Burnout

Do you work long hours to avoid going home? I’m Dr. Patricia Turner, a Registered Psychologist in private practice in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I work with professionals experiencing burnout and chronic exhaustion. People typically think that burnout is caused by carrying a heavy workload, but they seldom stop to consider what drives people to work […]

[Read more...]

Burnout can look remarkably similar to ADHD, particularly on self-report symptom checklists that focus on attention, organization, memory, and follow-through. This article explains why exhausted, cognitively depleted people can screen positive for ADHD even when they have no developmental history of it, and why brief medical visits can make burnout easier to miss. The article […]

[Read more...]

Many professionals experience burnout while continuing to work because taking medical leave is not a realistic option. When stepping away is not possible, managing burnout often depends on reducing non-essential tasks, setting clearer boundaries, and using limited energy more intentionally. This article explains how professionals can manage burnout without taking leave by identifying unnecessary demands, […]

[Read more...]

Burnout is more than stress or exhaustion—it is a state of physical, cognitive, and emotional collapse that develops when high demands persist without adequate recovery. This article explains what burnout is, how it develops over time, why it is often misunderstood or misdiagnosed, and what meaningful recovery actually involves. It also outlines when medical leave […]

[Read more...]

Ensure you can succeed before you go back. I work with people on medical leave for burnout in my private practice as a psychologist. In my experience, the majority of people don’t return to work before they are ready. Sometimes, however, people chomp at the bit to get back to the office and return too […]

[Read more...]

Improve your personal boundaries. I work with teachers that are in burnout in my private practice as a psychologist. They arrive saying their jobs are too big. That the demands placed on them aren’t reasonable. That what they’re asked to do in a day isn’t reasonable. The demands on teachers are huge Teachers I work […]

[Read more...]

Sounds straightforward, but you must create the time. I meet with a lot of people that are in burnout. They say they used to exercise. Some tell me they were triathletes before they got a demanding job, but that they don’t have the time required to stay fit today.When we discuss their burnout, they realize […]

[Read more...]

Don’t neglect your physical health. I tell my clients that push themselves too hard that they must take care of their bodies. Most people might think this is the purview of physicians and physiotherapists, but I was trained to work in an interdisciplinary fashion, learning from other professionals as our paths cross, and that’s what […]

[Read more...]

Last updated: December 10, 2025 If you are on medical leave for burnout, you may be asking a practical question: how will I know when I’m ready to return to work? Many people have been exhausted for so long that it can be difficult to tell whether they are fully recovered or still in the […]

[Read more...]

A lot of people feel overwhelmed by how much they have to do on a daily basis. They end up not doing a lot of things well as a result. But they sometimes don’t realize that it is okay – and even appropriate – to hire people to help them out at home.

[Read more...]