CBT for stress and burnout

What are stress and burnout?

Stress can occur when you feel that the demands placed on you are difficult to manage or exceed the resources you have available.

​

Burnout can develop in the context of prolonged or poorly managed stress, particularly when there is limited opportunity to recover.  It can affect your energy, motivation, mood, concentration and ability to cope with everyday demands.

​

You might notice:

• Feeling constantly overwhelmed or under pressure

• Feeling exhausted even after resting

• Difficulty switching off or relaxing

• Irritability or becoming more easily frustrated

• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

• Feeling that you have too much to do and not enough time

• Losing motivation or enjoyment

• Feeling detached or emotionally drained

• Working longer hours or finding it difficult to take breaks

• Difficulty saying no or setting boundaries

• Feeling guilty when you are not being productive

• Becoming increasingly self-critical

• Feeling that you are struggling to keep up with your usual responsibilities

Stress and burnout can affect many areas of life, including work, relationships, family life and your ability to look after yourself.

Why do stress and burnout keep going?

When you are under pressure, it can be difficult to step back and notice the patterns that are keeping the cycle going.

​

You may respond to feeling overwhelmed by working harder, taking on more responsibility or pushing yourself to keep going. You might find yourself thinking that you should be able to cope, that you cannot let other people down, or that things will only feel manageable once everything is finished.

​

At the same time, you may stop doing things that help you recover because you feel that you do not have the time or energy for them.

​

This can create a cycle in which high demands, pressure, self-criticism and reduced recovery reinforce one another.

How can CBT help?

CBT can help you understand the factors contributing to your stress and identify patterns that may be keeping you stuck.

​

Together, we will look at the relationship between your thoughts, emotions, physical responses and behaviours, as well as the demands and circumstances you are dealing with.

​

Therapy may involve:

• Understanding your individual stress and burnout cycle

• Identifying the demands and pressures contributing to your difficulties

• Exploring unhelpful beliefs and expectations around work, responsibility and productivity

• Recognising patterns such as perfectionism or putting other people's needs before your own

• Looking at difficulty saying no or setting boundaries

• Identifying behaviours that may be maintaining stress, such as overworking or avoiding tasks until they become overwhelming

• Developing more sustainable approaches to managing your responsibilities

• Increasing opportunities for rest, recovery and activities that matter to you

• Learning strategies for managing difficult thoughts and emotions

• Developing ways to recognise and respond to early signs of stress before they escalate

The aim is not simply to help you become better at coping with an unsustainable level of pressure.

​

Instead, therapy focuses on helping you understand what needs to change and develop more sustainable ways of managing demands while looking after your own wellbeing.

​

CBT can help to identify patterns and consider alternative ways of responding. Depending on your circumstances, this might involve setting boundaries, changing unhelpful expectations, tackling avoidance, making space for recovery or learning to respond differently to feelings of guilt when you prioritise your own needs.

​

Therapy will be collaborative and focused on changes that are realistic and sustainable within your circumstances.

What if my stress is caused by my work?