The process is pretty straight forward. New clients often arrive at my office in burnout. Sometimes I suggest they take short-term medical leave because they are so exhausted. Sometimes that leave lasts more than 12 weeks and transitions to long-term medical leave. … [Read more...] about Burnout: How to begin short-term medical leave
Burnout: What to do on short-term medical leave
Short-term medical leave can help you get back on your feet when you are exhausted, but only if you do what you need to do. Several of the clients I work with in my private practice as a psychologist take short-term medical leave from work because of burnout. Taking medical leave is sometimes … [Read more...] about Burnout: What to do on short-term medical leave
Burnout: Not taking vacation
I often meet with people in my private practice that are experiencing burnout, but that cannot give themselves permission to take a vacation from their job to rest. … [Read more...] about Burnout: Not taking vacation
Burnout: Stigma of taking medical leave
Going on leave may harm your career in the short run. I often work with clients in my private practice as a psychologist that are experiencing burnout. Sometimes it is appropriate for these clients to take a medical leave -- also called disability leave or stress leave -- from their jobs so they … [Read more...] about Burnout: Stigma of taking medical leave
Burnout: Learning from difficult experiences
I seldom have clients tell me that they learned valuable life lessons when things were going well. However, I have had many people tell me that they figured things out, and learned a lot about themselves and their values, when they went through a difficult period. This is often the case with clients … [Read more...] about Burnout: Learning from difficult experiences
Motivation to end burnout
What motivates people to seek help when they are in burnout? Most of the clients I work with seek help because they are exhausted and need help to recover. They are usually struggling with how to accomplish this goal, but know they need to make some immediate changes. … [Read more...] about Motivation to end burnout
Burnout: Running on gas fumes
Being in burnout is like running out of gas in your car. Except the car is you. And the level of gas in your tank is the amount of energy you have. When you are in complete burnout, you have only fumes left in your tank, and no energy reserves to draw from. … [Read more...] about Burnout: Running on gas fumes
Burnout: When to take medical leave
When you're having difficulty functioning, it may be time to take medical leave. Many of the clients that I counsel in my private practice are having difficulty functioning at work. Often, they have worked themselves into exhaustion and are in burnout. … [Read more...] about Burnout: When to take medical leave
Warning signs of burnout
Do you recognize when you are in burnout, or heading towards burnout? To avoid letting burnout get out of hand, it is good to be skilled at recognizing your own list of signs that indicate you are approaching “the burnout danger zone.” Based on comments from some of my clients, I have put together … [Read more...] about Warning signs of burnout
Burnout is a continuum
I have written several postings on my blog that describe burnout as a cycle. Read more about the 12-stage Burnout Symptom Cycle. However, it can also be useful to view burnout as a continuum that runs from “I have no symptoms of burnout at all” to “I am in total burnout and am completely unable to … [Read more...] about Burnout is a continuum