Recently I attended an online PD from the EAP provider about how to avoid burnout. The presenters talked about passive versus active recovery, which I hadn't heard of outside exercise and sport. This led me down a bit of a rabbit hole to find some new recovery ideas for myself. By writing this up, I have a reminder for myself and maybe it can give you some ideas too.
Passive recovery from work includes activities like watching TV or scrolling on social media. They take little to no effort, draining energy rather than recharging it.
Whereas, active recovery strategies involve doing something, but this doing creates mental detachment from work stress and ideally leads to a state of flow.
A common misconception about recovery is that it's something we should just know how to do. But it's more a skill "because knowing how and when you can best recover from stress requires both knowledge (of what works for you) and practice (actually doing it)" (Meister et al.).
Another aspect of building this skill is understanding the motivation behind activities, which can change the effectiveness of our recovery. For example, I feel happy and energetic when I bake a cake on the weekend to take to a friend's for afternoon tea, but baking lasagne for my family on a Wednesday night doesn't feel as rejuvenating. Researchers also talk about four key features of recovery: "psychological detachment from work, relaxation, mastery, and control." So, we need to choose activities that leave us feeling re-energised rather than tired, sloth-like or resentful. This means what works for one person might not work for another. I breathe better and feel lighter after just a few minutes of gardening or baking, but others might see these as chores to be endured.
To make things harder, there is a recovery paradox: high stress makes it harder to detach and relax even though we need it more then. I wonder if taking time for self-reflection and reframing the day's experiences would help. When I was a new teacher, a mentor suggested I use a simple T-chart to reflect on my lesson plan or day. I've fallen out of the habit. But I think ending a tough day with a moment of gratitude and trying to find something positive in the daily grind could be useful.
Key takeaways:
Recovery time doesn't have to (and shouldn't) only happen on weekends or school holidays. Easier said than done, but try to give yourself some time each day to focus on an activity you enjoy that doesn't leave room for thinking about work.
Become a master - hobbies that require time, focus and practice are said to be mastery experiences and these are more rejuvenating than passive activities. Things like learning a musical instrument or language, playing a sport or creating art fall into this category.
Set up moments of micro-recovery through exposure to nature (touch a tree when you're on yard duty or cultivate a pot plant in your classroom) and things you love (customise the wallpaper or screensaver on your laptop with pictures of your pets or a great holiday). Use these as prompts to stop and take a deep breath when you notice them throughout the day.
Change your mindset - practice self-reflection and gratitude to help kickstart detachment from a bad day. Even if you can't find something positive from work, try to cultivate anticipation for your upcoming recovery activity.
Further Reading:
How to Recover from Work Stress, According to Science | Harvard Business Review | 2022
Recovery from Work: Advancing the Field Toward the Future | Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior | 2022
Heartbreak becomes burnout for teachers when work is turbulent | The Conversation | 2019
If you have active recovery strategies that work for you, share them in the comments.
For help with a personalised recovery plan or support with work-life balance, book a one-on-one coaching session.
