introvert turtle shell

Last week’s article about introvert burnout received a huge response. Apparently there are a whole lot of introverts out there who feel overwhelmed, exhausted and burnt out!

In the article I shared how to avoid burnout, but I didn’t talk about how to overcome burnout when you’re in the thick of it.

What do you do when you’re mentally, emotionally and physically maxed out, but feel like you don’t have time to refuel?  After all, the world doesn’t stop spinning just because you’re running on empty.

If you’re like me, you’ll begin making threats at the universe:

You want to make life difficult for me? Fine, I’m just going to give up. Then I’m going to eat this whole pie by myself. AND I’m not going to recycle the container. Take that. 

This is not a healthy way to deal with burnout.

Never fear. I’ve come up with a few easy ways to recover from introvert burnout fast:

Laughter

Can you remember the last time you laughed out loud, or even smiled? When we’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s hard to find time to giggle and grin. But we really should because laughter is one of the best cures for burnout.

The good news is that we can get our giggle on simply by watching funny videos and looking at silly photos.  After just a few minutes of watching funny videos this week, I felt rejuvenated and ready to tackle my to-do list .

Here are some hilarious YouTube videos I watched this week:

Charlie Day’s Merrimack College Commencement Address

Celebrities Read Mean Tweets #7

Things You Do at a Wedding That’d Be Creepy Anywhere Else

Warning: just be careful not to get sucked into the YouTube vortex of strange videos you never intended to watch. Two or three funny videos is enough.

Having a cat moment

I shared this one with my subscribers last week:

Have you ever noticed how much of the day cats spend just sitting and staring off into the middle distance? When they do this, they could care less what else is happening.  They find their little sliver of sunshine, get comfy and zone out.

As introverts, we’re prone to zoning out, too.  We do this partly because we enjoy it, but also as a way of protecting our brains from over-stimulation.

When we’re suffering from burnout, sometimes the best thing to do is find our own sliver of sunshine, stretch out, stare into the middle distance, and JUST BE.  Extra points for not feeling guilty about it.

Skype with a loved one

When we’re feeling burnt out, just getting out of bed is hard. The last thing we want to do is go out and meet with friends. This can place us in quite a pickle since introverts need love and support from other people, too.

Solution? Set up a Skype date with your nearest and dearest. Skype is perfect for introverts who hate talking on the phone. You get to see the people you love without actually leaving the house AND you can get away with not putting on pants. Win win win!

Put down the chocolate bar

When we’re exhausted, our first instinct is to scarf down some sugary carbs so that we can get a quick boost. Don’t do it. If you eliminate refined sugar and simple carbs from your diet for even one day, you will immediately feel an increase in energy.

Here is a short list of energizing foods that help curb cravings for sugar:

Oatmeal

Yams

Broccoli

Beans

Lentils

Chicken Breast

Eggs

Bananas

Berries

Notice I didn’t put any fancy “superfoods” in there. Eating well doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Keep it simple smarty.

Do it the lazy way

Our to-do list doesn’t shrink just because we’re feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. But how we approach our daily tasks can be simplified. When I’m suffering from introvert burnout, I try to find the laziest approach possible to all necessary tasks. Here are some examples:

Answer emails and Facebook messages on your laptop in bed

Do research and planning outside instead of at your desk

Make healthy one-pot meals

Only do tasks that:

a) move your most important goals forward

b) are absolutely necessary

Do you really need to respond to those Facebook messages today? Can you put off mowing your lawn, or hire the kid down the street to do it?

I find that once you identify your most important three tasks for the day (MITs), you begin to eliminate unnecessary chores or find easier, faster ways of doing them.

Hopefully, you aren’t feeling too burnt out at the moment. But if you are, know that you’re not alone. Introvert burnout is a common struggle in our fast-paced society.

So, don’t be too hard on yourself. You can be awesome another day.  Today, it’s enough to just be.

Sending you all my positive introvert energy
& love,

Michaela Signature