Therapy for Work Stress and Burnout by Your Sugar Land Therapist
You are dreading weekdays. Saturdays fly by, and Sunday mornings come, and you no longer enjoy Sundays because you know Monday is coming, and that means back to work. You know that your job is tough and you knew being part of a corporation was going to bring challenges, but your relationships, your mental health, and quality of life are disintegrating before your eyes. You're wondering: Is this level of work stress or work anxiety normal? Is this the work stress everyone experiences, or is it something more?
To answer this question, we must identify the difference between stress and burnout. Work stress is when you feel like you have too much to do and too much pressure. You’re overwhelmed but still chipping away at your to-do list, trying to get everything done.
Burnout, on the other hand, occurs when your work stress lasts for a significant period without a break or support. I am seeing a lot more of this right now as companies have been making cuts in Houston. Healthcare and oil and gas have made layoffs, meaning the work a team of eight used to manage is now being handled by a team of three. Management will say to hang in there, that things are going to change, but you know that help is not on the way. There is talk of continued cuts. Your boss may offer occasional help (if you are lucky), but in American work culture, this is rare and not enough. You are working three times as hard for the same pay and are expected to grin and bear it. You probably have noticed that you have started to feel totally drained, empty, and like you have nothing left to give. You are grumpy with your partner, cynical, not making it to the gym, reaching for more junk food, and declining invites to see friends. As a recap, when it is just work stress, you’re still fighting to keep up. When you’re burned out, you feel like you’ve already given up and just don’t care anymore. So what do you do? You cannot quit your job, but you also know this is no longer sustainable...
The answer is CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) with Alyssia at Southern Pine Counseling. CBT helps identify and challenge unhelpful thoughts contributing to burnout ("I must be perfect") and develops specific action-oriented coping skills. Alyssia will also utilize Psychodynamic Therapy because this can help you look at aspects of your past or parts of your personality that are contributing to your feelings of work stress and burnout. For example, if you have trouble saying “no” or always want to do everything a specific way. It is also important for Alyssia at Southern to incorporate a little Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT). SFT focuses on small, targeted interventions that help you take small steps towards decreasing your stress and solving your problem right now. It helps you set easy, realistic goals (you have heard of SMART goals... this is that, within the context of therapy) to change how you work and feel better overall.
Looking for a home solution for work stress or work burnout? Try to use guided meditations. As you are meditating, pay attention to your body. Look to release stress through stretching as you meditate, helping you let go of the tension you're holding so you can feel less anxious, handle your emotions better, and stay calm even when work gets crazy. Journaling is also helpful. Sit down and create a list of what’s really important to you, identify how you can become more flexible in tough situations, and see if there are other choices that you could be making that fit your values to provide you with some relief. This way, you can live a more meaningful life without letting work stress take over everything.
Therapy is extremely helpful in overcoming work stress and work burnout. When you have a therapist, you do not have to burden your partner with your constant negative thoughts about your job, you do not become the downer for your team, and it helps guide you toward hope and joy again. You do not have to suffer alone. Contact Southern Pine Counseling today!
