Burnout and Work Stress

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged or excessive stress, particularly in the workplace. It's characterized by feelings of overwhelm, cynicism, detachment from work, and a sense of reduced accomplishment. High-achieving adults and professionals are particularly vulnerable to burnout, often pushing themselves to meet high standards while neglecting their own needs and limits.

What is Burnout?

Burnout develops gradually when the demands of work consistently exceed your capacity to meet them. Unlike ordinary stress that can be energizing or motivating, burnout leaves you feeling depleted, ineffective, and disconnected from what once gave your work meaning. It's not simply feeling tired after a busy period—it's a pervasive sense of exhaustion that doesn't improve with rest.

High-achieving professionals often experience burnout differently than it's typically portrayed. You may continue performing at a high level externally while feeling hollow or detached internally. You might maintain your productivity through sheer force of will while experiencing anxiety, insomnia, or physical symptoms. Many successful individuals struggle to recognize burnout because they've become so accustomed to pushing through discomfort or because acknowledging it feels like admitting failure or weakness.

Burnout can stem from various workplace factors including excessive workload, lack of control or autonomy, insufficient recognition or reward, poor workplace relationships or support, misalignment between your values and organizational culture, and unclear expectations or conflicting demands. For many professionals, burnout is compounded by internal factors like perfectionism, difficulty setting boundaries, identity overly tied to professional achievement, and reluctance to ask for help or delegate.

Signs and Symptoms

Emotional exhaustion may include:

• Feeling drained, depleted, or emotionally overwhelmed

• Dreading work or feeling unable to face another day

• Lack of energy even after time off

• Irritability, impatience, or emotional reactivity

• Feeling numb or detached from your emotions

• Decreased satisfaction or joy in accomplishments

Cynicism and detachment may include:

• Loss of enthusiasm or passion for work that once felt meaningful

• Feeling disconnected from colleagues, clients, or your organization

• Increased negativity or cynicism about your work

• Going through the motions without genuine engagement

• Questioning the value or purpose of your efforts

• Withdrawal from professional relationships or networking

Reduced sense of accomplishment may include:

• Feeling ineffective despite working harder than ever

• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

• Decreased productivity or quality of work

• Procrastination or difficulty starting tasks

• Feeling like nothing you do is good enough

• Loss of confidence in your abilities

Physical symptoms may include:

• Chronic fatigue that doesn't improve with rest

• Sleep disturbances or insomnia

• Headaches, muscle tension, or other pain

• Changes in appetite or weight

• Frequent illness or weakened immune system

• Gastrointestinal problems

Impact on life outside work:

• Difficulty disconnecting from work mentally

• Neglecting relationships, hobbies, or self-care

• Using substances to cope with stress

• Feeling too exhausted for activities you once enjoyed

• Increased conflict in personal relationships

• Sense that work is consuming your entire life

My Approach to Treatment

I work with high-achieving professionals experiencing burnout and work stress, helping them recover, develop sustainable work practices, and reconnect with meaning and fulfillment in their careers and lives.

Comprehensive Assessment: I provide thorough psychiatric evaluations that explore your current work situation and stressors, patterns that may contribute to burnout, physical and mental health symptoms, and co-occurring conditions like anxiety, depression, or ADHD that may be exacerbating burnout or mimicking its symptoms.

Mental Health Support: Burnout frequently occurs alongside or triggers anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions. I provide medication management when appropriate to address these co-occurring concerns, helping restore your capacity to engage with the work of recovery.

Therapeutic Approaches: I incorporate evidence-based approaches tailored to your needs, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify and challenge patterns of thinking that contribute to burnout, strategies for setting boundaries and protecting your time and energy, skills for managing perfectionism and self-criticism, stress management and relaxation techniques, and support in clarifying values and reassessing career alignment.

Systemic and Contextual Understanding: Burnout is not a personal failure—it often reflects systemic workplace issues or misalignment between your needs and your environment. I help you understand burnout within this broader context, distinguishing between what you can change personally and what may require organizational change, career transition, or advocacy for better working conditions. Treatment may involve exploring options for workplace accommodations or modifications, considering career changes or transitions when appropriate, and developing strategies for communicating needs to supervisors or colleagues.

Holistic Recovery: Recovery from burnout requires attention to multiple dimensions of wellbeing. I work with you to restore sleep, exercise, nutrition, and other foundations of health, rebuild connections with relationships, hobbies, and activities outside work, develop sustainable work habits and routines, and reconnect with purpose and meaning in your professional life. This is not about learning to work harder or "managing stress better"—it's about fundamental change in how you relate to work and yourself.

Long-Term Prevention: Beyond immediate recovery, I help you develop insight into your particular vulnerabilities to burnout, strategies for recognizing early warning signs, and skills for maintaining boundaries and balance. The goal is not just to recover from this episode but to build resilience and practices that prevent future burnout.

Getting Started

If you're experiencing symptoms of burnout or struggling with chronic work stress, I offer comprehensive psychiatric evaluations and ongoing treatment to support your recovery and help you build a more sustainable relationship with work.

To schedule an appointment, please call or email my practice. I look forward to helping you move from exhaustion to renewal.