How burnout, stress and exhaustion show up in everyday life
Exhaustion rarely comes overnight. It often starts with stress that doesn't stop. For a long time you just about manage: work, appointments, commitments to family and friends. Rest gets put off – until the weekend, until the next vacation. It doesn't always turn into burnout, but it is still hard on you. And it isn't always work: caring for a family member, young children or a long period of uncertainty can wear you out too.
Often the body speaks up first: with tension, headaches or restless sleep, waking up in the middle of the night with your thoughts already at work. Many people feel tired and on edge at the same time.
On the outside many seem able to cope for a long time and don't show others what is going on inside. Sometimes not even their partner knows. On top of that there is often self-criticism, because others seem to balance work, family and free time effortlessly.
Burnout and depression are not the same thing, but they can overlap. Sometimes long-lasting exhaustion turns into low mood in which hardly anything brings joy anymore. Anxiety and worry are often part of the picture too; more on this on my page about anxiety and panic attacks.
How I work with it
I take what you are going through seriously. With me you don't have to prove anything or get anything right. At first it can simply be about taking some of the pressure off.
Tension and rest belong together like breathing in and breathing out. When there has been no room for breathing out for a long time, it takes time to find this rhythm again. That is why mindfulness is part of my work: as attentive awareness of what is here right now, in your body, in your thoughts and in our conversation. It's not about practicing a technique, but about getting back in touch with yourself.
Many of the inner voices that drive us begin with “I have to” or “I shouldn't”. Some come from what is being asked of you right now, some from experiences further back. Together we look at which of them are truly yours and which you might want to question or turn the volume down on.
Sometimes exhaustion also raises bigger questions: What really matters to me? What do I want to put my energy into? And what can take up less space? What new things might emerge? Alongside this we look at what does you good in everyday life, such as movement or moments with nothing to do.
The first sessions
For the initial session, you don't have to prove anything. You tell me what brings you here, as much as you can manage right now. You don't need to know whether it's burnout. Afterward you can take your time to decide whether you'd like to start therapy.
In the first sessions we look at your everyday life: what gives you energy, what drains it and how long the exhaustion has been there. If everything is too much right now, we focus first on taking some of the pressure off.
Some exercises you can take into your everyday life, for example to set boundaries or to take a deliberate break. You can say no or stop at any time.
