Psychotherapy for Burnout in Basingstoke
Understand Why You Keep Going When You Are Exhausted, and Start to Recover
Burnout can develop when you are under pressure for so long that rest stops being enough. It can affect your concentration, motivation, mood and how you feel about your work.
Psychotherapy for burnout in Basingstoke can help you look at what is happening at work and at home, and at why it is hard for you to slow down or to notice when you have had enough.
When Exhaustion Becomes Difficult to Manage
You may be experiencing:
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Feeling exhausted even after a weekend or holiday.
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Finding it hard to concentrate, make decisions or care about work you used to enjoy.
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Feeling detached, irritable or overwhelmed by work.
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Carrying on pushing yourself even though you know something has to change.
Burnout is linked to long periods of stress at work. But how you cope with pressure also depends on what you learned earlier in life. If you learned that your value depends on what you achieve, or that you must always be the one who copes, it can be very hard to notice when you have reached your limit, or to stop.
My approach combines psychodynamic psychotherapy, which looks at how your past experiences affect how you handle things today, with somatic awareness, which means paying attention to what happens in your body when you are exhausted.
Our work focuses on:
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Looking at what is being asked of you: the hours, the responsibilities nobody else picked up, and the standard you hold yourself to on top of that.
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Looking at what you do when you are already stretched: taking on one more task, answering emails in the evening, not asking for help because it is quicker to do it yourself.
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Paying attention to what stress is doing to you: sleep that does not refresh, tight shoulders or jaw, less patience than you used to have.
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Questioning the rules you work by: that rest has to be earned, that saying no lets people down, that your value depends on what you get done.
What Happens During a Psychotherapy Session?
Sessions give you time to look at what has led to your exhaustion and how it is affecting your life.
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Your current situation: we start with what a normal week looks like, what you are responsible for, and what has stopped working.
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What keeps you going past your limits: we look at the thoughts that come up when you consider saying no or stopping, and where they came from.
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What your body is telling you: we notice how tiredness, tension and sleep change over the week, and what happens in your body when you imagine slowing down.
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Trying something different: we work out what you can do differently at work and at home, such as setting a limit, declining a request, handing over a task, or taking a break without apologising.
The pace is set around your energy, so we do not ask more of you than you have to give.
How Many Sessions Will I Need?
This depends on what you are dealing with and what you want to change.
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Session length: 50 minutes.
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Frequency: usually weekly.
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Length of therapy: we agree it together and review it as we go.
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Availability: in person in Basingstoke or online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can psychotherapy help with burnout?
Yes. Psychotherapy can help with the worry, harsh self-criticism and difficulty saying no that often come with burnout. Recovery may also need changes to your workload, your working conditions and how much time you have to rest.
Why do I still feel exhausted after taking time off?
Time off removes the workload for a while, but not the pressure or habits that caused the exhaustion, so it can come back as soon as you return. Poor sleep, strain at home and physical health problems can also play a part. Psychotherapy can help you look at these, and tiredness that does not go away should be checked by your GP.
Can psychotherapy help me stop pushing myself beyond my limits?
Yes. Therapy can help you look at the beliefs and fears that make slowing down feel impossible, such as ‘I’ll fall behind’ or ‘I’ll let someone down’. Once you can see them, it becomes easier to change how much you take on and when you rest.
How is burnout different from depression?
Burnout is generally linked to long-term stress at work, while depression can affect every area of life and involves more symptoms. They can overlap, and an assessment by your GP or a clinician may be needed to tell them apart.
What Could Change Through Psychotherapy?
You may begin to:
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Notice earlier when you are running on empty, before the weekend crash.
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Say no to a request without spending the evening justifying it to yourself.
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Finish the day without going back over what you did not get done.
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Take a break when your body asks for one, not once it has forced you to.
Psychotherapy in Basingstoke and Online
I’m Paula Miles, a psychotherapist based in Basingstoke, Hampshire.
I work with adults who are dealing with work-related stress, anxiety and perfectionism, and who find themselves reacting to work situations the same way again and again.
My approach combines psychodynamic psychotherapy with attention to what happens in your body.
You can get to know me more here
Book a Free Initial Consultation
Contact me to talk about your situation, ask how I work and find out whether psychotherapy is right for you.