health Resources
Over the past five years, more organizations have expanded access to mental health resources that support burnout recovery — including virtual counseling and therapy available by text or video call. Some employer-provided services now go beyond traditional therapy, offering on-demand support when it’s needed most.
You may have access to more than you realize: the share of organizations offering benefits specifically for mental well-being has grown from 32% to 64%.⁷ For workplace burnout recovery, these resources can provide the personalized guidance that self-directed strategies can’t.
At the same time, burnout has been rising while vacation time taken has declined.⁸ Many companies — across industries and in states with large workforces like Florida — have revised their leave policies in response to both the pandemic and rising burnout rates.⁹
Medical leave may also be worth exploring for severe burnout, giving you time to address the underlying causes. Leave policies vary by company, so check with HR to understand what’s available to you.
Signs of Burnout: A Quick Self-Check
Recognizing burnout in yourself isn’t always easy. Use this checklist to check in:
Physical well-being
- Are you holding tension anywhere in your body?
- Are you getting enough quality sleep each night?
- Are you eating well and staying hydrated?
Connection and relationships
- When did you last spend quality time with friends or family?
- Have you been working more hours than usual?
Sense of purpose
- Do you feel motivated by a clear sense of purpose?
- Are you skipping activities you normally enjoy?
You’re not alone in this. According to Guardian’s 11th Annual Workplace Benefits Study, 75% of workers say burnout is their biggest mental health challenge at work.¹⁰ Taking active steps toward recovery — and knowing how to prevent burnout going forward — can move that number in the right direction.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to recover from burnout?
Mild burnout may improve within a few weeks through rest and stress management. Severe burnout, especially when it affects physical health, can take several months. Consistent sleep, routine, and support speed up recovery.
What are the first signs of burnout?
Common early signs include chronic fatigue, emotional exhaustion, irritability, trouble focusing, declining performance, and withdrawing from work or social activities.
Can better sleep help with burnout recovery?
Yes. Sleep is essential for mental and physical restoration. Poor sleep worsens exhaustion, anxiety, and stress, while a consistent sleep routine and sleep-friendly environment support recovery.
What stress management techniques help most with burnout?
Effective techniques include the STOP mindfulness method, deep breathing, regular physical activity, scheduled breaks, fun activities, and professional therapy or counseling.
Can hobbies and fun activities really help with burnout?
Yes. Fun activities create eustress, a positive form of stress that improves mood, lowers cortisol, and boosts overall well-being — even in small daily doses like laughing with friends or exercising.
Should I use my employer’s mental health resources to recover from burnout?
It’s worth exploring. Many employers now offer virtual therapy, counseling, and wellness programs that provide personalized coping strategies and support faster, more sustainable recovery.
Take the First Step Toward Recovery
Burnout is reversible. Prioritizing sleep, building a stress management toolkit, making time for fun, establishing a supportive routine, and using the mental health resources available through your employer can all move you toward a healthier, more sustainable pace — both at work and at home.
Material discussed is meant for general information purposes only and is not to be construed as medical, tax, legal, or investment advice. Although the information has been gathered from sources believed to be reliable, individual situations can vary. The information should be relied upon only when coordinated with individual professional advice.
Mental wellness benefits discussed herein are provided by Spring Care, Inc., d/b/a Spring Health (“Spring Health”), 251 Park Avenue South, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10010. Spring Health is not an insurance benefit. Insured products are offered by The Guardian Life Insurance Company, New York, N.Y. (“Guardian”), which has a financial interest in Spring Health. Spring Health may not be offered through Guardian in all states.
GUARDIAN® is a registered service mark of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America®
© Copyright 2022 The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, N.Y. All rights reserved.
¹ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/expert-answers/sleep-deprivation/faq-20057959
² https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326926#Deep-sleep-protects-against-anxiety
³ https://www.verywellmind.com/the-best-stress-relief-3144573
⁴ https://www.verywellmind.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-eustress-3145109
⁵ https://jemi.edu.pl/vol-12-issue-1-2016/positive-stress-and-reflective-practice-among-entrepreneurs
⁶ https://www.doi.org/10.1152/advan.00030.2017
⁷,¹⁰ https://www.guardianlife.com/reports/workforce-state-of-mind
⁸,⁹ https://www2.deloitte.com/xe/en/insights/topics/talent/culture-vacation-policy-trends-employee-burnout.html
