The Mindset Shift: Work as Part of Burnout Recovery

Hi, I'm Karina Schneider, and this is Back After Burnout, a podcast dedicated to honest conversations and real strategies about returning to work after burnout.

Today's episode is about a really important mindset shift that going back to work isn't the end of your recovery, it's a part of it.

Let's talk about what that means, why it matters, and how to set yourself up to manage the transition with care.

One thing I hear from nearly every returning professional I've come across is some version of I'm back, but I still don't feel like myself.

There's this pressure, sometimes internal, sometimes external, to bounce back or perform like before, as though the burnout never happened.

This assumption that there's a checklist or criteria to say one has fully recovered from burnout and until all that has been met, one is not ready to work again.

But the truth is, you can't separate recovery from work.

Coming back is where the real integration begins.

It's where you get to apply what you've learned in real life, facing real pressures.

And that takes time.

While it might feel safer to delay the return, common literature indicates that the longer the absence, the harder reintegration can be.

So how do we manage this overlap in a way that feels safe?

A key message I want to share today is that being back is not equal to being 100%.

Sometimes we might think that the fit to work note from our doctor is the endpoint or outcome of the recovery process, like a certificate of achievement or reassurance that we've made it a vote of confidence.

We've been through the worst and we've come out on the other side.

In many ways, that's what recovery can feel and look like.

But I'd like to offer a different perspective.

What if the return to work process, or at least the early stages of that, is actually still part of your recovery?

For me, recovery is about our newfound ability to sustain a joyful, productive, fulfilled life.

Our ability to remain optimistic and hopeful, to have a sense of agency and empowerment around the circumstances that we are facing, and not just about managing a condition.

If we consider the return to work as part of recovery, it reduces the pressure that we need to have it all figured out.

It leaves space for us to discover what we might not have anticipated and adjust along the way.

Just like physical rehab after an injury, you're easing back in, testing your limits, making adjustments.

So if that is the case, what should be the goal of this return to work process?

The goal is not about getting to your peak level of performance as soon as possible.

Instead, the goal is to relearn how to work in a healthy and sustainable way for the long term.

The quote Slow and steady wins the race comes up for me as I think about this.

Before we go to practical strategies in future episodes, I want to use our time today to break down what this mindset can mean more specifically.

Number one, Pacing is not failure.

There is nothing shameful or weak about planning a slow and steady return.

I know that the prospect of returning at 20% or 30% capacity might come across strange or meaningless.

But remember, you are coming from weeks and weeks, if not months or years of being in rest mode.

Your first day's back might just be enough to get used to the new routine again and assessing how far your energy levels take you.

Starting with a slow and steady pace is smart.

2.

Expect speed bumps.

Your first weeks or months back will probably not be smooth sailing.

You might have good days and bad days, some days where your body is just ready to go and others where it just needs to slow down.

You might realize your work interests are changing or you're struggling to reconnect with your colleagues.

A dip or a bad day doesn't mean you are unwell again or you've relapsed.

It means your environment is stretching you.

Use it as information, reflect on it and what actions you might want to take as a result.

Number three Go micro.

This is not a time to set big ambitious goals or take significant and life changing decisions.

Think about what feels most important for you in the next four weeks or even just the next week.

Maybe it's just about sticking to a new habit or behavior or being better at integrating rest time or practicing self compassion.

Perhaps you're facing a lot of open questions and are feeling tempted to get to certainty by making big consequential decisions.

Consider if you're in the right headspace.

If you have information and enough time to do so, give yourself room to re engage with your work life and professional activities again.

Learn about yourself and your recovery in the process to reconnect with what matters to you at the end of the day.

Number four, you are allowed to adjust.

Consider your first weeks back as an opportunity to experiment.

Remember, you are learning to apply new patterns of thinking and behaving that is healthier for you.

Perhaps some of the strategies you thought of while on leave are not working out in the way you imagined them to.

Maybe your routine needs to look differently than you initially planned so you can integrate more breaks.

Whatever it is, allow yourself the curiosity to test things out with with no such thing as failing or making mistakes, just collecting data and allowing the process to lead you.

Speaking of experiments, if a paid job is not something you are returning to yet or at all, these principles can be used similarly if you are a full time parent or leading volunteer or vocational work.

Finally, number five, returning to work is not just about work.

It can sometimes feel like this whole process is only about the work.

But actually, your burnout did not just affect your ability to work.

I assume it has also changed you in some fundamental way.

Perhaps some of your values have shifted or your identity has evolved.

What if returning to work after a mental health break also a return to your self worth?

A stronger identity?

A connection to purpose, Belonging to a community?

Feeling of accomplishment?

Access to independence?

If that's the case, how would you design your first weeks to make all this more accessible to you?

Here's something you can do during your first month back at work to help keep this mindset grounded.

It could be a simple Rate your day exercise.

You can use the traffic light colors red, orange and green or a range of 1 to 5 to check in with yourself, choose a method that works for you.

As you do that, reflect on the following what's one thing I did today that supported my recovery?

What drained me more than I expected?

What adjustment could help me feel 10% more resourced tomorrow?

Here's what I want to leave you with as we reach the end of this episode.

Returning doesn't mean proving you're better.

It means asserting your boundaries, your needs, your voice.

Voice in real life.

The point is not to get it right on day one.

The point is to stay aware, responsive, and kind to yourself as you go.

Remember, you're not behind.

You're in progress.

Thanks for being here today.

I'll see you next time.