Overstretched, beyond capacity, burnout - whatever you want to call it.

These words may not have been part of your vocabulary before Covid and the beginning of the pandemic - but they probably are now.

As we mark the year anniversary of the first lockdown many people are feeling completely different compared to those early days in March 2020.

At the start of Lockdown 1.0 everything was new - we thought a short sharp shutdown would solve all our problems. There was also a certain amount of novelty to the situation - albeit mixed with restricted living.

But we got on with it, we dusted off that Great British stoic attitude and made the best of it.

Fast forward 12 months, two further lockdowns, an ever-increasing death rate and the prospect of long-term economic challenges - it's no wonder people are feeling emotionally broken by it all.

Perhaps you started this latest lockdown feeling relatively resilient, you were able to maintain a sense of hope and purpose, you could rationalise what was happening and why - and you had a perspective of the challenges and solutions to where we found ourselves.

Many people felt this, I know for myself, lockdown began much like this.

Yes I was affected by it all, but I felt as if I had enough in my emotional tank to get me through all that we faced.

As we have journeyed through the past 12 months, each one of us has lost the opportunities to refill our tanks, to do those activities that rejuvenate us or connect with those people that bring light, hope and joy to our lives.

This has meant we lost many of our main coping strategies.

That we have been starved of many of the regular ways we would 'top ourselves up' - which would give us the ability to cope with pressures at home, work, family or anything else that comes our way.

Our ability to stay positive or maintain a general sense of wellbeing has eroded.

A recent survey by Ipsos Mori reported 60 per cent of people saying they had found it harder to stay positive in this third lockdown. Working with young people, this too has been shared.

In fact, nearly 70 per cent of young people have expressed that this recent lockdown has been the toughest.

In short, it is tough, many of us are feeling the pain and struggle of all the pandemic has thrown at us.

The big question is, how do we restore ourselves, how do we move beyond a sense of burnout and into a life that feels whole and balanced?

Here are four ways to cope:

1 - Understand what fills - and empties you

Many of the ways you may have topped your sense of joy and peace up may not be possible right now.

But the first step is to know what fills and empties your emotional tank.

Draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper. On one side write what fills you - what makes you happy and content. On the other side what empties your tank.

You may have to be creative about what you can do under the current restrictions, be open to ideas.

From here, make sure you are doing more of what fills you each day. Prioritise it, make time for it, rebalance the scales.

2 - Have a grateful heart

Keep a gratitude journal. At the end of each day write down three things that have made you smile, that you have been grateful for.

This small act can begin to change our outlook, our mood and our mindset.

Shawn Achor delivers an excellent TED Talk on the power of gratitude called the Happy Secret if you google it.

3 - Know what is in your control

Often we want to control everything. However this is impossible. In fact, the things that can cause us the most stress and anxiety can often be those that we can not control.

Being aware of what is in and out of your control can be a liberating and releasing experience.

Create a list of all the things on your mind, the cares, concerns, all of it.

Then separate them into two piles – the things you can control and what you can't.

As you look at these two groups remind yourself to focus time and energy on what you can control and try to let go of what is beyond your control.

4 - Talk to someone

The final way to help get beyond burnout is talk to someone, a friend, a colleague or professional.

Expressing how you feel and all that is going on can help to ease the burden, release some of the emotions and give you some capacity to be able to start the journey back to wellness.