Welcome to Read Before Burning, a monthly newsletter by psychologist Dr Ben J. Searle. Come here for simple but informative coverage of burnout-related concepts, research findings, and actionable advice – all firmly grounded in science.
Who am I? After earning a PhD in psychology, I spent 20 years in academia studying stress, burnout, and related issues – until I burned out. I now write, consult, and talk about burnout (and sometimes other things).
Beat the Burnout Barriers
For any illness or injury, people can face barriers to recovery – things that make it harder to get better. Examples include such things as:
- Pressure to keep working instead of recuperating
- Insufficient time or money to get effective treatments
- Lack of access to health professionals with relevant expertise
There are plenty of barriers to recovering from burnout.
But having conducted a formal trial of stress management training, my own case of burnout provided me with insight into some serious barriers to recovery that are unique to burnout.
To explain these, I first need to explain a little of the psychology of behaviour change.
What Makes Personal Change Stick?
It would be a very different world if change was easy. Just imagine being able to quickly and easily eliminate our unhealthy behaviours, harmful beliefs, or debilitating anxieties as soon as we become aware of them! In our reality, change tends to be slow, difficult, and often uncomfortable.
Fortunately, research into psychological interventions and behaviour change programs have revealed a number of factors that increase the likelihood of an intervention bringing about meaningful change. Some of these include:
- Determination: Change takes effort. Just getting started requires energy and motivation. Persisting through weeks or months of trials and setbacks requires determination.
- Trust: Change requires more than just a positive attitude – credibility matters! You’re more likely to persist with a procedure or a process if you trust that your efforts are likely to result in the desired outcome.
- Confidence: Change involves following through with consistent action. We’re more likely to persist in the face of difficulties and setbacks if we believe we can follow the necessary steps to achieve our goal. This means we need confidence in ourselves.
There are other factors that also affect the success of change, but let’s consider why these three are so important.
Symptoms as Barriers
Do you see the problem yet? If not, think about the three primary symptoms of burnout (see Read Before Burning Issue #1).
- Exhaustion: The more tired we get, the less motivated and determined we feel;
- Detachment: The more cynical we get, the less likely we are to trust any person, procedure, or process is going to help us; and
- Inefficacy: The lower our self-efficacy gets, the more we tend to doubt our own capabilities and give up when we hit obstacles.
In other words, burnout symptoms undermine the very qualities we need for working towards recovery. And the more severe our symptoms get, the more difficult recovery may become!
Overcoming Burnout Barriers
This sounds like a big problem (and it can be!), but there are ways to overcome such barriers – especially with help! The approaches vary depending on where you connect with burnout. Here are some examples:
People experiencing burnout
If you’re going through burnout yourself, be aware that you’ll encounter some barriers on your path towards recovery. This means it’s perfectly normal to have struggles along the way, so be kind to yourself! Try to be open to attempting things that have some chance of helping. This is also a good reminder that you don’t have to handle burnout on your own – seek support from people you trust, and please consider getting help from a mental health professional.
Workplace supporters (e.g., co-workers, supervisors, or organisational support workers)
If a co-worker tells you they are burning out, it’s important to listen! If you aren’t available immediately, find a time (as soon as possible) when you both feel willing and able to discuss their difficulties. Consider offering to help them document some of the core issues contributing to their burnout, as this should help you both to explore options and make plans for what to do next (e.g., formal reports, applications for leave, or requests for accommodations). Another thing that can make a big difference is encouraging them to consult a mental health professional.
Mental health professionals
With clients experiencing burnout, encourage positive but realistic expectations of their recovery trajectory. Be aware of the barriers their symptoms can pose for treatment, paying particular attention to motivation, trust, and self-confidence. To address some of the barriers, consider starting small with activities the client will likely achieve easily. When you feel ready to scale upwards, provide reassurance and consider explaining more of the rationale. Explore additional ways you can support the client’s recovery (e.g., help you can provide with negotiations for stress leave or written recommendations to support work accommodations).
References
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211.
Armitage, C. J., & Conner, M. (2001). Efficacy of the theory of planned behaviour: A meta‐analytic review. British Journal of Social Psychology, 40(4), 471-499.
Beedie C. J., Terry P. C., & Lane A. M. (2000). The profile of mood states and athletic performance: Two meta-analyses. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 12, 49–68.
Constantino, M. J., Vîslă, A., Coyne, A. E., & Boswell, J. F. (2018). A meta-analysis of the association between patients’ early treatment outcome expectation and their posttreatment outcomes. Psychotherapy, 55(4), 473-485.
Glasman, L. R., & Albarracín, D. (2006). Forming attitudes that predict future behavior: A meta-analysis of the attitude-behavior relation. Psychological Bulletin, 132(5), 778-822.
Knittle, K., Nurmi, J., Crutzen, R., Hankonen, N., Beattie, M., & Dombrowski, S. U. (2018). How can interventions increase motivation for physical activity? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Psychology Review, 12(3), 211-230.
McEwan, D., Harden, S. M., Zumbo, B. D., Sylvester, B. D., Kaulius, M., Ruissen, G. R., Dowd, A. J., & Beauchamp, M. R. (2016). The effectiveness of multi-component goal-setting interventions for changing physical activity behaviour: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Psychology Review, 10(1), 67-88.
Sheeran, P., Maki, A., Montanaro, E., Avishai-Yitshak, A., Bryan, A., Klein, W. M., Miles, E., & Rothman, A. J. (2016). The impact of changing attitudes, norms, and self-efficacy on health-related intentions and behavior: A meta-analysis. Health Psychology, 35(11), 1178-1188.
News
My podcast is live! At the time of writing there are already 8 new episodes this season, featuring interviews with Professor Sharon Parker, Mr Jason van Schie, Ms Teegan Modderman, and Professor Helena Nguyen.
The interviews are supported by short explainer episodes (minisodes) that I’m currently releasing as videos as well as in audio-only format.
Monthly Updates
Burnout symptom status: Continuing moderate, boosting recovery practices further.
Secret burnout book query status: No full requests yet.
Podcast status: (Re-)Launched!
Hours spent this month working on younger child’s Comic-Con cosplay: Nineteen.
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Till Next Time…
Stay well until my next newsletter drops!
(c) 2025 Ben J. Searle