DESIGN: KAZI AKIB BIN ASAD

Much like the confusion in defining self-quarantine and self-isolation these days, the line between "stress" and "burnout" falls very thin. While both accentuate the eventual demise toward emotional and physical exhaustion, their projection differs widely. In the context of a workplace, stress is what would make a person go a little crazy by the end of the week; burnout will make the person not even show up.

During this period of what is defined as social isolation, a silver lining does exist in the form of burnout recovery. Interestingly, most of us remain unaware that there are various types of burnouts that may be affecting us in different ways. Burnouts can be caused through individual, interpersonal or organisational factors. In the long run, these factors can inevitably spill and destroy the individual's relationships with other people. If not taken seriously, burnouts can cause a long-lasting damage to a person's mental health.

Therefore, while most of us are currently spending hours deciding over what to watch on Netflix, now can also be an excellent time to utilise the self-space and recover from any presiding burnouts. Aside from doing self-care in the form of face masks, workout videos and binging shows, it is time to dig a little deeper. The first step therefore, is to figure out the factors that contribute to our burnout.   

The problem with identifying contributors that cause burnouts is the fact that most of us choose to remain in denial of what we are processing internally. By taking some time off from the outside world, a little quality time on ourselves can lead to correctly probing and figuring out where that drained uneasiness comes from. Once we have our stressors figured out, it becomes easier to heal ourselves from within. By separating the factors that cause our burnout, we already begin to take tiny steps away from the exhaustion that has been winding us down consistently.

For those of us who are working from home, it is time to make a daily habit of appreciating ourselves for each task that furthers our progress, instead of only aiming to frantically reach the end. Sleep also plays a significant role here; all that physical and emotional exhaustion is not only draining for the mind, but even for our bodies. The social isolation period serves as the perfect opportunity for us to rest our minds as well as to relax our taut muscles.

Although this transition of practicing social isolation is already difficult to accept readily, using it wisely can lead to much happier days ahead. A step towards working on ourselves through simple means can brighten up this dark time, perhaps even by a great margin.