Therapy For Burnout

You're still performing. But it’s costing more than it used to.

What Brings People Here

Burnout doesn't look the same for everyone. Most people who end up here recognize themselves in one of these patterns.

You carry more than your share. You're responsible for things that would fall apart if you stopped. When someone on your team underperforms, you step in. When there's a gap at home, you fill it. You've tried delegating, but it's easier to just do it yourself. The people around you have learned to expect that from you. You're tired of being the one who holds everything together, but you don't know how to stop.

You can't slow down. Resting feels like falling behind. There's always the next thing that needs your attention, and when there isn't, you find one. Stillness makes you anxious. You've built your life around forward motion. You're not sure what would happen if you took your foot off the gas, and you're not sure you want to find out.

You take care of everyone else. People rely on you. You're the one who checks in, who remembers, who makes sure everyone's okay. That role has been yours for a long time, probably longer than you realize. It feels natural. It also means your needs tend to come last, and sometimes you're not sure what your needs even are anymore.

You're fine. At work, you're sharp. With friends, you're easy. At home, you hold it together. No one would guess anything is wrong because you've gotten very good at making sure they don't. The exhaustion only shows when you're alone. You've been managing this for so long that you're not even sure what you're managing anymore, just that you can't let it slip.

Some people see themselves in one of these. Some see themselves in all four. Either way, there's a pattern, and the pattern is wearing you down.

The Common Thread of Burnout

You've tried to fix this on your own. You've tried setting boundaries, exercising more, sleeping more, drinking less. You've tried meditating, journaling, scheduling downtime, telling yourself to stop checking email after 8pm. Maybe you took a vacation that helped for a few days, and then you came back to the same dread. Maybe you've tried supplements or sleep aids or read a book about stress management.

Some of it works for a while. Then the same weight comes back.

Work bleeds into home. Home doesn't restore you. Nobody's filling your cup. There's no place where you get to just exist without being needed.

You might notice that you're different at work than you are at home. Some people are sharper and more present at the office, then go flat or irritable once they walk through the door. Others hold it together for family but feel their patience evaporating at work. Some people swing between anxious and numb depending on the day.

It's rarely bad enough to call a crisis. It waxes and wanes. Good stretches come, and you think you've turned a corner. Then it creeps back. That's part of why it's easy to keep pushing through.

But something brought you to this page. And you probably already know the quick fixes aren't getting to the root of it.

What I've Noticed

Most people who come in with burnout have been successful for a while. They're usually financially stable, good at what they do, and respected in their field. From the outside, the life looks right.

But they can't stop. And they're not sure why.

I notice that most people don't have a real outlet. Some have a confidant, but most don't. They're carrying this alone. They're not being met at home in the way they need. They're not being understood at work. There's nowhere to put it down.

I notice people often don't ask for what they want. You could advocate more for yourself at work, or at home, but you don't. Sometimes it's conflict avoidance. Sometimes it's a belief that it won't matter. Sometimes you don't even realize you're allowed to want things. And sometimes you wonder if you truly deserve them. Over time, that teaches the people around you to expect less of themselves and more from you.

I notice that underneath the exhaustion, there's usually a quieter question. Something like, how long can I keep doing this? Or, is this really what my life is going to be? Or sometimes just a vague sense that the way you're living isn't sustainable, even if you can't point to exactly why.

Those questions are worth listening to.

Burnout is usually a symptom of something that started long before this job, this relationship, or this season of life.

There's often a pattern running underneath. The way you respond to pressure, what you believe about rest, what it takes for you to feel like you've done enough. These patterns don't come from nowhere. They usually go back further than you'd expect.

Maybe there was a time when being the capable one was how you stayed safe. Maybe achievement was the only thing that got you noticed. Maybe love felt conditional, and producing results was the price of belonging. Maybe things at home were chaotic, and staying busy was a way to stay out of the mess, or a way to feel in control when nothing else was.

You adapted. You built a way of moving through the world that worked. It got you where you are.

But strategies that helped you survive one chapter can start to cost you in another. The thing that kept you safe at fourteen can exhaust you at forty. That's not a flaw in you. It's just how these patterns work.

Therapy helps you see the pattern clearly so you can decide if it's still serving you.

The Pattern Underneath

What Therapy Does

We notice what's here, right now. The restless sleep. The irritability. That low hum of dread. The days that feel heavy, running on empty. The short fuse. The ways you lean on food, drugs, alcohol, or work just to make it through. We start here, gently. We pay attention. And together we begin to turn down the intensity, one small moment at a time.

Burnout lives in the nervous system. Your body has been in a kind of low-level emergency mode for a long time, and it doesn't know how to come down. EMDR helps with that. It calms the system so you're not operating from survival mode all the time. You start to feel a little more space, a little less reactivity, a little more capacity.

Once the day-to-day pressure eases, we can go deeper into the patterns that created the burnout in the first place. That's where the real shift happens. We're not just managing symptoms at that point. We're changing the underlying wiring.

This is where therapy becomes more than stress relief. You start to understand why you run the way you do. Why rest feels threatening. Why you can't stop. Why you take care of everyone except yourself. And as that becomes clearer, the pattern starts to loosen.

Burnout isn't just about working too hard. It's about what's driving the work. When that gets addressed, the exhaustion lifts and it stays lifted.

If You're Struggling Right Now

If you're in a hard chapter right now, whether that's a breaking point at work, a health scare, a relationship issue or just a feeling that something has to give, you don't have to clean it up before you reach out. Bring it as it is. That's what this space is for.

I'm not going to judge you. I'm going to be curious with you. And through understanding, will come relief.

The changes often show up with less effort than people expect, but they're real.

You sleep better. Not just longer, but deeper. You wake up without the weight already sitting on your chest.

You still have hard days, but they don't spiral into doom. The low-grade dread lifts. You start to feel something you might call hope, or maybe just relief.

The people around you notice. Your partner says you seem less on edge. Less irritable. More open. You might find your sense of humor again.

The harsh voice in your head gets quieter. You start giving yourself the kind of grace you'd give a friend.

You realize you've been clenching for years, and you finally start to let go. Not because you've given up, but because you don't need the armor the way you used to.

Burnout told you to keep pushing. Healing teaches you that you don't have to earn the right to rest.

What Shifts

What clients say:

“Zack was a patient and caring guide through a difficult time.

He provided a therapeutic relationship that offered a balance of support and challenge, helping me build a stronger foundation from which to live my life.

Through EMDR I was also able to travel to the root of many beliefs that were stifling my growth — making core changes to how I see myself and my world — opening up more love in all directions.

I’m grateful.”

-AB

I understand first hand how difficult it can be to carry the weight of unresolved emotional pain. My diverse personal and professional experiences have given me a deep appreciation for how unique each individual’s journey is.

Whether it’s healing from childhood trauma, navigating relationship difficulties, or overcoming professional stress, I’m here to help you find the peace and fulfillment you deserve.

Zack Rothwell, PMHNP

Psychiatric Health Nurse Practitioner

Master of Science - UNC Chapel Hill

Accepting New Clients