Burnout: What To Do When It Is More Than Just Hating Your Job
When is the Right Time to Start Burnout Treatment?
How did you get here? How did it get to this point?
Your alarm goes off in the morning. Then, that feeling of dread starts. You hit the snooze button because you are not ready for the reality of starting your day. All you want is 10 more minutes.
Finally, you make it into your workplace. You sit down at your desk and don’t even know where to start. You have zero motivation and almost any thought you have about work is negative.
You recognize your work-life balance is not in sync.
You may have tried taking some time away from work or have gone on a vacation to see if it helps how you are feeling. You may have even thought about not returning. But, that isn’t the answer either.
When you talk about how you are feeling it sounds like you are just complaining. You feel stuck on what to do next.
I am a therapist in Wilmington, NC. I offer counseling for women providing anxiety treatment to high achieving women, therapy for imposter syndrome, treatment for perfectionism, and burnout treatment.
I provide online therapy as an option. I am licensed to provide online therapy in Maryland and online therapy in North Carolina.
Click the buttons below to learn how to get started in therapy with me. Or, schedule your free 15-minute consultation.
Continue reading to learn more about burnout and what to expect when you start burnout treatment.
Is Burnout Treatment the Same as Work Stress Counseling?
This is a very important question to ask.
Most often burnout treatment is highly associated with work stress. But it is possible to experience burnout out in other areas of your life.
This means burnout treatment and work stress counseling can be the same thing.
Other areas a person may experience burnout include school, athletics, and other once enjoyable activities. As well as having caregiving or caretaking responsibilities.
I recognize these other areas are pretty common to experience and for this blog, I will focus on job or work stress.
Common Signs and Symptoms of Burnout
Burnout may be difficult to recognize at first and most often it does not happen overnight. It slowly builds over time and then you become very aware of it.
Listed below are some of the most common signs and symptoms of burnout.
Having pessimistic thoughts
Negative attitude
Feelings of unhappiness
Poor motivation
Difficulty concentrating
Increase stress
Procrastination
Feeling resentful
Poor focus
Emotional and physical exhaustion
Work-life imbalance
Low energy
Increase irritability with others
Poor satisfaction
Lack of effectiveness
Headaches
Stomach aches
Poor sleep
Continue reading to look at the stages of burnout. Including how burnout relates to anxiety and perfectionism, and how burnout can appear as depression.
Check out this helpful blog post on signs of burnout:
5 Signs You Are Experiencing Burnout
5 Boundaries to Set When You Go From Work Burnout to Work Life Balance
5 Stages of Burnout
There are 5 stages of burnout that occur. In each stage, some of the symptoms listed above start to present and grow more intense.
Think back to jobs you decided to leave or became unfilled with. How did you know it was time to leave or stop? What stage were you in when it became too much?
Phase 1: The honeymoon phase - You’re excited about your job and doing some of your best work. You enjoy being in your work environment. Productivity is high, and you are feeling fulfilled.
Phase 2: Stress phase - You recognize there is some stress going on and you are still managing to have good days.
Phase 3: Chronic stress phase - Stress is becoming more frequent and intense. Having a much more difficult time feeling motivated.
Phase 4: Burnout phase - Your symptoms continue to get worse and you are finding it much more difficult to cope. You have less frequent good days and often have thoughts of wanting to “leave” or “getaway”. For example, quitting a job, going on a vacation, or moving away from friends and family.
Phase 5: Habitual burnout phase - This phase is more than experiencing a lot of stress. Fatigue is an essential part of this phase. Experiencing habitual burnout can lead to depression.
Seeking support is very important once you hit phases 2 and 3. Burnout treatment to help prevent burnout from occurring.
How is Burnout Related to Anxiety and Perfectionism?
It is not uncommon to see a client reach out to me because they are experiencing anxiety, perfectionism, and burnout. Often these three things go hand in hand.
Perfectionism is a setup for burnout to occur. It can be exhausting getting caught up in perfectionism. The high levels of stress one can experience leading one down the path of burnout.
Anxiety can be a symptom of burnout especially once you hit phase 3 chronic stress. If you are a person that has a history of experiencing anxiety you are much more susceptible to burnout.
Check out these helpful blog posts to learn more about anxiety and perfectionism:
What to Expect When You Start Therapy for Anxiety
Finding the Right Anxiety Therapist For You
The Difference Between Burnout and Depression
The signs of burnout listed above do look a lot like depression. If someone told a doctor, there would likely be an assumption the patient was describing having depression. The symptoms of burnout and symptoms of depression overlap quite a bit. Yet, there are a few key differences that set burnout apart from depression.
Feelings of cynicism
Negative attitudes and judgment about self, the work environment, and others
2. Lack of effectiveness
When one is not feeling as effective as they once were it can present challenges performing tasks such as problem-solving, difficulty staying focused on a task or item, difficulty performing a task.
3. Exhaustion
Burnout is not recognized as a medical condition or medical diagnosis. But, depression is recognized as a medical condition, Major Depressive Disorder. When a person experiences depression it impairs other parts of a person’s life. This includes relationships, work or school, social life, health, etc. Burnout is feeling dissatisfied with one area of life, primarily work.
What to Do When You Start Burnout treatment in Wilmington, NC
Check out these steps for beginning burnout treatment at Calm Waters Counseling.
Check out the Burnout Treatment page.
2. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation.
3. Complete the brief questionnaire 24hrs before the consultation call.
4. Be ready for your consultation call on the day and time of your choosing.
5. If choosing to set up a therapy appointment, complete the intake paperwork before the first session
Follow the steps below to schedule a free consultation.
Steps to Scheduling a Consultation
Having a consultation is an important step in the process. This allows me to get a brief understanding of the reasons you are seeking therapy. During this time we will test whether the client and therapist could be a good match working together.
Follow these steps to schedule your free consultation:
Click on the button to schedule your free 15-minute consultation
2. Choose the office you would like to set an appointment for (North Carolina, Maryland, Virtual) - Please note currently all Maryland appointments will be virtual-only
3. Choose the day and time open to availability for consultation.
4. Enter your name, email address, and phone number.
5. Shortly after scheduling your consultation, you will receive an email acknowledging and inviting you to log into the client portal to complete a brief questionnaire. This questionnaire will be asking about your reasons for seeking therapy. As well as availability for therapy sessions, and goals you would like to do while in therapy. Please complete this 24hrs before the consultation.
6. I will call you on the day and time you chose for your consultation. We will speak briefly and if we choose to go forward with scheduling an intake appointment, I will explain the intake process and paperwork.
If you are ready to schedule your free consultation click the button below. Also, check out the images showing you the steps below.
Continue to follow along as I share with you what to expect during an intake for burnout treatment.
What Happens During a Burnout Treatment Intake?
Once a consultation is completed and an intake appointment is made, you will receive an email. Calm Waters Counseling will notify you of the paperwork to be completed. This is a set of paperwork that comes through the client portal. You will fill it out and it is automatically sent back to your therapist.
It is important to complete the paperwork at least 24hrs before your intake appointment. This way, the therapist can review and prepare for the intake appointment.
At the intake appointment, the therapist may have specific questions. Or ask you to elaborate on items shared on the intake form.
During this time it is also common to discuss treatment goals. These goals are important because they direct how to proceed in therapy. This may include interventions that may be used, and treatment modalities to follow.
Intake appointments typically last about 55 minutes.
If it is appropriate, a diagnosis may be given. To learn more, please click the link to find out more information on using the insurance and fees page.
What Styles of Therapy are Used for Burnout Treatment?
Some of the most helpful burnout treatments including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness interventions, and mind and body techniques.
Check out the description of each, and how they can be helpful.
Using ACT for Burnout Treatment
ACT can help people who are experiencing burnout by teaching them how to accept their thoughts and feelings without judgment, and to focus on taking actions that are in line with their values. This approach can help people to feel more in control of their lives, and to make choices that are based on what is important to them.
Using CBT for Burnout Treatment
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a treatment modality used to challenge unhelpful thoughts. In CBT, this therapy model looks at the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. When negative or anxious thoughts are present, often negative or anxious feelings become present or amplified. As a result, this may lead to behaviors that are not helpful.
When using CBT for burnout treatment, addressing negative or cynical thoughts will take precedence. Together, we will challenge, restructure, and reframe thoughts.
An example of this might be challenging the thought that you are not “good enough” to do your job. When using CBT interventions, we would work to explore the realities of this belief. This means exploring times when you felt “good enough”, and identify more realistic self-talk to use. A great way to do this and track your thoughts is by writing them down.
To learn more about cognitive behavioral therapy, check out this helpful blog post:
Using Mindfulness With Burnout Treatment
Mindfulness can be very helpful when addressing burnout. Mindfulness is the practice of being in the present moment and accepting what is happening without trying to change it without judgment.
Using mindfulness to help cope with burnout can increase the ability to recognize what you are thinking and feeling. This allows you to react with healthier behaviors and take better care of yourself.
Mindfulness can also allow for you to be more present when you are away from work to enjoy your time much more and be engaged in the things that you love to do and with those, that matter the most to you.
For more information on mindfulness check out this helpful blog post:
Using Mind-Body Techniques in Burnout Treatment
There is a huge connection between the mind and body. For these reasons, I often teach my clients relaxation skills and encourage practicing breathing exercises. Or, engage in other types of therapies such as massage, acupuncture, and acupressure.
Mind-body techniques are very helpful for reducing emotional stress. Also, they have the added benefits of improving some physical health symptoms as well. As discussed above, stress is a huge contributor to burnout. Thus, using some of these techniques can be very beneficial.
Using Online Therapy for Burnout Treatment
When you can’t make it into the office for your therapy appointments you no longer have to miss out and wait until the next week. Online therapy has become a popular option nationwide. Online therapy can offer more flexibility and value to your appointments.
Online therapy uses a HIPAA-compliant platform. This allows for the therapist and the client to both see and hear each other. This can also allow for the therapist to continue using the interventions discussed above. Thankfully, not much changes with the delivery. Online therapy allows you to have your appointment in a place that can allow for in-the-moment, real-time interventions. All from the comfort of your own space. As a bonus, you can have your pet with you for some extra comfort.
I am currently licensed in Maryland and North Carolina. I provide online therapy to anyone located in these two states. To learn more about online therapy in these places, check out the links below.
Online Therapy in Maryland
Online Therapy in North Carolina
Have you have thought about trying online therapy for yourself? For more information, check out this helpful blog post on online therapy.
What to Expect When You Finish Burnout Treatment
At the end of burnout counseling, you can expect to have a few changes for the better in your life. Most often my clients will tell me the following:
Better self-care
More aware of how they are thinking and feeling
Reduced stress
Creating a better work-life balance
Feeling more positive
Enjoying spending time with others
Start Burnout Treatment in Wilmington, NC Today
At some point in life, we have all been there and experienced burnout. When you recognize it is happening, often it is because you are in the thick of it. You don’t have to continue to feel this way though and you can recover from burnout.
I provide online burnout treatment from my Wilmington, NC therapy practice to anyone in Maryland and North Carolina. To start overcoming burnout, follow these simple steps:
Schedule a free 15-minute consult using the button below
Complete the brief questionnaire sent to your email
Meet with your new caring therapist
Start enjoying your work again!
Other services offered at calm waters counseling
Burnout treatment is not the only service I offer at my Wilmington, NC therapy practice. Other services offered at Calm Waters Counseling include online therapy in Maryland, online therapy in North Carolina, treatment for perfectionism, therapy for imposter syndrome, and anxiety treatment.
Online Therapy For Burnout at calm Waters Counseling
Calm Waters Counseling also offers online therapy for burnout and job stress to anyone located in Maryland and North Carolina. If you are interested in these services click the links below.
Online Therapy in Maryland
Online Therapy in North Carolina
Schedule your free 15-minute consultation with me today!
Still have questions and want to know more before scheduling your free consultation? Click the button below where I answer questions related to getting stated in therapy and other FAQs.
By: Laura Rippeon, LCSW, LCSW-C
Updated 3/12/23