WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A PSYCHOLOGIST BURNS OUT?

Reader Views (Good Reads 4.83/5 - 12 ratings - 7 reviews)

May 21, 2024

When you’re in healthcare, or in a helping position – be it personally or professionally, it’s automatically assumed that you’re invincible and omniscient. This is especially true if you’re a psychologist – the expectation is that people turn to you for advice, and you’re supposed to know the way forward. In the book, “Nothing Left to Give: A Psychologist’s Path Back from Burnout,” Shannon Swales shares personal accounts of her burnout experience as a psychologist – what happened, who she turned to, what she was feeling, how she coped, and what she learned about herself in the process.

Through her journal entries, she shares with us the highs and the lows, the progressions and the regressions, the wins and the losses, as well as the steps she took to recover. These entries are interspersed with the wellness practices that have worked for her throughout her healing journey. These are all practical activities that are separated into manageable chunks, and which we are encouraged to do to ensure our own mental wellness.

The book focuses primarily on Shannon’s own experience with burnout, so not everything she shares may be relevant to you, but it doesn’t need to be. You don’t need to be a psychologist to relate to this book, nor do you need to be taking care of someone else. You don’t even need to suffer from burnout to find it helpful.

Burnout is something that can creep up and happen to anyone, especially in a society like ours which attaches our worth to accomplishments, job titles, and privilege. If you’re taking on someone else’s struggles, issues, or burdens you may be more vulnerable to it. If your instincts have guided you to pick this book up, follow it. There may be a subconscious reason you did. If you’re feeling disconnected from yourself, your life, and the people you care about, this book will provide you with a meaningful place to start caring for and loving yourself again. It’s authentic and raw and will resonate with the parts of you that you’ve neglected. You need to be ready for that.

“Nothing Left to Give” is written by someone who’s lived through the experience of mental illness and gone through the other side. It’s deep, insightful, and thought-provoking. Through the author’s story, you’ll learn that prioritizing your own mental health makes you a better caregiver, a better friend, and even a better version of yourself. You will learn to take a step back and understand that burnout, depression, and other forms of trauma may be opportunities for growth, change, and rebirth. You will gain a better understanding of how to look at, appreciate, and love all aspects of your life. This includes even the emotions we’re taught to automatically reject, like feeling lost, uncertain, anxious, sad, or fearful. I see this book as the author’s way of extending her hand out to you and letting you know you’re not alone. That help is there when you go out and look for it.

This book won’t solve all your problems, but it’s a practical and helpful first step. What you’ll discover about yourself can be a lot to take in but remember that nothing worthwhile is easy. This is not a book you skim and breeze through. Reading about Shannon Swale’s experiences in “Nothing Left to Give” will hopefully help you acknowledge and examine your own, which is the first step toward healing and recovery.

You will need to be present, aware, and open to where the wellness practices take you. Being still and reflecting on yourself and your life may be counterintuitive, but it can be the most productive – and most loving – thing you’ve ever done for yourself.

Trigger warning:
This book deals with sensitive issues that may be distressing or confronting to some readers. If you find yourself struggling to cope for long periods of time, or if your low moods persist and you’re finding it hard to manage,
please consult with a professional.