Burnout isn’t “like” trauma

Burnout IS a sign of trauma

Healthcare challenges the body’s ability to achieve homeostasis with nearly constant mental, emotional, and physical demands. You ignore your own physical, emotional and mental needs to get the job done. After years or decades of work in this field, you may start to experience what we commonly call burnout.

Trauma can hapen when someone experiences “too much” or something “too soon”

Working in healthcare is too much, too soon, all day (or night).

You feel negative about your job or your organization, and it may even extend into your thoughts about humanity in general. You feel annoyed by a patient or their family and then feel guilty that you can’t be patient and calm. You struggle to settle as you go to sleep. You may experience “stress dreams” or pop out of bed remembering a task you forgot to complete. You find yourself getting sick more often, getting infections every time you have a virus. You feel withdrawn on your days off, you have no more energy to “people”. You know why you entered into healthcare, but you don’t feel connected to your purpose or value as a professional.

And it’s not something that can be fixed with a pizza party in the break room or getting a massage.

Burnout is not your fault ,it is a sign of trauma.

After 24 years in nursing, I have been there and I can help.

I diagnose troubling symptoms and provide recommendations for medications and supplements. I can also help you understand how the ongoing stress of working in healthcare can make it hard for you to stay in homeostasis. I can help you find ways to cope through meditation, skill building and somatic practices. I provide opportunities for peer support. With a feeling of greater balance, you can make choices in your career and life outside of work that support your mental, physical and social well-being.