Burnout Treatment

Burnout is a state of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion that results from chronic stress. Although burnout is usually associated with careers, burnout can also occur due to chronic stress at home or in relationships. If you have felt like you’re at the end of your rope in your career or in your domestic life, you may be experiencing burnout.

Case vignettes

What is the difference between burnout and depression?

Helen is highly accomplished and has an esteemed role at her company but after the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic she has found herself feeling uncharacteristically unmotivated, almost like she’s “hit a wall.” Whereas she used to find her work enlivening, she now struggles to get out of bed in the morning and care about her current projects. In meetings, she often finds herself zoning out instead of contributing. She has also been feeling uncharacteristically jaded and cynical, doubting the significance of her work and questioning her life purpose. These struggles have caused Helen a great deal of distress and she often wonders if she should quit even though her career used to be her passion.

Torn between taking care of his elderly mother and meeting his work deadlines, Mark has been feeling like he’s drowning in obligations and can’t keep up. When his mother recently fell, instead of feeling compassion, he felt anger and scolded his mother for not being more careful. According to Mark, “I have so much on my plate and I simply don’t have the time or energy to give to a broken bone. I feel terrible for my reaction, but lately I’ve found myself losing patience with my mother. I feel like my well of compassion has run dry.” 

Compassion Fatigue

How do you treat burnout?

Related to burnout is compassion fatigue which occurs when people in caregiving roles, like Mark, experience emotional detachment, exhaustion, and feelings of helplessness. If you’re experiencing compassion fatigue you may find it uncharacteristically difficult to access feelings of compassion in response to others’ suffering. Like Mark, you may even begin to meet suffering with anger or feelings of helplessness which can lead to shame and guilt. 

If you’re experiencing burnout or compassion fatigue you can find relief from your symptoms with the help of psychotherapy. Read below to learn more about burnout/compassion fatigue and how psychotherapy can help alleviate your symptoms.

What are the symptoms of burnout and compassion fatigue?

What are the risk factors of developing burnout?

Burnout symptoms include:

  • Loss of motivation

  • Irritability 

  • Low mood

  • Physical fatigue and symptoms (e.g., headaches, stomachaches, pains)

  • Difficulty completing your work or daily tasks

  • Feelings of disconnection or apathy

  • Increased cynicism or pessimism

  • Questioning your sense of meaning/purpose

  • Feelings of helplessness 

  • Feeling overwhelmed

Compassion Fatigue symptoms include: 

  • Feeling powerless to help or ineffectual

  • Irritability or anger

  • Uncharacteristic difficulty feeling empathy for others

  • Emotional disconnection or numbness

  • Physical fatigue and symptoms (e.g., headaches, stomachaches, pains) 

  • Questioning your sense of purpose/meaning 

Although anyone can develop burnout in response to chronic stress, some factors that may contribute to the onset of burnout are:

  • Lack of support at home, work, or in caregiving roles

  • Lack of leisure time to spend with loved ones or on meaningful hobbies

  •  Sleep deprivation 

  • Unhealthy relationship dynamics at work or home

  •  Unrealistic standards for perfection or achievement both self and other-imposed

  • Having difficulty setting boundaries on your time/saying “yes” to too much

  • Experiencing racism or discrimination in your professional/daily life

  • Financial insecurity

Burnout and depression present with similar symptoms (and can often co-occur), however burnout is domain-specific and usually remits when chronic stressors pass. Additionally, if you’re solely burned out, and not depressed, you will still likely enjoy and anticipate activities that are not related to your stressor. For instance, someone who’s burned out with regards to their career may highly anticipate a tropical vacation while someone who’s depressed may have trouble feeling excited or joyful about much of anything. If you’re experiencing more severe and pervasive symptoms that interfere with your daily functioning, you may meet the criteria for a depressive disorder. It is important to work with a psychotherapist in order to receive an accurate diagnosis and the most effective course of treatment. 

Therapy will help you uncover the origins of your burnout as well as beliefs and behaviors that continue to fuel this state. Once you begin to understand why you’re burned out, you and your therapist will develop strategies that will lead to symptom reduction. Whether that’s practicing setting firm boundaries, challenging perfectionistic thoughts, cultivating mindfulness, or scheduling more leisure time, you and your therapist will tailor the right course of action to your needs. 

Like Helen, you may feel compelled to take drastic measures in response to burnout like quitting your job, getting a divorce, or moving away. You might feel like you have to change your life dramatically when that might not have to be the case. Helen’s career was her passion — is it impossible to regain that passion or should she just quit? Therapy can help you to voice   conflicting desires (e.g., the desire to have a committed career vs. the desire to be free to explore other areas of interest) and learn how to honor these desires in a way that feels authentic and meaningful to you.