Therapy For Burnout

With Tracy Douglas: Your GenX Therapist in Janesville, WI, and Online Across Wisconsin and Texas

You're not broken.
You're just burned out.

Is burnout plaguing you?

Wondering what does burnout look like?

In Irish mythology, there’s a creature called a ‘fear gorta.’

The fear gorta is a phantom of hunger that looks like an emaciated human. It walked the earth in times of famine seeking alms from passersby. It’s an incredibly apt symbol for burnout. A desperate creature that asks for more and more and then even more from those of us who just don’t have anything to give.

You know what it’s like to be hunted by it.

You yourself already feel like a mere husk of a person feverishly running from task to task even though you’re past the point of running on fumes. You feel like you’re about to break but you don’t have that luxury so you drag your exhausted self to whatever is next on your never ending to do list.

What are the signs of burnout?

You’re catatonic for long periods of time throughout the days and nights, trapped under a heavy blanket of feeling helpless and hopeless.

You just cannot, for the love of all that is holy, get any kind of truly deep restorative rest, so you spend a night tossing and turning, getting up defeated before your feet even hit the floor the next morning. The fear gorta wields a whip of guilt lashing you with thoughts like these:
FUCK THAT!!!

Listen, I know burnout.

And I know how to dispel it and keep it at bay because it can tend to lurk around the corners of our life, ready to pounce when we’re not expecting it.

Not only will we immediately work on relief with practical skills and guided relaxation, but we’ll also tend to the underlying issues causing burnout. We’ll soothe away fears and sadnesses to restore you back to experiencing inner states of peace, vitality, and joy. Reach out today to learn more.

Burnout got you beat? It's time to take back your life.

Schedule your consultation today.

How to heal from burnout.

Hi. I'm Tracy Douglas - Your GenX Therapist

Burnout isn’t just feeling a tired after a long week; it’s a soul-sucker that leaves you utterly drained and questioning absolutely every fucking thing. Trust me, I get it. I’ve been there myself and I’ve guided many others up and out of the burnout abyss and back into the light.

In my diverse careers – from acting and writing to high-profile entrepreneurship and therapy – I’ve encountered burnout in many forms. 

Clients often tell me they appreciate my no-bullshit, straight-talking and yet deeply caring approach that’s informed from all of my work experiences. 

And as a wife who’s been married for 34 years and a mom of four young adults, I’m super acquainted with the burnout that can result from difficulties in relationships, too, and how to create foundations of rest and boundaries of protectiveness.

Burnout is a tough beast that seems to circle back and bite us in our asses from time to time when we’re not paying proper attention, but with the right care and guidance, you can recover, regain your energy, tap back into your passion, and start living a life that doesn’t just look good on paper but feels damn good in reality.

Success Stories

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I started working with Tracy because I was having issues with just about everything in my life. At the time, I was chronically low on sleep, over-caffeinated, my emotions were erratic, I worked 50 plus hours a week regularly, and I was struggling in my marriage. Life was a truly struggle. There was some solo therapy involved through the years, but nothing seemed to help.

I decided I needed to change something or my life was going to be in real trouble. I still remember how I felt during my first few sessions with Tracy. I was so stressed from everything that I had trouble maintaining eye contact with her. I was sitting on her couch just shaking and twitching from the constant overload I had created for myself.

Within a few sessions, Tracy had helped me to realize that the path I was taking was truly unsustainable. Over the last 8 years, Tracy has helped me so much. She has helped me to learn about my emotions, get more in tune with my health, and be a better partner for my wife. Tracy has really done so much for me.

Banish burnout.

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A Quiz for Those Who Wonder If They Might Have Burnout

Burnout isn’t just caused by work stress. While work can be a major factor, burnout can also stem from financial strain, family issues, or a combination of these stressors. This emphasizes the multifaceted nature of burnout and the importance of considering all of the factors that could be contributing to it.

How many of these symptoms of burnout do you relate to?

Click any question to learn more.

Ever feel like no matter how many hours you spend in bed, you still wake up feeling drained? This relentless fatigue is a sign your body is screaming for help.

  • Perhaps you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, a physical tension that reflects the emotional burden you’re carrying.
  • Or your exhaustion might be driven by a helpless sense of self-sacrifice as you neglect your own needs in service of others or as you try to reach your goals.

Therapy can be a space to rewrite your underlying beliefs. Recognize burnout’s physical signs and prioritize your needs – boundaries, care, and value. Let’s work together to create a life that nourishes you.

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Burnout saps meaning and joy from your work. Any small vestige of satisfaction is like a small flickering flame struggling against a gust of wind, leaving you feeling dim and uncaring.

You have that sense of giving absolutely no fucks and have even started to speak bitterly, which just isn’t like you. Reignite your flame of joy for your work through therapy. By resolving the root causes of your burnout, you can reclaim a work life that inspires and fulfills you again.

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Snapping at family? Bristling at colleagues? Uncharacteristically irritable with your friends? You feel like your patience is one snapped thread away from unraveling you completely.

This rise in negativity is a symptom of burnout wearing you thin. Don’t let burnout scorch the very relationships you value most. Therapy can reconnect you to the patience and empathy you need to ensure that your relationships flourish again.

Learn to manage stress, set boundaries, and prioritize self–care so you can get back to being the stellar friend, family member, and colleague that you truly are.

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Ever have your face arranged pleasantly like you’re really listening to someone ask you a question, but inside is a maelstrom howling ‘Do not make me have to make a decision right now!!!?’

Or do you stare blankly prompting the person to ask you the question again and adding on a concerned, ‘Are you all right?’ Perhaps you sit at your desk and entire chunks of time go by without you even realizing it.

Zoning out and suffering from decision fatigue are signs of burnout clouding your usually sharp mind. In therapy, we can use practical skills and do deep emotional work to restore you to mental clarity and strength, so you can enjoy making decisions, big and small, with confidence and ease and you can be fully present to a life filled with joy and meaning.

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Ever feel like your body’s rebelling for no reason? Headaches, stomachaches, maybe eye or hand twitches. You go to the doctor, but they say they can’t find anything wrong. Burnout could be the culprit.

Therapy can help unpack the stressors and play and we can work on empowering you with habits for your well-being – exercise, sleep, and food (because let’s be honest, nobody thrives on takeout all the time). It’s time to listen to your body and stop the burnout cycle.

By restoring your inner strength, therapy can help your body calm down while letting your energy soar. Wake up feeling refreshed and say goodbye to those unexplained aches and pains.

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Ugh, ugh, and UGH! That mountain of work used to be the Everest you would look up at with stars in your eyes, but now facing down a single email feels like climbing it with cinderblocks strapped to your ankles. That lack of motivation can creep into your home life, too.

Quality time with your family? What’s that?! It’s all you can do to collapse onto the couch with Netflix as a flickering reminder of happier times. Burnout can steal your passion and leave you feeling like a hamster on a pointless wheel. Please know, you aren’t lazy, good soul, you’re burned out.

You and I can work together to dissolve the blocks that stop you from tapping into your wellspring of well being so you can show up for yourself and those who are most important to you, both at work and at home.

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Ever feel like everyone else has their life together and you’re stuck playing catch-up while slogging through a swamp of mud in flip-flops? Burnout can make that inner critic hit DEFCON 1, leaving you constantly comparing yourself and feeling like a total phony.

Therapy can be your strong sense of fab self recovery bootcamp. We’ll dismantle the sick systems that whisper doubts in your ear and help you reconnect with your strengths and accomplishments. It’s time to ditch the inadequacy gremlins and reclaim your sense of worth. You are sensational, and burnout doesn’t get to change that.

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Remember those epic Friday nights with friends filled with so much laughter and magic that it felt like life just couldn’t ever be any better? Now, though, the thought of socializing is almost pure agony and leaves you feeling like a social battery on empty.

Burnout does that, my friend. It sucks the energy out of everything, including hanging with loved ones. And that desire to just cocoon at home? Totally understandable. But here’s the thing: isolation feeds burnout, and neglecting those connections can damage these relationships you cherish so very much.

Therapy can be your social recharge station. We’ll explore what’s fueling your isolation and find ways to reconnect with the people who matter most. You deserve a life filled with laughter, connection, and support, not just the solitude of your four walls. Let’s get you back to feeling like you want to be part of the fun again, both at work and at home.

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Does the work computer practically follow you home, with emails like an unwelcome guest and that to-do list on repeat in your head? Burnout can blur the lines between work and personal life, making it impossible to unwind. This constant connection zaps your well-being and strains your relationships.

Therapy can help you disconnect from your stressors. You’ll step into a peaceful space where you can finally destress and recharge. By establishing healthy boundaries and creating a clear division between work and your personal life you can come home and truly relax, leaving work worries behind. You deserve that peace of mind.

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Got the Sunday Scaries Accompanied by Showers of Monday Dread? They’re these dark clouds that eclipse everything every time you think about work. Burnout turns your once-enjoyable job into a thunderstorm of negativity, and that storm follows you home. The constant anxiety zaps your energy, leaving you emotionally drained by the time you get to your family.

Therapy can be the umbrella to help you make your way back to sunnier days and happier times. We’ll resolve what brings the thunderclouds so you can come home with the emotional capacity to actually enjoy quality time with your family.

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FAQs About Burnout Therapy

Burnout therapy is a specialized counseling approach aimed at helping individuals recover from the deep exhaustion that comes from chronic stress and overwork. At Your GenX Therapist, we take a holistic approach to burnout recovery, using modalities like Somatic Therapy to help you reconnect with your body and release stored tension, and Emotionally Focused Therapy to explore the emotional roots of your exhaustion.

We also incorporate Compassion-Focused Therapy to guide you toward greater self-kindness, and Hypnotherapy to reprogram patterns of overwork and perfectionism. Burnout therapy isn’t just about resting—it’s about creating lasting change in how you live and work so you can protect your energy, set boundaries, and reclaim your life.

Another aspect of burnout therapy that’s only now gaining more attention is how systemic influence like work environment and community support (or lack thereof) impact our energy bandwidths. Therapy can consist of identifying these systems and empowering clients to decide if they want to work within these systems and how to do so, or to reject them entirely and create something new in their lives.

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Burnout shows up in a lot of different ways, but here are some of the most common signs to watch for: the chronic fatigue of feeling physically and emotionally exhausted, even after rest; struggling to focus or stay motivated, especially in tasks that used to bring you satisfaction, and you might experience a loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities.

You notice irritability or cynicism creeping into your interactions; and a sense of detachment from your work or personal life, like you’re running on autopilot. You might also notice physical symptoms—headaches, insomnia, or muscle tension that never seems to go away. I can tend to look at burnout as physical and emotional signals that you’re depleted and are entering a freeze kind of state to try to protect you.

If you’re feeling stuck in a cycle of overwhelm, burnout might be the culprit, and you may be receiving a message from your innate wisdom and your body to slow down and seek support.

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Therapy for burnout usually involves sessions lasting about 55 minutes, occurring weekly or bi-weekly. Therapy for burnout doesn’t follow a set timeline—it really depends on your individual needs and how deeply rooted the burnout is. Some people begin to experience relief within a few sessions, particularly if they’re open and ready to make changes.

However, if burnout has been building for a long time or is connected to unresolved emotional challenges or if there are significant systemic challenges, it may take more time to work through. Therapy is more of a personal journey. With approaches like Emotionally Focused Therapy, Somatic Therapy, and Compassion-Focused Therapy, you’ll regain your energy and find balance at a pace that feels right for you.

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Absolutely! Therapy can be a powerful tool in preventing burnout from recurring. It provides you with strategies and insights to understand your triggers and manage stress more effectively.

Through modalities like Emotionally Focused Therapy and Compassion-Focused Therapy, you can develop healthier coping mechanisms, establish boundaries, and prioritize self-care. Additionally, Somatic Therapy can help you connect with your body, enabling you to recognize early signs of stress to reduce the risk of future burnout episodes.

Many of us are living in disembodiment which robs us of wisdom and flow of vital energy. By investing in your mental health and emotional well-being through therapy, you’re not just addressing the symptoms of burnout; you’re building resilience to navigate life’s challenges with greater ease and confidence. 

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Many people who experience burnout also struggle with other mental health concerns, including:

ADHD

Anxiety

Depression

Relationships &
Addiction

Transitions

Trauma

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