Burnout is characterised by exhaustion, dysregulated emotions, low mood, decreased motivation and loss of ambition. You may also experience increased cynicism and compassion fatigue. It can lead to anxiety, depression, insomnia, chronic fatigue and vulnerability to addictions.
Professions with the highest rates of burnout include (but are not limited to) police officers, doctors, nurses, paramedics, teachers and professionals working in continually high-stress conditions. This is due to the excessive workloads, pressures and expectations from others, lack of control, micromanagement or lack of support, organisational instability, front-line practice, threats of complaints or violence and dysfunctional and toxic workplace cultures.
And although the symptoms of burnout often abate during breaks and time off, adjustments in boundaries (addressing people pleasing for example), increasing resilience and prioritising self-care are required to provide ongoing protection from burnout.
Counselling can help you make the necessary adjustments by highlighting the challenges and helping you refocus, address feelings of powerlessness and regain clarity about the value of your work. Together we can reinstate a sense of being in control and of meaning and purpose, providing you with a renewed psychological position from which to move forward.