3 Signs Youโre Headed for Burnout
Apr 18, 2025
What is Burnout?
Everyone has bad days. A challenging patient management issue. Being short-staffed. A hard coworking interaction. And then, at the end of the day, you find yourself late to the sporting event/dance recital/basketball pickup. Stressful days are a normal part of life. But sometimes, those days extend into weeks, and then months, and if left “untreated,” can stretch into years of emotional exhaustion and burnout.
When overwhelm creeps in and becomes your default emotion, it’s time to stop, take a deep breath, and make a change. We all experience burnout at one point or another, but we don’t have to stay there! And if we are aware of the signs, we can set up safeguarding boundaries in order to prevent it in the future.
Burnout is Very Real
If you’ve ever thought to yourself (or even been told), “This is all just in my head. I need to get over it.” Please hear this. Burnout is not just in your head. It is a state that can affect your emotional, physical, and mental health, and is brought on by continuous, severe stress and pressure to meet consistent demands.
Sound familiar? Life as women physicians can be filled with pressure to meet burdens both at work and at home. When we bottle this stress up and keep pushing past our limits without taking care of ourselves, it can tank our productivity, energy, passion, and motivation to keep going.
Even worse? Burnout in one area of our lives has a tendency to spill over into every other area, affecting our relationships, our social lives, and how we feel about ourselves.
Rest is Deserved, Not Earned
If you are feeling burned out, please do not invalidate that feeling. There is safety in acknowledging burnout and allowing yourself to pursue recovery. And remember, this is a very common challenge that most physicians face at some point, so don’t shame yourself for being human.
Your humanity is what makes you such a great doctor, and that is why it is so important to take care of it.
So often, we fall into the mindset that once we finish one thing, we immediately need to jump into the next. We stay so busy and forget to slow down and breathe. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being hardworking. But to meet your potential, you must shift your mindset to remember this: Meaningful, intentional rest is a vital part of work, not the opposite of it.
What Does Burnout Look Like?
Burnout can manifest in a lot of different ways, but there are a few prominent signs.
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Lack of Energy
Feeling chronically exhausted and low on energy is not normal or ok. It is a symptom. Back when I didn’t understand burnout, I felt myself getting low on energy and set a goal to get better sleep. But, despite the healthy change in my sleep habits, the exhaustion never left. I woke up tired, worked tired, and came home tired. Even simple tasks became difficult. Looking back now, I see that my body was trying to tell me something deeper about the burnout I was running straight toward.
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Lack of Motivation
Have you lost motivation for things that used to excite you? What is something you’ve always enjoyed doing? Does just the idea of that thing exhaust you? Maybe you love gardening, but despite the weeds taking over your flowerbeds, you can’t bring yourself to slip on your gloves and get weeding. Now, a day or two (or even a week) of low motivation can be normal, but if this has become your new normal, don’t brush it under the table.
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Muted Emotions and Helplessness
Have you ever felt numb or so emotionally drained that you’ve slipped into helplessness? Maybe you’ve become indifferent to things that used to cause a strong emotional reaction. Or perhaps you’ve been dealing with an unusual amount of cynicism and noticed that it is affecting the way you interact with those around you, and impacting your relationships in all areas of life.
You Don’t Have to Stay in Burnout
Don’t run from burnout, or it may get worse. The key here is to recognize the signs and face it with bravery, self-compassion, and a supportive community.
Take a deep breath. Give yourself grace. Don’t face burnout alone. Set fierce boundaries, seek out help, take time to assess where you are, and rest assured that burnout is not permanent, but if you let it, it can be a catalyst to becoming the best version of yourself.
- Find 1 hour each week to take an inventory of what you are doing that you need to STOP doing.
- Each Sunday, look forward to your week and see when you can create free, open space for yourself. Cancel all other things to make that time happen.
- Make a list of 5 things to move off your plate, immediately. Set a timer and send emails to reassign them to others or step back from these commitments immediately.
Resources to Help You Bounce Back from Burnout
If you are facing burnout, do not do it alone. Find a community of like-minded women physicians who get what you are going through and will support you through it. My online community, The Table, exists for exactly that reason. Try it for two weeks free!
Want to go even deeper? Sign up for coaching here. I have walked with so many women through burnout to the breakthrough on the other side, and I would be honored to do the same with you.
Feeling stretched thin? I can show you 10 ways to get back TWO HOURS in your week!
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