What symptoms indicate you are experiencing burnout?

• Exhaustion
• Difficulty concentrating
• Decreased work performance
• Feelings of Hopelessness
• Increased Agitation in work and in Personal life
• Lack of motivation
• Increased alcohol use

Burnout occurs slowly over time, bit by bit, until you find yourself feeling overwhelmed.

Experiencing burnout for the first time, especially in a new role, can be incredibly discouraging and scary. It can feel like being at the bottom of a pit with no idea how you got there and no clear way out. The first time at the bottom is particularly frightening because you haven’t climbed out before. There is no roadmap and no reassuring voice telling you that you will be okay. This is normal. It doesn’t mean you need to quit. Burnout is inevitable and cyclical, but it doesn’t have to be terrifying. You have the compassion, confidence, and creativity to navigate through it and succeed in your role.

Burnout is inevitable and recurring, especially in frontline helping professions. If burnout feels so distressing, shouldn’t we try to avoid it? No. Why do we avoid things? We avoid things when they feel unpleasant and when we don’t believe we can handle them. We fear that experiencing the emotions tied to a task, feeling, or situation will be too much to bear. If we treat burnout this way, we increase our fear of it and reinforce the belief that we are incapable of managing it. As a result, we may deny our feelings of burnout and ignore the important signals our emotions and bodies are sending us. This can lead to more severe burnout and prevent us from authentically meeting ourselves where we are.

Burnout often results from two conflicting inner experiences. One part of you has a deep desire to help and excel at your job, while another part is telling you to stop, insisting that nothing you do matters. These conflicting internal experiences create inner turmoil, which can manifest as various symptoms of burnout. This is why accepting burnout is so important. Acceptance doesn’t mean it feels good or that you won’t take action. It simply means acknowledging the reality of your experience—including both the helping part and the burnt-out part. Recognizing both perspectives allows you to compassionately work with each part to create a plan for moving forward, healing, and recuperation.

How Do I Work with Two Parts of Myself That Have Opposite Goals?

At first, this may feel difficult, but it’s actually quite intuitive. You simply need to allow each part an opportunity to be heard without interruption. Reassuring each part that it will have a chance to express itself is surprisingly effective.

How Do I Accept and Work with the Part of Me That Causes Burnout?

This part often feels like it needs to protect you. Anger, avoidance, and apathy can be defense mechanisms against perceived threats. This part may sense that you are too exhausted to handle your usual level of stress. It may feel overwhelmed by your workload and not know how else to help except by triggering anger or apathy. Often, this part raises valid frustrations about work—issues that you may have been avoiding. Acknowledging and working with this part can help lessen the most severe symptoms of burnout.

How Do I Work with the Part That Wants to Excel?

Reassure yourself that accepting the burnt-out part does not mean you will stop excelling at your job. Working with the part that wants to excel and identifying the minimum acceptable output is an important step in reducing inner turmoil. Ask yourself: what is the minimum effort required to satisfy this part? Defining this minimum output allows you to feel secure in your performance without constantly pushing yourself to the point where burnout takes over.

Will This Approach Work?

When you consistently meet your minimum output, it reduces the internal conflict between excelling and protecting. The part of you that wants to protect will start to trust that you can handle stress without becoming completely overwhelmed. As a result, it will feel less compelled to resort to anger and apathy. When this protective part trusts you to regulate your workload, you’ll have more space and energy to engage in the tasks that bring you joy. Over time, you will no longer experience the severe symptoms of burnout. Eventually, burnout may return—that’s part of life. But now, you have a framework for understanding these internal conflicts, and finding your balance will become easier and faster each time.

Managing the Inner Turmoil of Burnout: Journal Exercise

Burnout is a normal and expected part of life. Courageously accepting burnout is the first step in guiding yourself through it. Acceptance allows you to compassionately engage with the part of you that feels exhausted and frustrated, as well as the part that has a deep desire to excel.

Burnout Part Prompts:

• What is frustrating, annoying, or tiresome?
• If I weren’t frustrated, what would happen?
• Where do I feel this part in my body?
• What does my body feel like when this part arises?
• Is there anything I need to validate about this part’s experience?

Helper or Caretaking Part Prompts:

• What is the minimum amount of work I can genuinely be proud of?
• What makes me feel good at my job?
• Where do I feel this part in my body?
• What does it feel like when I am confident at work?

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