There’s No Off Switch for Burnout - How to Manage Stress in Caring Professions
If I had a big red “OFF” switch for burnout, my diary would be empty (or full of one-off appointments…)
People in health, social care, and education often say versions of the same thing to me:
“I just need something to switch off when I get home.”“Is there a quick fix to stop feeling like this?”
If you’re reading this between patients, lessons, or visits, you probably know the feeling: living in crisis mode, constantly firefighting, telling yourself you’ll rest “when things calm down” (they don’t).
Let’s be honest about why there isn’t a switch - and what you can do instead.
Burnout Builds Up Over Time
Burnout rarely arrives as a single dramatic event. Instead, it’s the result of a slow drip of “just this once” decisions:
“I’ll stay late and finish these notes.”
“I’ll take that extra class/visit/shift—there’s no one else.”
“I’ll deal with my own stuff in the holidays.”
Over time, this becomes your normal. Your nervous system never really settles. The job you trained for—teaching, caring, supporting—starts to feel like permanent crisis management.
If this resonates, you might also find my writing on anxiety and overload helpful: 👉 Read more on the Ardolino Counselling blog
Do Quick Techniques Actually Help?
Think of your capacity and resilience as a bottle.
The water inside is stress.
Everyone’s bottle is different - some are big, some are small - but they all have tiny holes in the bottom that let stress slowly drain away. This is your built-in recovery system: sleep, small moments of rest, laughing with colleagues, a quiet cup of tea.
But in helping professions:
You keep pouring more in - extra responsibility, more “can you just…?”
Stress comes in faster than it can drain out.
You rarely, if ever, get to tip the bottle and let a proper load pour away.
Eventually, the bottle overflows. That’s burnout: tears in the car, snapping at home, waking at 3am replaying the day.
Techniques like deep breathing, grounding exercises, and progressive muscle relaxation are like tilting the bottle. They help some of the stress spill out. They can:
Calm your system between lessons or after a crisis
Help you unwind before you get home
Signal to your body: “You’re safe enough to soften, just for a moment.”
They’re not the whole solution, but they are a vital first step.
If we only ever tilt the bottle and never address why we’re pouring so much in, nothing really changes. That’s where therapy comes in: not just practising techniques, but also setting boundaries and examining beliefs like:
“I can’t say no; people will suffer.”
“Everyone else is coping; it must just be me.”
“Rest is something I earn, not something I deserve.”
We need both:Ways to tip some water out, and ways to slow the pour.
For more on practical calming practices: 👉 Calming practices for anxious, overloaded minds
Think Dimmer Switch, Not Off Switch
The closest thing to a “switch” is really a dimmer - but let’s be honest, when you’re burnt out, the light isn’t just on; it’s blinding. At that intensity, it’s natural to want to shield your eyes, shut down, or escape entirely. You might find yourself going through the motions, just trying to get through the day without being overwhelmed by the glare.
Therapy for burnout isn’t about plunging you into darkness or pretending you can switch everything off. Instead, it’s about learning where the dimmer is - and how to use it. That means:
Turning the intensity down from “permanent crisis” to something manageable
Noticing your warning signs earlier, before you’re dazzled or overwhelmed
Building small, realistic boundaries that let you step out of the glare and see things more clearly
Giving your nervous system regular chances to adjust, recover, and reset
At first, even small changes can feel strange - like moving from a harsh spotlight to softer, more comfortable lighting. But over time, clients say things like:
“I still have bad days, but they don’t flatten me.”
“I can leave work at work more often.”
“I don’t feel like I’m hanging on by my fingernails all the time.”
It’s not about darkness or denial - it’s about clarity, comfort, and control over how much light you’re exposed to. That’s real progress.
You Didn’t Get Here Overnight - You Don’t Have to Untangle It Alone
If you’re a nurse, social worker, doctor, teacher, TA, counsellor, or any helping professional thinking “that’s me” - you are not weak, and you’re not “bad at coping.”
You’re a human being in a system that’s asked too much, for too long.
There’s no magic Off switch.
What I do offer is:
A space where you don’t have to hold it all together
Practical tools that fit your actual workday - not a fantasy schedule
Support to slowly change the patterns that keep you permanently “on”
If you’d like to explore this together, you can read more about how I work with stress, anxiety, and burnout: 👉 therapy with Ardolino Counselling
Or, if you’re ready to talk:
👉 Book an initial counselling session
No switches. Just one small, intentional step out of survival mode.
