If you need a tool that will triage burnout, a resurgence of depression, or other state that has you struggling with day to day living, this is the blog post you want.
What is a Burnout Kit?
A “burnout kit” is a master list of things that you keep on hand for when The Burnout happens and daily tasks become significantly harder to accomplish. We’ll primarily focus on eating and hygiene here, but you can put anything on your list that you think will help you. Depending on the person, this is something you may need several times a year, or once in a blue moon. Either way, it really helps to have one.
I recommend to my clients to make this list before they need it, when possible. If you’re currently needing it, use some of the recommendations I include below to get you started. After you start feeling better, you’ll have time to go back and tweak the list as needed.
Location of the List
The location of the list is maybe the most important part of the list, and may or may not determine the list’s overall effectiveness. Places I recommend the list is kept:
On Amazon, Instacart, or other shopping/delivery service.
Grocery list/ notes apps.
Stuck to the fridge where it NEVER LEAVES.
The method to the madness: If you’re already not expending effort for the necessities of daily living, you’re not going to expend effort to go find a list. The most important part of the list is it needs to be somewhere known and accessible. You need it to be literally zero percent effort in order to lay eyes on it.
I put places like Amazon, Instacart, (if you’re in Texas, HEB) first because it gives you the ability to save a list and add that entire list to a cart and purchase it for delivery. How effective each one might be for your purposes may vary (ie, Amazon doesn’t deliver groceries everywhere), so use your best judgment. For the purposes of my Austin Texas locals, the HEB app is my preference, because I can save the list with a name (in this case, Burnout Kit) and instantly buy that list for pickup or delivery. I’m also on the HEB app a lot anyway, so it’s natural to go find it. There are several other stores and apps that do something similar, so whatever your preferences USE THE TECHNOLOGY.
List Contents:
First-Line Foods
The first foods that we need to include on the list only have one necessary criteria, which is that they are instant foods. They take exactly one step to eat. Preferably they’re some kind of nutritious. Examples of these foods:
Individual yogurt cups or yogurt drinks
Cheese cubes/sticks
Individual packages of nuts or trail mix
Dried fruit slices or chips
Protein/granola bars
The most important question to ask here is “Am I actually going to eat this?” Sometimes when I make this list with clients, they start trying to add things that would require more preparation because it seems healthier or “better” in some other way. If you’re trying to add a food because you think you “should”, but your honest answer to whether or not you’ll eat it is “No,” you can put that item back and wait until you’re feeling better.
Meals
Put some ready-made meals in the cart to microwave or throw in the oven for a balanced meal. A lot of grocery stores make their own — HEB has a line of “high protein” meals under the Higher Harvest brand, if you’re interested — so find ones that fit your tastes and budget. If all else fails, the freezer section will have meals. Get ones that you believe you will actually eat. If mac-and-cheese is what you’ll eat, then buy it. Don’t get a salad if you doubt you’ll actually eat it.
Tools/Utensils
Many times, clients who are in the midst of a severe burnout or depressive episode do not clean dishes. The dishes pile up in the sink, clients feel even worse for letting the dishes get grosser and the pile get bigger as days pass, and the task of cleaning them can feel mountainous. I encourage people, just for the purposes of this list, to let their own agenda about cleaning go and focus on what the current, burned out you is capable of. If current you will not clean the dishes, then don’t spend energy you already don’t have on trying to convince yourself to do it. Some common items I recommend:
Compostable plates
Plastic cutlery
Disposable cups, ie plastic or paper coffee cups
Disinfecting wipes (for counters or small messes)
Hygiene Products
One of the things that falls to the wayside when in a burnout or depressive episode is hygiene. Understandably, people don’t like to talk about it. There’s a lot of shame that can come with admitting that you haven’t showered at your normal interval, and people fear being judged as gross. But it happens, and rather than pretending like it doesn’t, we can plan to help close the gap. Some common hygiene products I recommend putting on the list:
Face/body/sensitive area wipes — they’re way easier than showering and will get dirt and dead skin off you
Dry shampoo
After shower spray/body mist, so you smell good (and frankly it’ll freshen up not-so-fresh clothes)
New underwear (if you need it and you haven’t washed the others you have)
More Possibilities
You can put anything on your list that you feel like makes sense. People might decide to add some t-shirts or pants in order to feel clean again because all their other clothes are dirty. Some might add a puzzle because they need something simple and low-impact to do rather than doom-scroll. Whatever makes sense, you are invited to put it on the list. And if it doesn’t work out, that’s fine. You know better for if you ever need the list again.
Further Reading
I can’t recommend How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis enough. It’s an incredibly short book, but full of useful wisdom for this exact kind of situation. A lot of the way I approach this list came from her book, so if this list resonated with you, check out her book.
