Burnout: Inevitable, But Manageable

We’re hearing it more and more from colleagues, clients, and comments sections: How do I avoid burnout?

Download our cheatsheet PDF here.

We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…you don’t. You can’t!

At this point, given all that’s on our plates, on our shoulders, and on our For You pages, burnout is (brace yourselves) pretty much inevitable. It’s not a symptom of weakness, or a sign that you should be better, faster, or more. Burnout is becoming as unavoidable as germs: If you’re a human, out there human-ing, eventually it’s going to catch up with you.

And often, resisting it or running from it or trying to tamp it down only exacerbates it. And even more often-er, you can’t control what exacerbates it: unforeseen changes or challenges, medical issues, seasonality, even (especially?) the state of the world.

We then invariably hear (or read, or wake up screaming) the next question: How do I stop/reverse/escape burnout? As quickly as possible? As efficiently as possible? And again, the answer isn’t necessarily the balm you want it to be:

You don’t. You do the opposite.

You sit with burnout. You listen to it.

As impossible (I don’t have the time!) and frustrating (it’s such a bummer!) as it sounds, burnout is begging you to notice it, to hold it, to attend and attune to it. It’s uncomfortable and awkward, and can feel unproductive or counterintuitive, to find yourself stuck or knocked down and just…stay there for a second. Our impulse when we realize that either all of a sudden or increasingly over time something has become not right, no longer doable, undeniable, is to argue against its intrusion; to hide it or deny it oxygen; to hurry up and sidestep, scramble, deflect its next sneaky move; to not risk getting any stuck-er or feeling any wrong-er. Because the unknown of what more stuck or more wrong could feel like or lead to is scary. Because what will it say about us, look like to others, if we slow to a halt? If we appear to be wallowing or buffering or (gasp) resting? What will we hear in the quiet of our mind’s corners if there’s not a self-improvement podcasting earbud in there, or a list of to-dos looping, or a scenario-running vigilance-keeping anxiety demon pushing every alarm button on the motherboard?

Burnout can absolutely be managed. But first, it has to be met. And then, accepted. Which probably prompts more pushback of, I said I don’t have time! And this is really SUCH a drag! And could even invite an unsure or unwilling deeper-down voice inside to wonder, How do I even do that? Who helps me with that?

Us. We do. Therapy does.

That’s where we come in.

Whether your burnout stems from family or relationship dynamics, care-giving or professional pressures, the weight of health challenges or loss, a therapist can partner with you to understand its needs, assess its impact, and move through it.

We can’t really control burnout – or anything (which is intense and overwhelming, we know).

But we can take control of how we care for ourselves.

And we don’t have to figure it out solo.

To connect with a member of the Collective about how burnout is impacting you, start here.

For more resources around experiencing burnout, start here.