I find that relaxation doesn't help at all. Even after taking about a half year break after selling my startup, I was still burnt out. What helped me out of it was teaching.<p>Quoting Tony Robbins: "The reason you're suffering is you're focused on yourself."<p>It's a powerful enough quote that I'll probably print it and put it in my office.<p>Don't think about the work. Don't think about the pay, the holidays, the things you will buy, the fame you'll get.<p>Instead of focusing on the work, think what you do with it. Think of making them very happy. It could be a client or customer. It could be your boss.<p>Instead of focusing on the money, think of what you can do to make people happy. It could be bringing your significant other on a vacation somewhere. It could be buying your daughter a new toy or bringing them to the zoo.<p>You can also try giving back - if you're a techie, you can teach people to code. Or answer questions on Stack Overflow. Write articles and blogs. Make videos on Udemy. Don't focus on making money from it but on passing down your experience.
Hardest for me was giving myself “permission” to recover. What I mean is that like a NBA star who is in the game but exhausted gets pissed when the coach pulls him out of the game for a breather (even if he desperately needs one) because well he’s the “the man” and you don’t put the man on the bench. I was exhausted, depressed, and anti-social outside work. But I did <i>not</i> want to stop because work was also my identity where I was “the man”. I forced myself (eventually) to take a time out but it has been very difficult being idle and I find myself struggling for something that is interesting and makes me happy to do. I can’t just sit on the bench. I find “doing nothing” basically impossible.
It really depends on how you are set up, what your job is, how long you've had burnout for, how long you've been working for and many other variables.<p>You have to be careful because depression and burnout seem to be best buddies. You need to deal with this sooner rather than later.<p>For me the answer was quite simple - to just work less - a lot less. I contract and take lots of time off between contracts. I take long walks every day - sometimes with a weight vest, sometimes without. I meditate (nothing fancy). I eat light. I occasionally row. It's important to get away from the computer, and get outside and get some fresh air. In my spare time I do my hobbies: Python coding, work on my website, photography, read, travel, stroke my cat, relax with my partner. I have a side project to watch every Star Trek movie/episode ever made! {grin}<p>I realized in the end I had to re-prioritize my life away from work and money. It's worked out far better than I could have hoped for. YMMV. If you want to discuss more feel free to contact me via my website (see my profile here for details). All the best.
Take time out, but don't do nothing. From what I've seen in my friends, I think burnout is a sign that the mind is craving variety. It's anecdata, but those of my friends that took up a new enjoyable pastime (music, art, sport), rather than doing absolutely nothing, seem to recover a great deal faster and their enthusiasm for their subsequent work projects was even more noticeable.
Here are a few quotes from answers I've given to similar questions in the past, over a timeline of about two years suffering on and off from burnout.<p>From this thread: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15505304" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15505304</a>
> "Now things have got better. I surrounded myself with smart people, took some time off (the majority I was unable to find gainful work), and tried to find inspiration. I took some risks, had a lot of adventures, and am much more satisfied and happy. Only problem now is that software development tends to detract from all those things and it's tough to reconcile."<p>Also went back to school for this semester because as a Canadian I can't hypothetically get a work visa anywhere else without a degree and I wouldn't be doing anything more productive with my time."<p>From this thread: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14570003" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14570003</a>
> "If there's one thing I've learned so far in my experience (at 25) it's that momentum is important. It's difficult and depressing to maintain momentum in interviewing if you get no feedback, can't improve, don't see success, and waste vast amounts of time. It's very difficult to maintain momentum in software in general if you've spent so long outside of it interviewing that you haven't worked on anything of value in months. The junior pos will allow to keep some level of momentum and at the very least that will keep.you paid and moving forward."<p>And this question: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14390426" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14390426</a><p>Many of the responses directly to me are very valuable, as are adjacent comments amongst those threads. I sincerely appreciate their time and hope someone finds this comment useful.
Start taking walks to break up your work day.<p>Relaxing and read a book in the evening.<p>Try getting more sleep for a week or two to recharge.<p>Find/Restart a hobby, guitar, video games.<p>Try something new, hiking, camping, backpacking are good activities to get you to unplug.
If I feel like burning out, I book a train to a neighboring country, get an AirBnB in a small town and live there for 3-4 days before heading back. I only address "emergency" work-related issues during my stay. I work 100% remote so that makes it possible for me.
Heal for two years is what did it for me. Never took a leave of absence, instead I did a lot of job hopping which is ill-advised but somehow I'm okay now.