Burnout in Healthcare: What It Looks Like (and Why It’s Not Your Fault)
If you're a healthcare professional, there's a good chance you've felt it: the bone-deep exhaustion, the emotional flatness, the quiet dread of walking into another shift. Burnout isn’t just something you read about in journal articles—it’s something you live.
But here’s what no one tells you: burnout in healthcare isn’t your fault. It’s not about resilience, laziness, or needing a bubble bath. It’s about systems, expectations, and the emotional weight of showing up for others day after day without enough support for yourself.
Let’s talk honestly about what burnout really looks like—and what you can do about it.
Am I Burnout?
Burnout is more than just being tired. According to the World Health Organization, it’s a work-related syndrome characterized by:
Emotional exhaustion, are you snapping at everyone?
Headaches or stomach issues, IBS anyone?
feeling of detached or cynical, you just can’t seem to care about patients or their stories anymore. This isn’t because you are a bad person!
You feel guilty taking time off—even when you’re sick
Fatigued, no matter how much sleep you get
You're relying on caffeine, alcohol, or emotional eating to get through the week
Missing work more frequently, the thought of another shift bring immense dread
And perhaps the hardest part? You keep going anyway. Because people are depending on you. Because asking for help feels selfish. Because the culture tells you that burnout is just part of the job.
Why Burnout Happens (Hint: It’s Not a You Problem)
The system wasn’t built for you to thrive. It was built for you to function. That’s a massive difference.
Here are some common drivers of burnout in healthcare:
Chronic understaffing and unrealistic patient loads
Electronic medical records and administrative bloat
Pressure to be “always on,” even outside of work hours
Moral injury from witnessing suffering you can’t fix
Lack of institutional support for mental health and boundaries
Burnout isn’t a sign you’re broken. It’s often a sign you’re working in a system that doesn't make space for being human.
Shame Spiral: Why Burnout Feels Like a Personal Failure
Healthcare professionals are often high achievers—smart, capable, efficient, logical thinkers, and self-sacrificing. Which is exactly why burnout hits so hard.
You start to think:
“Why can’t I handle this like everyone else?”
“Maybe I’m not cut out for this after all.”
“If I were stronger, I wouldn’t feel this way.”
That internalized shame makes it even harder to speak up or seek help. But here’s the truth: struggling in a broken system doesn’t make you weak—it makes you human.
How Therapy Can Help with Burnout
Therapy isn’t just for “fixing” something. It’s a space to step out of survival mode and reconnect with yourself. For healthcare workers, therapy can help you:
Name and process what you're carrying
Develop boundaries and guilt-free self-care
Address perfectionism, people-pleasing, and over functioning
Explore moral injury and unresolved grief
Rebuild your sense of purpose without burning out
Weekly therapy is great, but many providers don’t have the time or energy to commit long-term. That’s why more and more are turning to therapy intensives—a focused, short-term model that works with your schedule and urgency.
What Is a Therapy Intensive?
A therapy intensive is like a mental health reset. Instead of months of weekly sessions, you spend several hours over 1–2 days diving deep into your specific struggles.
It’s perfect for providers who:
Don’t have time for ongoing therapy
Need immediate support, not a waitlist
Feel emotionally stuck or numb
Want to process burnout, grief, or identity shifts in a concentrated way
Check out my Therapy Intensive page to learn more.
Imagine if you showed up for yourself the way you do for your patients!
You care for others day in and day out. You hold pain that isn’t yours. You show up—exhausted, anxious, sometimes numb—and do the work anyway. But here’s the thing: you’re allowed to not be okay. You're allowed to ask for help. You're allowed to take up space. Burnout in healthcare is real, it’s painful, and it’s often invisible. But it’s also treatable. Not by pushing harder—but by stepping back, getting support, and healing on your terms.
Final Thoughts
If you’re reading this and thinking, “That’s me”—you’re not alone. And you’re not failing. You’re a human in a system that values productivity over humanity. Whether through weekly therapy, a therapy intensive, or even a one-time check-in, support is available—and it can make a real difference. You’re worth more than your productivity. Start feeling better today. Contact me here.