How is burnout different from depression?

They overlap, and one can lead to the other. Burnout is usually tied to a specific load, like work or caregiving, and may ease when that load lifts. Depression tends to color everything, including parts of life that used to feel good. If you are not sure which you are dealing with, that is a good question for a free consultation.

Do I have to quit my job to recover from burnout?

Not necessarily. Often the first changes are smaller: how you protect time, what you say yes to, how you recover in the evenings. Sometimes bigger decisions come up, and we can think them through together. I will not tell you what to do with your life, but I will help you see your options clearly.

Can counseling help if the stress comes from things I cannot change?

Yes. Some stressors, like a parent's illness or a demanding season at work, will not disappear on our timeline. We can still look at how you carry them: what support you have, what you can set down, and how to protect small pockets of rest so the load does not flatten you.

What does a first session look like?

It is fifty minutes by secure video. Mostly you talk and I listen closely, with questions about what your weeks look like and what is hardest right now. You leave with one small, concrete thing to try before we meet again.

Stress and Burnout

Therapy for Stress and Burnout

If you are running on caffeine, lists and the hope that next week will be lighter, you are not lazy or weak. You are overloaded, and that is something we can work on together.

A worn ochre armchair beside a small table and a warm mug in a calm green room

What Burnout Can Feel Like

Burnout rarely arrives all at once. It builds through months of carrying more than one person can sustainably carry, and you may notice it first in your body or your mood rather than your calendar.

Waking up tired no matter how much you sleep.
Dreading tasks you used to handle easily.
Feeling cynical, numb or detached from work or family.
Snapping at small things, then feeling guilty about it.
Weekends that go to recovery instead of rest.
Headaches, a tight jaw or a stomach that will not settle.

Getting Ahead of the Next Wall

A lot of support only shows up after a crash. My approach is proactive: we look at the whole load you are carrying, not just the latest crisis, and make changes before the next wall instead of after it.

We start small. Not a wellness overhaul, but two or three changes that fit the week you actually have. Then we check honestly whether they helped and adjust from there.

The Rules That Keep You Overextended

Burnout is not only about hours. It is also about the rules you live by: “If I slow down, everything falls apart.” “Resting is lazy.” “I am only worth what I produce.” Using cognitive behavioral therapy, we catch those rules, look at where they came from, and test them against the evidence of your actual life.

Often the hardest part is giving yourself permission to need less of yourself. I will tell you honestly when I think you are holding yourself to a standard you would never apply to someone you love.

Close detail of softly folded oat-colored linen

Rest is not a reward for finishing everything. It is part of how you keep going.

Bringing Your Body Out of High Alert

Long stretches of stress keep your body braced for an emergency that never quite arrives. Mindfulness-based strategies give you plain, practical ways to come down: a few slow breaths before a meeting, a short walk between tasks, noticing where you hold tension and letting it go. Nothing elaborate, and nothing you would feel silly doing in your car. The services page describes how mindfulness fits with the other approaches I use.

Who This Work Is For

Stress and burnout show up everywhere: in mothers holding the household together, in college students stacking classes and jobs, in people early in their careers trying to prove themselves, and in caregivers who have not had a real day off in months. If you see yourself anywhere in that list, you are in the right place.

Sometimes burnout overlaps with depression or anxiety. If rest no longer restores you at all, that is worth exploring together.

Common Questions

How is burnout different from depression?: They overlap, and one can lead to the other. Burnout is usually tied to a specific load, like work or caregiving, and may ease when that load lifts. Depression tends to color everything, including parts of life that used to feel good. If you are not sure which you are dealing with, that is a good question for a free consultation.
Do I have to quit my job to recover from burnout?: Not necessarily. Often the first changes are smaller: how you protect time, what you say yes to, how you recover in the evenings. Sometimes bigger decisions come up, and we can think them through together. I will not tell you what to do with your life, but I will help you see your options clearly.
Can counseling help if the stress comes from things I cannot change?: Yes. Some stressors, like a parent's illness or a demanding season at work, will not disappear on our timeline. We can still look at how you carry them: what support you have, what you can set down, and how to protect small pockets of rest so the load does not flatten you.
What does a first session look like?: It is fifty minutes by secure video. Mostly you talk and I listen closely, with questions about what your weeks look like and what is hardest right now. You leave with one small, concrete thing to try before we meet again.

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Make a Change Before the Next Crash

Start with a free consultation and tell me what your weeks have been like lately. We will look for the first change that would make a real difference.

Work With Me