There is a certain type of exhaustion that goes way beyond simply just being tired. Throughout my years of teaching, I’ve seen it often in many therapists, and at times I have experienced it myself. It’s not only physical fatigue, but a depletion of the inner resources we rely on to stay present, connected and emotionally available within our work.
Burnout is something I speak about often, and it continues to be at the centre of my work. In therapists, it rarely happens all at once. In fact, most of the time, it builds quietly. We continue pushing through tiredness and tell ourselves it’s just a busy period, that things will calm down soon, that everyone else seems to be managing so we can push through too.
When presence begins to disappear
In the quality of our work, one of the first things that changes during burnout is presence. The treatments may still be technically good and the routine is still there, but something begins to feel different internally. Our focus becomes harder and our emotional capacity becomes smaller. The nervous system stays in a constant state of tension and eventually even the work we love can begin to feel emotionally heavy. This is why I believe therapist wellbeing is not separate from the quality of our work, because our personal wellbeing directly impacts how we hold space for our clients.
Healing from burnout begins with the permission we give ourselves to slow down, to rest without guilt, and to acknowledge that we’re not unlimited in our emotional, physical and mental capacity. For many therapists, this can actually be one of the hardest parts.
Small changes bring the best results
Healing from burnout rarely looks impressive from the outside. Often it is found in very small changes we need to make in our daily routines. Allowing yourself a quiet morning before beginning work can really help to give you time to return back to your presence, remind yourself why you do what you do before you begin your working day. Quality of sleep is also essential as we know how important sleep is for the body and healing. Together with taking breaks between clients and returning to daily wellness rituals that help you reconnect with yourself again.
Setting boundaries is at the core of your healing
Creating healthier boundaries is another tip that can sometimes look very simple, but actually implementing things like allowing more space between clients, not responding to messages late at night, or learning to say no without feeling guilty can significantly reduce the feeling of becoming constantly overstimulated.
This was something I had to learn myself early in my career when I travelled to clients’ homes to perform treatments. There were often distractions in the environment; a television playing in the background, phones going off, or even a dog walking in and out of the room during the treatment. For a long time, I allowed this to continue because I was afraid of upsetting the client or appearing difficult. But eventually I began to realise how distracting and overstimulating this became, not only for the client, but for me as well. It taught me the importance of communication and setting boundaries around the treatment space, because without that sense of calm, presence and focus, it becomes much harder for both the therapist and the client to fully settle into the experience.
Starting point of the recovery
Recovery begins simply by listening to yourself very honestly for the first time with the aim to recognise what is missing in the way you treat yourself. What are your needs that you have ignored and pushed away. Now it’s time to acknowledge them and bring solutions, step by step, moment by moment.
Otherwise, the burnt out will continue depleting you from your internal resources and also make you doubt in your skills more and more, because with exhaustion comes loss of confidence. This is why rebuilding yourself is not only about rest but about rebuilding your relationship with yourself.
Supporting therapists beyond technique
This understanding has deeply influenced the way I teach inside the Beata Digital Academy. Alongside the inspirational videos, wellbeing practices and supportive content available within the subscriber area of the app, there are also accredited masterclasses designed to support therapists both professionally and personally. One of these is the accredited masterclass, Selfcare for Therapists: How to Nurture Yourself & Sustain a Long-Lasting Practice, created specifically to help therapists better understand burnout, emotional exhaustion and the importance of creating sustainable wellbeing practices within this profession. If this resonates with you, you can also explore further articles and resources within the Therapist Wellbeing and Therapist Confidence sections of the website.
Healing is not about becoming someone new. Very often, it is about returning to yourself again with more awareness, compassion and understanding than before.