Burnout
Burnout does not always announce itself dramatically. Sometimes, you continue going to work, meeting deadlines, replying to messages and looking after everyone around you. From the outside, little may appear to have changed. Inside, even ordinary tasks begin to require more effort than you have available.
Being capable can gradually become a role you feel unable to step out of.
You may recognise yourself here if:
You wake up tired, even after sleeping.
Your mind remains at work long after the working day has ended.
Small requests feel disproportionately difficult or irritating.
You struggle to concentrate, make decisions or remember things.
Rest leaves you feeling guilty rather than restored.
You keep postponing your own needs because something else always appears more urgent.
You feel detached from work, other people or activities you once enjoyed.
You alternate between pushing yourself intensely and having very little left to give.
You worry that slowing down will reveal that you are no longer coping.
You continue functioning, but the cost of doing so keeps increasing.
Burnout may develop through work, caring responsibilities, chronic illness, difficult relationships or the cumulative pressure of managing too many roles for too long. Often, several of these demands are present at the same time.
My core training is in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and I also draw on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT).
CBT helps us map the links between pressure, thoughts, emotions, physical exhaustion and the ways you respond.
ACT can be useful when your mind insists that you must feel certain, motivated or fully in control before making a change.
CFT offers a way of working with the harsh internal voice that calls you lazy, weak or selfish whenever you need rest.
I bring these approaches together according to what is happening in your life and what makes psychological sense for you. Burnout develops in context, so our conversations will include both your internal patterns and the circumstances that continue to place pressure on you.
My Approach
We can look at the pressures around you, the expectations you carry and the habits that keep you functioning past your limits. Some of these patterns may be practical, such as taking on too much or remaining permanently available. Others may be driven by guilt, fear, shame or a deeply held belief that your needs should come last.
Identifying the personal and environmental factors contributing to exhaustion
Recognising the early signs that your resources are running low
Examining beliefs about rest, productivity and being useful
Making space for interests, relationships and parts of your identity that have been pushed aside
Reducing perfectionistic overworking and all-or-nothing patterns
Developing boundaries that can survive contact with real life
Learning to respond to guilt when you say no, pause or ask for support
Rebuilding routines that allow for genuine recovery