I see this pattern often in my practice: when work gets heavier, the first thing to go is everything that keeps a person balanced. People start skipping the evening walk, we have no time for our friends, the guitar is laying in a corner, gathering dust, conversations with a partner resume to logistics or watching TV because we are too tired to listen and engage. The instinct makes sense: leave away the "non-essentials," free up time and energy to face the workload. But what

Because burnout is rarely just an individual problem. Research consistently shows that focusing only on the employee, through stress management tools, meditation apps, or reduced hours, is not enough. The most effective and lasting results come from combining individual and organisational approaches. In my work with clients recovering from burnout, one factor makes a profound difference: what they return to. Receiving leadership support, a safe space to talk about vulnerabili

Yesterday, I revisited the opening chapter of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. There is a beautiful scene where, after the corn is destroyed by the dust, the women and children watch the men. They aren't looking at the ruins of the crop; they are looking at the faces of the men to see if they will break. Steinbeck writes that as long as the men were angry, they were safe. It was only if they became silent and despairing that the real danger began. As a psychotherapist wo

A fish doesn’t know it’s in water because water is its normal environment. In the same way, people under chronic stress often don’t realize they’re stressed. The stress becomes their “normal.” Until being generally tired and stressed turns into exhaustion that is overwhelming. People start feeling tired almost all the time, both physically and emotionally, regardless of how many breaks and vacations they take. They start to dislike a job they usually enjoyed, productivity sin

From my work experience in treating people suffering from stress, I have understood how closely interconnected stress and self-worth are.