Managing Burnout

Most of us have heard of burnout. Maybe you have even learned about how to prevent, cope, or recover from it too. Yet so often burnout happens anyway—despite all the information to prepare, stay healthy, and carry on. Why do so many of us end up struggling with burnout?  

Practical Insight 

Information is a foundational first step to help address certain problems instead of getting stuck unnecessarily. Learning how identify stressors in your life early, establish healthy boundaries, care for yourself well (here is an app and website for starters), and build a support system are crucial if you have not had the opportunity to dig deep into these areas already. 

Experience 

Insight is important, but without experience it does not help much. Our brains need something tangible to sink into to learn or change. This is why knowing about burnout prevention only goes so far. Having the opportunity and motivation to take action or seek connection is crucial. Not sure where to start? Simply notice right now if you need to adjust some things in your immediate environment. Shift your posture, drink water, take a screen break, or something else to feel more comfortable. Then act on that. Making this a habit is one of the most accessible ways we can retrain our brains to take our experiences into account and respect our basic needs.  

If you explore burnout or self-care practices, keep asking how you can tangibly experience the tools being shared and lean into those areas. 

Context and Shame 

One of the most important things to know about burnout is how much your context matters. If you are human that means you have limits and are meant to eat, rest, have fun, and share life with others on a fairly regular basis. It also means that every single thing you do in life requires a certain amount of energy, even the things you love. When what we need is absent or the energy required from us is too much, we sometimes can keep going for weeks, months, or even years. We are pretty resilient! But without some relief, that ongoing stress will lead to burnout that we cannot use willpower to ignore, as our bodies are impacted alongside our minds.  

Despite how it is often framed, burnout is rarely an individual problem. There is no need to feel shame about it; this is not failure or weakness. All it means is you are a human in a context that your brain and body are not built to handle well. Consider if you need supportive others to help you change your context or make it more bearable until something can change. 

Here are Some Additional Resources for More Information: 

If you’re seeking to connect further, please reach out to us at 250-718-9291 or email us at info@okclinical.com.

For specialized services, our team is ready to help you explore what an embodied life can look like through our various counseling programs. You can also check out our General Counseling Services, learn about the Types of Therapy we offer, or visit our booking page here.

The following resources are excellent places to start exploring support for or managing burnout, going at your own pace: 

• The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown 
• Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski 
• 24/7 BC Mental Health Support Line: 310-6789 (no area code needed) 

Written by: Emily Beckett, Practicum Student

emily@coastalclinical.com

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