What can you do to get over burnout ? While psychological support is of course essential, there are other ways that can help you overcome burnout . Getting over burnout through tidying up: this may seem surprising, but tidying up has liberating properties that are particularly useful in these difficult times in life. Want to know how to help someone with burnout ? Discover in this article the 6 reasons to tidy up your home to get over burnout .
Burnout and tidying up, what's the connection?
Why I am writing this article
Explaining the link between burnout and tidying up is particularly important to me, for two reasons.
The first is that I myself went through a painful episode of burnout a few years ago when I was an employee in a large company. And I remember very precisely the day when my energy returned : it was a day of major sorting in my mother-in-law's house.
That day, like a tsunami of energy, the taste for life suddenly returned.
This had a profound impact on me and also explains why I do this job as a home organizer today .
And then, the second reason is that I often meet men and women suffering from burnout, professional or family , in the context of my work as a tidying coach.
In this article, I want to share what I observed: what worked for me, also worked for them .
Sorting acts as therapy: getting out of burnout through tidying up, experience proves, is a lifesaver .
And I explain everything to you in what follows, with testimonials from my clients to support it .
(NB: their first names have been changed to protect their anonymity)
What is burnout?
Let's first go back to burnout itself.
Burnout is a syndrome of exhaustion frequently observed in the workplace . According to Public Health France, 30,000 people in France are affected by burnout at work . It is the accumulation of stress at work that leads the person to collapse, because they no longer have the resources to cope. This is when symptoms specific to burnout appear : intense physical fatigue, difficulty sleeping, loss of energy, lack of motivation and desire, and self-deprecation.
Symptoms similar to burnout are also observed in the family sphere , often on the occasion of the arrival of a new baby in the family. Today we speak of "parental burnout" or "family burnout" , with parents who are nervously, physically and emotionally exhausted.
The change curve applied to burnout
It is obvious that you cannot return to the same position , with the same missions and with the same hierarchy, after a burnout. Similarly, in the family context, you cannot resume the same habits , the same household tasks, the same organization, after a parental burnout.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Albert Einstein
After a burnout, profound changes are necessary if we do not want to start the same depressive spiral again.
It therefore seems relevant to know the curve below, from the work of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, which lists the different psychological phases on the occasion of a loss or a major change in life .
This curve is commonly called the “grief curve” .
Indeed, any major change is a form of “mourning,” which requires the acceptance that a previous situation is over and will no longer exist in the future .
To recover from burnout, you have to "mourn" the professional or family situation that led to overwork.
In what follows, we will see how this curve helps us to understand the mechanisms at play in burnout and to make the link with the action of tidying up.
So let's take a look at the 6 reasons why you can get out of burnout by tidying up.
Reason #1: Support and increase the return of energy
Tidying up, a therapy through sorting
Tidying up as therapy , yes. But not at any point during burnout!
Recovering from burnout takes time . Experts estimate that it takes between 6 and 24 months to recover from a serious episode of burnout, whether professional or parental.
As we observe on the Change Curve, there is first a descending phase , during which energy decreases: we withdraw, we no longer want anything, we no longer share much with those close to us. In short, we are not well.
At the lowest point of burnout , there comes a phase, more or less long, of sadness. In this phase of sadness, there is no question for the person suffering from burnout to embark on a major decluttering . They would not succeed because they simply do not have the strength.
But it is the next phase that will interest us: the famous inflection point of the curve, the moment when the person regains a taste for life . At this precise moment, tidying up will allow you to get moving again and accompany the return of energy and motivation .
The sorting will act as a “boost” effect, this will accelerate the rising phase of the curve.
Learn more about the links between tidying and psychology? Discover why tidying up is good for you .
How to recognize the right moment?
We must identify the "weak signals" : the slightest desire , the slightest wish expressed is an indication that the person suffering from burnout is starting to see the world around them again .
For example, the desire to go out for a walk, the wish to buy a new coat, or a new dress: these are positive signs, even if they may seem trivial .
And then, our human nature also connects us to the cycles of the seasons : thus, there is a greater probability of feeling better and coming out of a depressive phase with the return of fine weather .
So it will be the perfect time to start a “big spring cleaning” !
Reason #2: Combine Body, Heart and Mind
Let's take a closer look at this curve of change because it is definitely very instructive. And let's look at another reason why we can get out of burnout thanks to tidying up .
As is well illustrated on the curve of change, three dimensions are inseparable in all human beings : the body, the heart and the mind.
And to get out of burnout, it is necessary to act and take control of yourself on all levels.
The body
This is the energy level , the y-axis on the graph
The heart
These are the emotions that we go through one after the other during a burnout.
The mind
These are thoughts , turned towards the past then towards the future, over time
storage & body
we get active when we tidy up, we move objects, we get moving
storage & heart
reviewing memories from the past often brings back very strong emotions
storage & mental
sorting is making decisions
Storage works on all three levers at the same time!
Reason #3: Take off weight and feel lighter
A purifying mechanism
Now let's look at a third reason to start tidying up to overcome burnout :
Sorting will have a "purging" effect, a purifying mechanism . There is truly a release of energy that occurs when you declutter your home. It's as if the disorder were the sign of blocked energy . By clearing out the clutter, you give energy back the ability to circulate . This is reminiscent of the principles of Feng Shui!