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Mental Health Care for Dealing With Burnout

This condition does not go away on its own and can lead to physical and psychological problems like depression, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes. It can also decrease your productivity and cause you to feel negatively toward your job. Remember that only employees do not get burned out. Anyone can feel burned out, from students to people taking care of family members with chronic health conditions.
As this illness may look like fatigue or general stress, it may be difficult to spot. It is much harder to treat if you do not understand the root cause. While there are some things you can try on your own, such as creating boundaries, self-care, or exercise, seeking therapy with a professional can help you fight this condition and be hopeful again. There are many specialists with lots of experience in treating burned-out, exhausted patients.
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Ms Tara McCartney

Life Coach, Enneagram Coach
5 years of experience
It takes great strength and courage to recognize the need for support and to prioritize mental health. By embracing counselling or coaching, you are choosing to invest in yourself, your growth, and your happiness. Hi, I’m Tara. I’m Irish residing in Europe, and have spent 15 years in India. I am currently working as a practitioner for psychological counselling and psychotherapy, as a therapeutic Life Coach, Mindfulness Trainer, & Enneagram Coach, as well as a Leadership Coach and Team Development Facilitator. I integrate various evidence-based therapeutic techniques, coaching methodologies, and approaches from positive and spiritual psychology – and remain updated with new and emerging approaches from around the world. This dynamic blend allows for a personalized and effective approach to address your unique challenges and goals. All my life, I’ve been searching for an elusive, unknown feeling, a gap I often sensed. My journey towards truth took me across continents, exploring various aspects of life, both professionally and personally. After nearly 15 years of self-inquiry, I decided to follow my true calling and share my knowledge with others as they embark on or continue their paths toward awareness, transformation, and happiness. Now, it is my pleasure and honor to share what I have learned as a guide on your healing path. Whether you seek support for mental health concerns, navigating life transitions, or pursuing personal and professional goals, I am here to help you create a more balanced and purposeful life. I go beyond surface-level conversations. I delve into the core of your being, unraveling layers of experiences, beliefs, and emotions. I create a safe space for you to explore and embrace your authentic self. The warm and empathic environment I create allows the pain to unfold and the healing to begin. I am not just a listener; I am your partner in transformation. As you gain insights, I guide you in implementing practical strategies, fostering lasting change that resonates in every facet of your life. It’s not just about coping; it’s about thriving.
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Ms Athira

Counselling Psychologist
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Therapy with me focuses on helping people grow, heal, and build resilience in a supportive, nonjudgmental space.  Hello! I'm Athira, an individual and couples therapist. My approach is integrative and centered on the unique needs of my clients. I use evidence-based techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, Trauma-Informed Care, and the Developmental Model of Couples Therapy.  In my journey as a therapist, I've discovered that embracing our humanity is the key to building genuine connections with clients. By being open about my challenges and limitations, I show clients that it's okay to be authentic and imperfect. This shared human experience forms the foundation of our relationship, allowing us to connect on a deeper level to cultivate meaningful change. In my experience of working with couples, my focus is on strengthening their relationships, improving communication, and navigating conflicts. I aim to help partners understand each other's perspectives, rebuild trust, and create meaningful connections that lead to lasting happiness. For individual clients, I provide support on their personal growth journeys. Whether they're dealing with anxiety, trauma, or life transitions, I help them explore their emotions, develop coping strategies, and build the resilience they need to thrive. With my clients, I focus on creating a personalized plan that supports their goals and fosters a collaborative and supportive therapeutic experience.
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FAQs

A Quick Overview

Burnout is a mental health disorder in which a person is under severe stress, leading to physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. It is much different from fatigue, as it does not go away after a few days of rest. It happens when we are constantly working, helping others, or taking care of family and forget to take some time for ourselves. If you have this condition, you may feel constantly swamped with work and chores having little or no time for yourself. It can increase illness, absenteeism, and turnover. Nowadays, the majority of people feel burned out, and some may even leave their jobs because of this."

Major Causes

You may get burned out due to multiple factors. Here are some root causes:
  • Lack of Control: An inability to influence decisions that affect your job, such as your schedule, assignments, or workload, can aid in developing this disease. Insufficient resources, such as lack of time, could also trigger it.

  • Dysfunctional Workplace Dynamics: An uncomfortable work culture can induce stress. Perhaps you are not treated fairly, feel undermined by colleagues, or your boss micromanages your work. This can contribute to job stress.

  • Extreme Levels of Activity: When working in a boring or hectic environment, you require ongoing energy to stay focused. It can lead to mental and physical exhaustion, which may cause this illness. Caring for someone who is ill for an extended period of time is a significant burden and one of the most common reasons for being burned out.

  • Inadequate Social Life: You may get more anxious if you feel isolated at work and in your personal life. Employees with managers and supervisors who support their employees are 70% less likely to feel burned out.

  • Work-life conflict: You may burn out rapidly if your work consumes so much of your time and effort that you don't have the energy to spend time with your family and friends.

  • No Self-Care: Your daily workload doesn't allow you to spend time doing activities that you like.

Common Signs

Key signs and symptoms include:
  • Emotional and Physical Exhaustion: Emotional and physical exhaustion is one of the major symptoms of this condition. Dealing with this mental health disorder can make you feel drained and unable to cope with the little stressors.

  • Isolation: Burned-out individuals see their jobs as increasingly stressful and irritating. They may become skeptical about their working conditions and coworkers. As a result, they may avoid socializing with them.

  • Escape Fantasies: Escape fantasy is a protective coping mechanism some people use to numb their stress or pain. They escape from the real world to the comfort of a fantasy world. If you have this condition, you may think about leaving your job or going far away from all your responsibilities often.

  • Increased irritability and cynicism: You become more judgmental, and little things can set you off. You may snap at your friends and family for no reason. You develop a more negative outlook towards work, your colleagues, and other people.

  • Frequent Illness: Chronic stress can compromise your immune system, thus making you vulnerable to viruses and pathogens. You may frequently catch a cold or viral fever. It also has a negative effect on the digestive system and can cause ulcers.

  • Reduced Performance: It primarily affects daily duties at work or at home when someone's primary job entails caring for family members. Individuals suffering from this condition might have a negative attitude towards their tasks. They might have trouble concentrating and can be lacking in inventiveness.
If you are emotionally and physically exhausted, lonely, irritated, and don't feel productive at work, then you may be exhibiting signs and symptoms of this illness. There are various treatments that you can use to relieve your symptoms.

Is it Different Than Feeling Stressed?

It is not the same as feeling stressed. Stress is our bodies' natural reaction to some events. It can make you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. General stress is beneficial as it helps us avoid danger or follow deadlines. The symptoms of being burned out and stressed are different. A stressed-out person becomes frustrated, is anxious that they are not productive enough, tired, and primarily causes physical damage.
Once burnout sets in, you might feel like you're out of willpower and give up hope of overcoming your challenges. It is more than just exhaustion. You are deeply unhappy and feel that your efforts have been in vain. Getting out of bed can become difficult because you feel like you have nothing good or exciting to look forward to. Life might lose its significance, and even minor activities can feel impossible to do. Your interests and motivation can fade, and you might struggle to meet even the most basic responsibilities. It primarily causes emotional damage.
As a burned-out person is exhausted, their ability to handle stress is usually reduced. Consequently, even small tasks like sending an email can be perceived as significantly more stressful.

How to Recover From Your Symptoms

Now that you know the signs and symptoms of this mental health disorder can differ from stress, here are some tips for dealing with it.
There are numerous strategies to deal with this problem. You can use one of these techniques alone or combine them for better results. If these approaches aren't working for you or if you're severely burned out, counseling may benefit you.
  • Find the Source: It is impossible to change your life without finding the root cause of this illness. The stressors causing it are often related to jobs, rigorous academic schedules, caring for a loved one with chronic health issues, etc.

    As mentioned above, trying to do too much on your own creates a perfect environment for this condition to grow. To illustrate, you are a single father with a full-time job, working on a side hustle in your free time, and taking care of your parents at the same time. When doing so much work every day without taking any time for yourself, it is highly possible you will burn out.

  • Identify Immediate Changes You Can Make: Now that you know the cause of this illness, try to recognize a few things you could do to lighten your load immediately. For example, if you have a lot on your plate at work, try to talk to your boss about lightening your load. Explain to them that you cannot give your best performance due to a lack of time and a huge amount of work. Ask them to reassign the project to someone else or extend the deadline.

    Some people have a lot of ambition to succeed in their careers and are tempted to do it all. But this can backfire, leaving you drained with no energy for anything.

  • Learn to Say No: The same goes for people pleasers. Even when they are overwhelmed with work and personal commitments, they cannot turn down requests from their loved ones. If you're already running out of hours in the day to get everything done, adding extra tasks will simply add to your irritation and worry.

    Prioritize your activities and consider canceling or rescheduling a few. The rapid relief this provides may astound you.

  • Reframe Mindset: Try to remember why you started this job or activity and what motivated you to do this. This may help you view your situation in a more positive light. Also, you can focus on achieving your goals instead of concentrating on your negative thoughts.

    This condition causes many people to hyperfocus on the negative aspects of their job, making it more frustrating, unbearable, and stressful. If you are a burned-out business owner, try to remember why you started your business. Maybe you wanted to afford a luxurious lifestyle or provide for your family. This motivation may help you move forward.

  • Start Self-Care: As explained above, this condition occurs when we do not have time to relax and are constantly working or taking care of others. We feel constantly swamped with work and may have little or no time for ourselves. By doing self-care activities, we are proactively spending some time just on ourselves. This may help reduce symptoms of this illness. Self-care activities are just things you enjoy doing. It can be anything from going out for a walk to practicing gratitude. The activities may vary with each person.

    Prioritizing adequate sleep, a healthy diet, and exercise are good places to start.. Some may think they do not have enough time for this, but many self-care activities do not require more than 30 minutes. You do not need to spend hours on self-care; take a break every few minutes throughout your day, and do things that bring happiness to your life.

  • Set Boundaries: Setting boundaries means setting limits on the time you give to others. It can help you manage stress while recovering from this illness. Accepting too many commitments might be difficult. Take deep breaths and consider the outcome before agreeing to assist someone or accepting an invitation. Take a few moments to go over all that will be expected of you if you agree. Consider whether you truly have the time and energy.

    You are not being lazy, selfish, or rude by denying a request for your valuable time. Being selective with accepting commitments is essential for taking care of your mental health, honoring truly significant commitments, and proactively reducing stress.

  • Ask for Help: If you are burned out, let your boss, coworkers, family members, or whoever else you are close to, know that you're exhausted and maxed out. They can't fix a problem they don't know about. Don't be afraid to ask them for help. Be specific about what you need. If you need a hand preparing meals or picking up kids from school, let them know. This way, you will feel less stressed and may find yourself with some free time.

  • Have a Social Life: Sharing your life's problems, also known as venting, could help you with this condition. You can share what's bothering you with your friends and family, which can reduce anxiety and sometimes help put things into perspective.

    Burnout can become so overpowering that figuring out how to deal with it can be hard. It's also difficult to identify potential answers when you're fully exhausted. Sharing this burden with a trusted loved one can make you feel less alone and more supported.

    Friends, family members, and partners can all assist you in brainstorming potential answers. If you have a coworker facing a similar situation, you can talk things out, brainstorm ideas, and come up with actionable steps to overcome your stressors.

    Sometimes it helps to use the social time to step away from stressors and simply use the time to enjoy another person's company. Either way, social contact can be an excellent way to de-stress.

Find Help From a Licensed Therapist Who's Right For You

Dealing with this condition is difficult, especially when it has already affected your personal relationships and quality of life. Counseling can provide expert support by assisting you in identifying causes, exploring potential coping mechanisms, and navigating any life difficulties that are contributing to burnout.
This condition can cause feelings of helplessness and depression. It is extremely important to see a therapist if you're feeling hopeless, have a prolonged bad mood, or have thoughts of injuring yourself or others.

Schedule a Virtual Psychotherapy Appointment with a Counsellor Today

From the comfort of your own home, you can instantly make an appointment with a professional counselor who has years of experience dealing with patients suffering from burnout. DocVita has various specialists from different fields that can help you manage and cope with your stress better. Simply book your session with a trusted provider on Docvita and get all the support you need!