How to Handle Burnout as a Man: Tips From a Men’s Therapist in Utah
You find yourself exhausted all the time. Not just emotionally but physically exhausted. You’ve found yourself withdrawing from social situations and spending more time by yourself. You are less motivated and productive than usual. You find yourself experiencing headaches and muscle tension. You are struggling to stay engaged in work or school after being excited and motivated at the beginning. You have worked hard and pushed yourself to be a good student and employee but now everything just feels like too much. If you find yourself relating to these feelings, it could be possible you are experiencing burnout.
What's the definition of burnout?
Burnout can happen when you reach a point of becoming emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted. Burnout can be caused by stress, sometimes related to work, school, parenting, or other responsibilities. When you are burned out you may become cynical and disconnected. You feel completely overwhelmed or don’t feel like you can cope anymore. Burnout leads to a lack of, productivity, less motivation, and less life satisfaction. People experiencing burnout can often experience physical symptoms like headaches and fatigue. Burnout is a condition that can affect a person's overall mental health and ability to engage in their life.
Signs of Burnout in Men
Every person will experience different signs of burnout. It can vary from person to person. Some will experience these signs or others. These are just some of the common signs reported:
Feeling exhausted or drained of energy
Loss of interest in work or hobbies
Decreased motivation and productivity
Irritability
mood swings
Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
Insomnia or trouble sleeping
Physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach problems
Withdrawal from social situations or relationships
Feeling a sense of detachment or cynicism towards work or life in general
What are the stages of burnout?
These stages don’t necessarily have to be true of everyone. You also may not follow these stages in order. How quickly or slowly you experience these stages varies from person to person.
The "honeymoon" phase:
In this phase, you may be motivated and excited about your work or other areas of your life. You may be willing to work long hours and do so without feeling tired. However, you may also begin to neglect your personal life and relationships for the sake of work or other responsibilities.
The "onset of stress" phase:
In this phase, you may begin to feel stressed and overwhelmed by your workload or responsibilities. You may start to feel fatigued and have difficulty concentrating. You may also experience physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach problems, or trouble sleeping.
The "chronic burnout" phase:
In this phase, you experience severe and prolonged symptoms of burnout, including emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and detachment. You may feel helpless or hopeless and may begin to withdraw from work or other activities. This phase can have serious consequences on a person's mental and physical health.
How do I know if I’m burned out?
It might be difficult to know you are burned out right away especially if you are used to dismissing your emotions or experiences. Men struggle to understand how they feel because they’ve been taught to ignore how they feel and push forward no matter what. You can start to notice you are apathetic when you feel exhausted and drained no matter how much you have rested. You might start to notice you are more depressed or anxious. You aren’t interested in the things you’ve cared about before. You might not find the same fulfillment or enjoyment in hobbies or extracurricular activities as you used to. You may have insomnia, trouble sleeping, sleeping too much, or even using revenge bedtime procrastination as a way to gain control.
How to work through burnout?
Here are some tips to consider trying that may be helpful to work through burnout:
1. Learn to take breaks
Allow yourself to take breaks and rest between work and other responsibilities. Taking time off or away from a task can give you a better perspective.
2. Do less
Hitting burnout can help you recognize what in your life matters and what you need to make less of a priority. Doing the things you the most value and less of what you don’t can help.
3. Use self-care
To show up at your job, school, and in your relationships in the manner you want to show up, you have to be taking care of yourself. You will have a better work performance when taking care of your needs.
4. See a men’s therapist
Men are no different in needing therapy and support. I get that it’s hard to be vulnerable and pretending you don’t need help and pushing yourself over and over will make things worse. Meeting with a therapist can help you learn to work through it.
Coping skills for burnout
It’s important to know that coping in healthy ways can help you with burnout. It doesn’t mean it will solve all of the problems you are experiencing with being burned out but the goal is to help you have more capacity to deal with your stress and anxiety. Here are some coping skills to try to deal with burnout:
Exercise
Setting boundaries
Journaling
Meditation
Connecting with a partner
Talking to a friend
Practice relaxation
Learn time management techniques
Join support groups
Use creativity as an outlet
Therapy for Men in Utah can help with burnout
Don’t expect yourself to get through this on your own. If you were starting a business and learning a new skill, you would enlist the help of an expert to teach you how to do it successfully. Dealing with stress, anxiety, and burnout is no different. Attending therapy and working with a therapist can help you learn to set boundaries so you aren’t overworked. There are many benefits of working with a men’s therapist but one of them is being able to learn to acknowledge your own emotions and learn to prioritize them. You can find ways to overcome burnout with the support of a therapist in a safe and nonjudgemental environment.
Start working with a men’s therapist in Utah
You don’t have to keep feeling this way. You can find relief from being burned out. This Utah Counseling Practice has a men’s therapist that specializes in therapy for men. To begin counseling follow the steps below:
Meet with a therapist for men
Begin working through burnout
Online Therapy in Utah
When you are dealing with stress, anxiety, or burnout, it can be hard to make time for another thing in your schedule. This can hold people back from seeking out therapy and trying to prioritize their mental health. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah. You can access therapy support in a way that is more convenient than in person and it’s just as effective as in-person therapy.
Online counseling also means I work with men all over the state of Utah. I work with clients in St. George, Cedar City, Logan, Heber City, Provo, Salt Lake City, and more.
Other mental health services provided by Marcus Hunt Therapy
Therapy for men isn’t the only counseling service offered at this Utah Counseling Center. Other mental health services provided by Marcus Hunt Therapy include EMDR therapy, PTSD treatment, marriage counseling, premarital counseling, LDS marriage counseling, depression therapy, anxiety counseling, and more. Book a free 15-minute phone consultation to see how I can help.
About the Author
Marcus Hunt is an associate marriage and family therapist at Marcus Hunt Therapy near Provo, Utah, and online therapy throughout Utah. Marcus has a bachelors in behavioral sciences from Utah Valley University. He also has a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy. Marcus loves working with men and helping them prioritize and understand their mental health. He knows men don’t always reach out for help because they believe they are supposed to be “tough” or “man up” through hard things. Marcus wants men to be able to connect with their emotions and to be better husbands, fathers, and friends.