When the Health Professional Needs to Pause: Stress, Burnout and Learning to Reset

There is something quite humbling about spending your working life talking to other people about health, wellbeing, self-care and mental health, only to find yourself needing to revisit those very things in your own life.

I have worked in health, nutrition, physical activity, behavioural change and wellbeing for many years. I work with individuals, groups and workplaces, helping people understand their health, make changes, manage long-term conditions and find practical ways to look after themselves.

I have seen the impact that stress and emotional pressure can have on colleagues, clients and the people around me. I understand the importance of self-care, healthy boundaries, recovery and recognising when something needs to change.

But none of that makes me immune.

And perhaps that is something we don't talk about enough. Because knowing what we should do and actually being able to do it when life gets busy, overwhelming or emotionally draining are two very different things.

When Burnout Changes Your Perspective

A few years ago, I experienced burnout.

At the time, I don't think I fully appreciated just how long the physical and emotional recovery could take. I knew I needed to make changes, and I made some significant lifestyle adjustments. I stopped, reflected and reassessed where I was in life, what mattered to me and how I wanted to move forward.

I became more conscious of my boundaries, my energy, my health and the importance of making space for myself rather than constantly trying to fit everything in.

I thought I had learnt a great deal from that experience and I had.

But recovery isn't necessarily a straight line. Neither is personal growth. Sometimes, without really noticing, we gradually slip back into familiar habits.

Saying yes when we probably should say no.

Taking on just one more thing.

Trying to keep everyone else happy.

Juggling work, family, responsibilities and expectations.

Burning the candle at both ends because, somehow, there is always something else that needs doing.

Before we realise it, the balance we worked so hard to find starts to shift again.

When The Signs Begin To Return

Over recent weeks despite being away in the summer with the kids, I have noticed that familiar feeling creeping back in.

Things have gradually been building. My patience has felt shorter, my tolerance lower and my emotional threshold much closer to the surface.

The things I would usually manage quite comfortably have started to feel harder.

The busy brain gets busier. Small things feel bigger. There is less room to absorb the unexpected, and the energy needed to keep everything moving seems to become harder to find.

Perhaps the most difficult part is recognising what is happening while still trying to carry on as normal.

Because life doesn't stop simply because you are feeling overwhelmed. There are still appointments, work commitments, family responsibilities, messages to answer and things that need doing.

Plus when you work in health and wellbeing, there can be an added layer of expectation, whether that comes from others or, more often, from yourself.

You know the importance of looking after yourself.

You talk to other people about managing stress.

You encourage them to recognise their limits.

Surely you should be able to practise what you preach?

But, that is an unfair expectation to place on ourselves.

Being knowledgeable about health doesn't mean we are immune to the effects of stress.

Supporting other people doesn't mean we will never need support ourselves.

We are human first.

When One Moment Becomes The Tipping Point

Today, something brought all of this into sharp focus.

I was working in a telephone based smoking cessation behavioural change clinic appointment with a patient. The way the individual spoke and some of what was said affected me.

But, if I am honest, it wasn't simply that one conversation.

It was the final straw after a period of gradually increasing stress and emotional pressure.

Sometimes, a single moment feels disproportionately difficult because it isn't really just about that moment. It is the accumulation of everything that has come before it.

The responsibilities we have been carrying.

The things we haven't said no to.

The rest we have postponed.

The emotions we have pushed aside because there hasn't seemed to be time to deal with them.

The little signs we have noticed but convinced ourselves we can manage for a bit longer.

Today, I reached a point where I questioned myself. My anxiety rose, I felt upset, and I had to acknowledge something I perhaps already knew deep down.

It is time to pause.

Not because I have failed.

Not because I am incapable of doing my job.

And not because everything I have learnt about health, behaviour change and self-care has somehow disappeared.

But because I am human, and I need to take responsibility for my own wellbeing just as I encourage others to do.

What Felt Different This Time?

Although today was difficult, there was something important about how I responded.

When I look back at my experience of burnout a few years ago, I recognise that I have developed a greater awareness of my own warning signs.

I may not have acted on them as early as I would have liked this time, but I recognised what was happening and took steps to look after myself.

First, I acknowledged how I was feeling.

Rather than dismissing it, blaming myself or simply trying to carry on, I recognised that my mental and emotional health needed attention.

Second, I asked for support.

Luckily, Craig was at home. I was in my office, and I sent him a simple message:

“I need a hug.”

Within a minute, he was there. No lengthy explanation. No need to find the right words. Just a simple request for comfort, met with kindness.

Sometimes, that is exactly what we need.

Third, I reached out to two close friends.

Phone calls and voice notes gave me the opportunity to talk, vent, process what had happened and feel heard. I didn't need someone to fix everything. I needed space to express how I felt without having to pretend I was fine.

Finally, I contacted an internal colleague.

I was honest about the appointment, how I had felt during the interaction and my concerns about its impact on me. I asked for feedback and a review of the call, giving myself the opportunity to reflect on the situation professionally as well as personally.

I also made a conscious decision to take the weekend to reflect on how I wanted to proceed and what needed to change.

Looking at these steps, I realised that although I had reached an uncomfortable point, I had responded differently from how I might have done before my previous burnout.

I had recognised the warning signs.

I had asked for help.

I had allowed myself to be vulnerable.

And I had started to consider what I needed to do next rather than simply pushing through.

That matters.

Growth doesn't always mean preventing ourselves from reaching difficult moments. Sometimes, it means learning how to respond to them differently.

The Reality Of Working In Health And Behavioural Change

Working in healthcare, behavioural change and wellbeing can be incredibly rewarding.

You have the opportunity to support people through difficult periods, help them make positive changes and be part of their journey towards better health.

But it can also be emotionally demanding.

You listen to people's experiences, challenges and frustrations. You work with individuals who may be struggling, feeling vulnerable or finding change difficult. You may encounter resistance, anger, distress or situations that stay with you long after an appointment has ended.

Even when you understand that a person's response may reflect their own circumstances, it doesn't mean you are unaffected by how they speak to you or behave towards you.

Professional training helps us develop skills, boundaries and ways of responding. It doesn't remove our emotions.

This isn't limited to healthcare professionals.

Teachers, support workers, social care staff, managers, emergency service workers, coaches, customer-facing employees and anyone working closely with people can experience the emotional demands of their role.

Sometimes, the work we do requires us to hold space for other people's emotions while managing our own. If we don't have enough opportunity to recover, reflect and process those experiences, the cumulative impact can become difficult to manage.

Caring for others should never mean that we stop caring for ourselves.

We Are All A Work In Progress

I have always believed that we are all a work in progress.

We move through different stages of life, learn more about ourselves and discover what we can manage, what drains us, what brings us joy and where our boundaries need to be.

Our capacity isn't fixed.

What feels manageable during one period of life may feel completely different during another.

Our health, responsibilities, relationships, work, sleep and emotional circumstances all influence how we cope.

Plus sometimes, the strategies that worked brilliantly a few years ago need revisiting.

That doesn't mean we have gone backwards.

It means we are still learning.

For me, this latest experience has been a reminder that the lifestyle changes I made after burnout were important, but they also need protecting.

It is easy to prioritise self-care when life is relatively calm. It is much harder when the diary is full, the workload is increasing and everyone seems to need something from you. That is often when the boundaries matter most.

Perhaps the lesson isn't to create a perfect routine that guarantees we will never struggle again.

Perhaps it is to recognise when we are drifting away from the things that help us feel well and give ourselves permission to return to them.

To say no when we need to.

To rest before we reach exhaustion.

To ask for help without feeling that we should be able to manage everything ourselves.

To recognise that we don't have to earn rest by reaching breaking point first.

My Reset: Rest, Reflect, Reassess And Reset

Over the coming days, I want to give myself the space to do exactly that.

Rest.

Allow myself to slow down physically and mentally, without filling every quiet moment with another task.

Reflect.

Consider what has been building, what has affected my emotional capacity and which warning signs I may have overlooked.

Reassess.

Look honestly at my commitments, boundaries, workload and expectations of myself.

Where have I been saying yes when I needed to say no?

What can change?

Reset.

Make practical adjustments that support my wellbeing, rather than expecting myself to return immediately to doing everything.

This isn't about making dramatic promises or changing every aspect of my life overnight.

It is about taking small, meaningful steps before things build further.

It is also about remembering that asking for support is a strength, not a weakness.

Sometimes that support comes from a partner who responds to a simple request for a hug. Sometimes it comes from friends who listen. Sometimes it comes from a trusted colleague who helps us reflect on a difficult professional experience. And sometimes, it means seeking additional professional support for our own health.

We don't have to navigate everything alone.

Why I am Sharing This

Part of the reason I am writing this is that putting my thoughts into words is cathartic for me. Writing has always been one way I process experiences, make sense of what I am feeling and work out what needs to happen next.

But I am also sharing it because I suspect many people will recognise some part of themselves in this story.

You might work in health or wellbeing.

You might support other people through difficult circumstances.

You might be a manager, parent, partner, colleague or the person everyone turns to when something needs sorting.

You might be the one who appears capable, organised and in control the person who keeps everything moving.

Or perhaps, behind the scenes, you are tired.

Perhaps your patience is wearing thin.

Perhaps the smallest thing feels like one thing too many.

Perhaps you have noticed yourself becoming more anxious, emotional or overwhelmed, but you keep telling yourself that you just need to get through this week.

If that sounds familiar, I hope you can take something from my experience.

You don't need to wait until you experience burnout to take your wellbeing seriously.

You don't need to have all the answers because you work in a health-related profession.

You definitely don't need to feel embarrassed about struggling, even if you spend your working day helping other people manage their health.

We can know what is good for us and still find it difficult to put it into practice. We can support others and still need support ourselves. We can make progress and still have moments when we need to stop and begin again.

None of that makes us a failure.

It makes us human.

A Little Reminder For You, Too

If you have been feeling stretched, overwhelmed or emotionally drained recently, perhaps take a moment to ask yourself:

• What have I been carrying that I haven't acknowledged?

  
  

• Have I been saying yes when I really need to say no?

  
  

• What are my own early warning signs that I am becoming overwhelmed?

  
  

• Who can I reach out to when things feel difficult?

  
  

• What is one thing I can take off my plate, change or make space for this week?

  
  

You don't need to answer every question today.

You don't need to overhaul your life.

And you certainly don't need to turn self-care into another item on an already impossible to-do list.

Just start by noticing.

Because sometimes, the most important thing we can do for ourselves is recognise that something needs to change and give ourselves permission to make that change.

For now, I am reminding myself of something I have said to others many times.

Rest is not a reward for getting everything done. Saying no is not a failure. Looking after yourself is not selfish.

Sometimes, we need to pause, take a breath and find our way back to ourselves.

If you find yourself needing to do that, too, I hope you give yourself the same understanding and kindness that you would offer someone else.