“Burnout” refers to a state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. It happens when you’ve been under chronic stress or high demand for a long period of time, and haven’t been able to recharge your batteries and get any respite. Essentially, burnout occurs when the demands upon you outweigh your resources to cope with those demands.

Often, people come to me for support when they’re burned out. Talking to a counsellor is a great way to begin healing from burnout. I can listen to your story and help to identify small, manageable steps that can be taken towards recovery. Most of the people I see are already deep into burnout when they reach out for help.

The longer you’ve been in a state of burnout, the harder it is to pull yourself out of it. It can be much easier to heal if you happen to notice the early warning signs and get help before you’ve completely emptied your tank. Typically, if you haven’t yet hit that state of total burnout, you’ve still got a little bit of energy and motivation and it feels less arduous to do the work of healing than if you’ve got nothing left to give.

So, what are some of the early warning signs of burnout? What should you be looking out for? If you’re worried that you might be approaching burnout, here are a few things that you should keep an eye on:

• Feeling physically tired, even if you’re getting plenty of rest
• Feeling hopeless or cynical, when you’re usually fairly positive and upbeat
• A lack of motivation.
• Feeling easily overwhelmed, even by simple tasks or requests
• Noticing self-doubt creeping into your thoughts, particularly if you tend to be confident and self-assured
• Muscle tension, jaw pain and headaches
• Digestive issues
• Feeling disconnected from the world
• A desire to isolate yourself from friends and family
• Getting ill more frequently than usual
• Changes in sleeping patterns, such as sleeping more than usual or having trouble getting enough sleep
• Losing your temper more easily
• Difficulty concentrating
• Forgetfulness
• Using alcohol and other drugs more frequently
• Feeling “drained”

If you begin to notice signs that you might be burning out, I can help. Although it might be tempting to wait until things get worse, the sooner you reach out for support, the easier it will be to recover from burnout.

I can provide a safe space for you to talk through the things that are stressing you out so that you feel supported and heard. Together, we can find techniques that you can use to reduce stress and allow your nervous system to regulate. We can focus on both practical changes to reduce stress and emotional safety and expression to work through the inner stressors that are contributing to your burnout. I’ll work with you at your own pace, using your unique strengths to find a way forward that works for you.