Different than expected

As I described at the beginning of Phase 1, a burn out is a life-changing event. A moment when you realize that you must do things differently. Using the tips in Phase 1 and 2, you are already changing.

 

Because you are changing, the reintegration is going differently than you thought. At the start of the reintegration, you were still low in energy and you had certain expectations of your recovery. Now that you are getting more and more control over your recovery, you are increasingly meeting your own needs.

 

You do not return to your old pattern before the burn out. For example, you find out that you don’t always have to take others into account, that you can even make demands on your working conditions. Requirements that are more in line with your needs. You find out that saying “no” sometimes works well and that your first feeling is mostly right. You have probably discovered even more things that go out differently than you previously expected.

 

Because you are changing, the recovery is going differently. You end up at a different point than where you thought you would end up. That point is different for everyone and cannot be determined in advance. So, keep in mind that the result will look different than you initially thought.

 

Own experience 

I noticed quickly that I had changed. At one time I found my work a lot less important. I was no longer always available or up for anything, I set my boundaries more clearly and could say No.

 

As a result, my reintegration turned out differently than I had expected. I did return to my employer in the same position, but the experience for me had changed. I was more concerned with what was important to me. That was new to me.

 

In addition, I realized more and more that I was coming back, but that some changes still had to take place. That I might still be at the beginning of a very interesting journey. The journey of preventing a burn out in the future.

 

What’s positive 

By putting yourself on number one, you are already changing. You notice that your needs are important and that you must listen to them.

You will also notice that you do not want to return to the old situation anymore. 

 

That requires change. This is already happening and will take place in the near future.

  

Tips:

1.   Watch regularly, from a distance your recovery.

2.   Keep your reintegration progressing and marvel at the progress

2.   Calculate that this will go differently than you thought

3.   Let it come over you. You can’t control everything in advance.

 

For the employer

It may well be that your employee who indicates his needs earlier. That is good news because the old behaviour has partly caused the burn out.

 

Hopefully your employee will also change and come back differently than before the burn out. With an open and kind view you can help him with this.