I see this pattern often in my practice: when work gets heavier, the first thing to go is everything that keeps a person balanced. People start skipping the evening walk, we have no time for our friends, the guitar is laying in a corner, gathering dust, conversations with a partner resume to logistics or watching TV because we are too tired to listen and engage. The instinct makes sense: leave away the "non-essentials," free up time and energy to face the workload. But what actually happens...
Because burnout is rarely just an individual problem. Research consistently shows that focusing only on the employee, through stress management tools, meditation apps, or reduced hours, is not enough. The most effective and lasting results come from combining individual and organisational approaches. In my work with clients recovering from burnout, one factor makes a profound difference: what they return to. Receiving leadership support, a safe space to talk about vulnerabilities, flexibility...
Perhaps nowhere do we undervaluate the importance of recovery as much as in the mental dimension of our lives. In most work environments, we receive the message that working longer and continuously is the best route to high performance. Slowing down, taking breaks, or prioritising wellbeing is rarely promoted. But we are all aware that the ability to think clearly, make good decisions, and stay focused is a key factor in our performance. Much as it is true physically and emotionally, the...
Yesterday, I revisited the opening chapter of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. There is a beautiful scene where, after the corn is destroyed by the dust, the women and children watch the men. They aren't looking at the ruins of the crop; they are looking at the faces of the men to see if they will break. Steinbeck writes that as long as the men were angry, they were safe. It was only if they became silent and despairing that the real danger began. As a psychotherapist working with the...
As a therapist, I rarely see burnout as a simple result of an increasing workload. That’s a one-sided perspective that leaves out the power of the person experiencing it. As if we have no agency in how much we take on. In my work, I meet people who: Don’t trust themselves to set boundaries around their time and energy. They are driven by perfectionistic standards, and nothing seems to be good enough. Rely on external validation to feel worthy and fail to give themselves praise and credit for...
A fish doesn’t know it’s in water because water is its normal environment. In the same way, people under chronic stress often don’t realize they’re stressed. The stress becomes their “normal.” Until being generally tired and stressed turns into exhaustion that is overwhelming. People start feeling tired almost all the time, both physically and emotionally, regardless of how many breaks and vacations they take. They start to dislike a job they usually enjoyed, productivity sinks, and...
Money can be a great source of stress for many. This is what my clients are telling me about money that creates stress, and unhappiness: • „ I earn very well, but the fear of losing my money makes me work relentlessly to make sure I’ll always have enough“. • „I spend my money regularly on small things and I fail to set aside for a bigger, long-term project (house)“. • „Whenever I feel sad, lonely, or bored, I shop online and buy things I later regret buying“. • „My partner and I argue a lot...
While doing research for the Stress reduction program I want to create, I discovered what my main problem with stress was: My mindset about it and the response I had. Let me explain. Most of us have some kind of automatic response that we develop in time when we encounter stressful situations. The usual response we have is one of these two: 1. Ineffective responding. 2. Effective responding The first response (that I realized I have), was a complaining response. I was just wishing that things...
