You’re doing the work. You’re keeping the plates spinning. From the outside, it looks fine. Inside, something feels months behind. You rest but don’t feel rested. You switch off yet stay on. That gap between what you show and what you feel is where burnout often hides.
Unlike short spikes of stress that pass when the pressure drops, burnout lingers. It drains colour from things that used to matter and turns decisions into static. The World Health Organisation describes burnout as a response to chronic workplace stress marked by exhaustion, distance, and reduced effectiveness. In real life it also shows up in parents, carers, founders, clinicians – anywhere demands long outpace our capacity.
In therapy rooms, burnout rarely arrives alone. It comes with beliefs learned early and repeated often: “I mustn’t let anyone down.” “I can’t say no.” “Keep going.” Over time the body adapts to chronic strain. The science calls this allostatic load: the wear and tear from being on alert for too long.
Tools can help — breathing, trackers, routines — but deeper change tends to happen in relationship. Human-to-human attention has a regulating effect. Naming what you feel reduces emotional charge in the brain. That is one reason a steady conversation can calm what constant self-management cannot.
What we look for together
- Where you went missing while life kept moving.
- What “strong” has cost you.
- How perfectionism, over-responsibility, or people-pleasing keep you stuck.
- What your body has been saying for years.
This is not about fixing you. It is about being met. Therapy gives you a protected place to set things down, make meaning, and put care back where it belongs — with you. When that happens, energy returns in small, reliable ways. Focus sharpens. Decisions get simpler. Connection feels possible again.
A brief practice
Try this at the end of your day: Sit, feet grounded. Name three feeling words out loud. Notice where each lands in the body. Then breathe in for four, out for six, ten rounds. Close by writing one small boundary or kindness for tomorrow.
If this article resonates and you would like to find out how we can help you, contact us to schedule a confidential enquiry call today.
Written by Veronika Kloucek, Senior Psychotherapist, Trainer, Supervisor, and founder of The Village Clinic with support from AI tools for grammar and clarity. All editorial ideas and authorship remain fully human.
- Learn more: Burnout Therapy at The Village Clinic
- Practice at home: The Pause: A 2-minute Practice
- Read article: Still Going, But Running on Empty: Understanding Burnout
- Reach out: Book Your Welcome Call
Your Questions, Answered
Yes. Stress and burnout affect the whole body. We’ll consider both psychological and physiological signs.
Yes. Therapy can support pacing, boundary setting and confidence as you re-engage.
It may be. Many clients look “fine” outwardly while struggling privately. Talking it through can clarify what’s happening.
Many people improve with therapy alone. If you’re considering medication, your GP can advise on options and timing.
You don’t need perfect words to begin. We’ll start with what’s present: sensations, images, fragments of thought.
Sometimes feelings intensify as we pay attention to them. We’ll go at a pace that feels safe and adjust when needed.