8 signs you may need a burnout coach (and how they can help)
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA
Feeling burnt out at work? A burnout coach could be the answer. Explore 8 signs you may need one, plus the benefits of having a mental health advocate.
Burnout is something many of us face but don’t always recognize right away. Despite what some people view as burnout, it’s more than just feeling tired after a long day or having a busy week. It’s that deep sense of exhaustion (and sometimes dread and doom) that doesn’t go away no matter how much rest you get.
You might notice that you’re more irritable than usual, feeling mentally foggy, or struggling to find motivation for things you used to enjoy, like quality time with loved ones, exercise, or cooking. If this is all sounding a little too familiar, you could be experiencing burnout. And you’re definitely not alone.
Burnout happens slowly over time, but it hits all at once. And while it’s often work related, it can stem from anything that’s too demanding. With school deadlines, meetings, parent-teacher conferences, extra-curriculars, and the constant pressure to perform at work, it’s easy to lose track of your own wellbeing.
Many people try to push through burnout on their own, thinking they just need to work harder or wait for the stress to pass. But when burnout strikes, it’s not something you can simply power through. That’s where a burnout coach comes in.
What is a burnout coach?
A burnout coach is someone who helps people manage and recover from the overwhelming stress and exhaustion that comes with burnout. Unlike therapists, who often explore deeper emotional issues or past traumas, burnout coaches focus more on how your work-life balance is affecting your mental and physical health and help you create a realistic plan to feel better.
Burnout coaches take time to listen to what’s really going on in your life, where you’re feeling stuck, and what your biggest challenges are. Together, you work on practical steps to reduce stress and regain control over your time and energy. The goal is to help you build long-term skills for managing stress so you can thrive both personally and professionally.
Working with a burnout coach can be incredibly supportive and helpful, especially if you’ve been feeling like you’re navigating burnout alone. They offer guidance, accountability, and tools to help you make meaningful changes in your life. Whether it’s learning how to manage your workload better or finding ways to relax without guilt, a burnout coach can be a valuable ally in your journey toward improving your wellbeing (and maybe even boundaries.)
Benefits of a burnout coach
Working with a burnout coach can be a game-changer for how you support your work-life balance, especially if you’ve been struggling with stress, exhaustion, or feeling overwhelmed. The benefits go beyond just short-term relief — they can help you create lasting change so you can manage your stress better in the future.
Personalized action plan: A burnout coach can create a plan tailored to your challenges and needs, enabling immediate, meaningful changes without guilt or impossible targets.
Accountability and support: It’s easy to slip back into unhealthy patterns when you’re dealing with burnout. A coach helps keep you on track by holding you accountable and offering consistent support.
Improved work-life balance: Many burnout coaches specialize in helping people find more balance between work responsibilities and personal time. They can guide you in setting boundaries, managing time better, and prioritizing self-care.
Better mental clarity: Burnout can cloud your thinking and make it hard to focus. A coach helps clear mental clutter by giving you tools to manage overwhelming feelings, enabling you to think more clearly and make decisions more confidently.
Prevention strategies: Once you’ve recovered from burnout, your coach can help you develop strategies to avoid it happening again in the future, like teaching coping skills or adjusting your workload.
How does a burnout coach help you?
A burnout coach offers hands-on, practical support to help you recover from burnout and prevent it from happening again. They take a personalized approach to guide you through the tough process of recognizing what’s going wrong in your life and then help you fix it in a way that feels manageable.
Assessing your burnout level: Your burnout coach will help you understand how burnout affects your life and work. They’ll look at your symptoms—like exhaustion, feeling detached from work, or a sense of ineffectiveness—to determine the severity of your burnout.
Identifying the root causes of your burnout: Burnout stems from various factors beyond overworking yourself, like unmanageable workloads, lack of support, unclear boundaries, or internal pressures. A burnout coach helps identify these stressors and triggers and guides you toward solutions for lasting change.
Creating a personalized action plan: Based on your particular needs, the coach will help you set achievable goals to reduce stress and restore balance. This can include everything from learning time management techniques to practicing mindfulness.
Providing stress management tools: Burnout coaches often use techniques like mindfulness, breathing exercises, or time-blocking strategies to help you handle daily stressors.
Ongoing support and accountability: You won’t be left to manage things on your own. A burnout coach provides regular check-ins to help you stay motivated and continue making progress.
Guiding you in setting boundaries: Burnout often occurs due to lack of clear boundaries between work and personal life, which ultimately leads to overcommitting yourself. A burnout coach helps you establish these boundaries and teaches how to decline additional responsibilities, helping you prioritize your own needs and protect your time and energy without guilt.
Helping you redefine success: High achievers often link success with working harder, which leads to burnout. A burnout coach helps redefine success to include personal wellbeing, balance in your day, and overall life satisfaction, shifting focus from external achievements to fulfillment and a healthier approach to work and life.
Building long-term resilience: A burnout coach helps you not only recover from burnout but also develop resilience against future stress. Through self-care, time management, and setting boundaries, you'll learn to handle challenges without compromising your health. This helps to establish long-term habits to prevent burnout.
8 signs you may need a burnout coach
Burnout can sneak up on you, and it’s often hard to know when your stress has crossed the line from being temporary to something more serious. If you’re constantly feeling drained, unmotivated, or stuck, it might be time to consider getting help from a burnout coach. Here are eight clear signs you might benefit from working with a burnout coach.
1. You’re feeling constantly exhausted
You may be experiencing burnout if you’re feeling drained all the time, even after a full night’s sleep. You could be experiencing sluggishness or a general feeling of being unwell. And despite how much rest you get, the tiredness just won’t subside. Physical exhaustion (and emotional exhaustion) is a key sign of burnout.
💙 Create a wind down routine to ease into relaxation by listening to our Sleep Story, Slowing Down With Tabitha Brown.
2. You have difficulty focusing
If your mind feels foggy and simple tasks seem overwhelming, you could be experiencing the first signs of burnout. This lack of clarity can make it hard to perform well at work or in your personal life, and you may think you need to work harder to overcome your mental fog. But what you really need is to rest and focus on yourself and your needs (here are 18 ways to do it).
3. There’s a loss of interest in work
There may have been a time when you used to enjoy your job, but now you dread going to work every day, often feeling as though you’re dragging yourself into the office. If you feel disconnected from your work or notice a drop in your performance, burnout could be to blame.
4. You’re experiencing irritability or mood swings
Stress and burnout can cause heightened emotions, making you more irritable or reactive to situations that wouldn’t normally bother you. If you’re feeling short-tempered or on edge more often than usual, burnout could likely be the culprit. Here are 11 ways to manage mood swings that can be helpful as you overcome burnout.
💙 Try to Breathe Into Relaxation with guidance from Jay Shetty to help to release the pressure inside when you’re feeling overcome with emotion.
5. Navigating frequent health issues
Burnout can weaken your immune system, leading to frequent colds, headaches (this meditation may help), or other stress-related health issues. Ultimately, feeling physically unwell may make your feelings of burnout even worse. If you’ve been getting sick more often, especially when you usually don’t, the cause could be burnout.
6. You may be feeling stuck or trapped
If you feel like you’re spinning your wheels, with no clear path forward or feeling trapped in your thoughts or situation, it’s likely you’re experiencing burnout. A burnout coach can help you break free from this cycle by guiding you toward practical solutions and helping you to stay grounded in your reality. Oftentimes, when we feel stuck, we actually aren’t — we’re just unable to see where to go next.
7. There’s a clear work-life imbalance
You constantly think about work, even during your off-hours, and you struggle to set boundaries between your job and personal time. Sound familiar? If this is you, well, we’ve got news — you’re experiencing burnout! A burnout coach can help remind you of the importance of leaving work at work. You can also learn proper techniques to unwind after your work day (here are 13 of our favorite ways) to create space for nurturing your personal life and indulging in self-care.
💙 Use mindfulness to leave the worries of the workplace behind in this Letting Go of the Day meditation led by Chibs Okereke.
8. You’re experiencing increased cynicism and negativity
When our moods become sour and we can find something negative in literally anything, that’s often a clear sign that something is wrong. So, if you’ve started to feel negative about your work or colleagues, and you no longer find any satisfaction in your accomplishments, it could be time to accept that you’re burnt out. Try these nine tips for feeling better when you’re in a slump, but we’d also like to encourage you to seek professional help, either through a burnout coach or a therapist if your problems run deeper than burnout.
Burnout coach FAQs
What makes a burnout coach different from a therapist?
While both burnout coaches and therapists can help with mental wellbeing, their approaches are quite different. A therapist usually works on deeper emotional and psychological issues, focusing on past trauma or mental health disorders. Burnout coaches typically focus on practical strategies to handle stress and improve your current work-life situation. They help you set goals, manage time, and develop coping mechanisms for work-related stress.
Can a life coach help with burnout?
A life coach can help with burnout, but burnout coaches often specialize in this specific type of stress. A life coach might focus more broadly on personal development and goal setting, while a burnout coach zeroes in on helping you recover from—and prevent—work-related stress and exhaustion.
Can burnout coaching help with work-related stress specifically?
Burnout coaching is often tailored to help people deal with stress from their job. Coaches provide tools for managing workload, setting boundaries, and balancing personal and professional life.
How do I find the right burnout coach for my needs?
To find the right burnout coach, start by researching coaches with experience in managing work-related stress. Look at reviews, ask for recommendations, or even request an introductory consultation to see if their approach aligns with your goals.
Is burnout coaching covered by insurance or wellness programs?
In most cases, burnout coaching isn’t covered by traditional health insurance. However, some employers may include coaching in their wellness programs, so it’s worth checking with your human resources department. Some coaches may also offer sliding scale fees or package deals to make their services more accessible.
Calm your mind. Change your life.
Mental health is hard. Getting support doesn't have to be. The Calm app puts the tools to feel better in your back pocket, with personalized content to manage stress and anxiety, get better sleep, and feel more present in your life.
Images: Getty
