Your Guide to Self-Care: A Burnout Workbook That Actually Helps

If you're constantly giving to others but feel like your own tank is running on empty—you’re not alone. The term "burnout" was first used by American psychologist Herbert Freudenberger back in the 1970s as a term only allowed to be highlighted in helping professions, specifically nurses and doctors. Burnout was seen as something tied solely to the workplace, often framed around exhaustion from caregiving or high-stress environments.

But as we've evolved in our understanding of mental health, we've come to recognize that burnout isn’t confined to a job title or profession. It can show up in any role—parenting, caregiving, schooling, even in relationships or the quiet pressures we place on ourselves. Anywhere we consistently spend emotional, mental, or physical energy without replenishing it... burnout can take root.

That’s where tools like The Burnout and Self-Care Guide – General Edition comes in. Thoughtfully designed by our wonderful clinican Deema Izzat, this workbook offers more than just surface-level advice—it invites you into a deeper, more compassionate conversation with yourself.

Burnout: Not Just A Buzzword

Emily Nagoski, author of Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, wrote that when she and her sister told people they were writing a book on burnout, no one asked what burnout was. Instead, they got responses like:“Is it out yet? Can I read it?” That reaction says everything. So many of us are not only familiar with burnout—we’re living it. And most of us are desperate for something that helps, that actually that actually gets it.

That’s exactly why the Burnout and Self-Care Guide – General Edition was created. This isn’t another to-do list disguised as self-care. It’s a therapist-designed workbook that helps you understand what burnout looks like in your life, and gently walks you through practical, meaningful ways to care for yourself—emotionally, mentally, and physically.

Recognizing the Symptoms of Burnout

Burnout is not just a fleeting feeling of tiredness—it’s a persistent state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion that can leave you feeling drained, detached, and ineffective. Instead you may resonate with symptoms listed below:

• Emotional Exhaustion: Studies show that emotional exhaustion is one of the hallmark signs of burnout (Maslach & Leiter, 2016). You might feel drained, disconnected from your work, or emotionally spent in your personal life.

• Reduced Performance: A study published in The Journal of Applied Psychology found that burnout leads to decreased productivity and a lack of motivation (Halbesleben, 2006).

• Cynicism or Detachment: Maslach and Leiter (2016) identified a sense of depersonalization as a key symptom of burnout. This is when you begin to detach emotionally from your work or relationships, viewing them in a negative light. This detachment can affect both professional and personal relationships, leading to feelings of isolation or disconnection from the things you used to care about.

• Physical Symptoms: Physical symptoms, including headaches, gastrointestinal issues, and sleep disturbances, are strongly linked to burnout (Sonnentag, 2018). Chronic stress and emotional exhaustion can manifest physically, taking a toll on your body over time.

• Overwhelm: When burnout sets in, you may feel like no matter how much you do, it’s never enough. This feeling can contribute to a vicious cycle of anxiety and stress, which only exacerbates burnout symptoms (Maslach & Leiter, 2016).

• Emotional Numbness: According to Psychology Today, emotional detachment is a form of self-preservation where the mind shuts down emotionally to cope with overwhelming stress, leading to apathy or a lack of enthusiasm (Kabat-Zinn, 1990).

Why Self-Care Alone Isn't Enough

We’ve all heard the familiar advice: “Lie down,” or “Take a bubble bath,” when feeling the weight of burnout. While these small acts of self-care can offer temporary relief, they’re rarely enough to combat the deeper, long-term effects of burnout. True self-care goes beyond a fleeting moment of relaxation. It’s about taking the time to understand the root causes of burnout—what triggers it, what patterns keep it alive, and how to regularly check in with yourself.

Introducing the Burnout and Self-Care Guide – General Edition

Thoughtfully designed by our wonderful clinician, Deema Izzat, this guide is a quick yet powerful resource to help you define burnout, detect its signs, and identify practical ways to implement self-care.

The goal of this guide isn’t to overwhelm you—it’s to give you the tools you need to start recognizing burnout in your life, engaging in simple, reflective exercises, and applying the insights you gain to create lasting, meaningful change.

By taking the time to absorb the information, engage with the mini exercises, and use the knowledge you gain, you can begin to transform how you approach self-care, making it more than just a temporary fix,

but a long-term path to healing and balance.

Taking the first step towards understanding and managing burnout is a gift to yourself. You don’t have to keep running on empty. Check out our workbook for more support: https://www.thecouchtherapy.org/product-page/burnout-and-self-care-guide-general