Burnout Therapy Illinois and Wisconsin
Burnout is more than feeling stressed. It’s the result of an extended period of unmanaged chronic stress. A feeling of depletion and disengagement. It’s a complex syndrome that is most often applied to experiences in the workplace. Burnout is the feeling that, despite having tried valiantly to hold it all together and manage chronic stress, the bottom of the bucket has fallen out, and you feel utterly defeated.
Symptoms of Burnout
Exhaustion (physical, emotional, and mental),
Negativity or cynicism,
Disengagement,
Feelings of reduced professional efficacy,
Depression,
Anxiety,
Difficulty with sleep,
Feelings of dread, especially concerning work or the workplace,
Performance issues,
Difficulty thinking, remembering, or concentrating.
Causes of Burnout
Burnout grows out of prolonged chronic stress that goes unaddressed and unresolved. Like the chronic stress that precedes it, burnout often derives from both external (organizational and systemic) issues and internal (psychological) stressors. Burnout can also lead to the added burdens of guilt, shame, emotional numbing, anger, depression, anxiety, and eroded professional identity. These can make burnout feel like you’ve reached a crisis point in your life, especially if you’re in a career that you’ve worked hard for and invested a great deal to achieve.
Careers with High Rates of Chronic Stress & Burnout
Many careers have an element of stress built in to the nature of the work. Especially for those who work in direct service with people, stress is a common occurrence. However, there are some careers that are especially prone to the risks of chronic stress and burnout. Careers in the helping professions - especially law, education, and healthcare - require consistent dedication and energy to meet the unending demands of the work. For women, in particular, such careers tend to also demand a high degree of emotional labor that eventually leads to depletion.
Treating Stress & Burnout
Stress and burnout are growing problems of modern life, especially for women who are often shouldering multiple roles and responsibilities. Recovery from burnout starts with understanding the sources of your stress, making changes that will lessen or eliminate its impact, and building healthy boundaries that will better support you and your needs for the long-term.
What to Expect From Therapy
Therapy can help you to identify and understand your sources of burnout, reset priorities and boundaries, and implement healthy coping strategies. Whatever the root cause, it’s possible to discover a more sustainable way of living and implement new tools to help you thrive.
