NEW YORK, Sept 7 — Tough times have put mental health, and burnout in particular, high on the agenda of human resources managers and business leaders. But they’re not alone.
A number of personal coaches are now claiming to be experts in the field, offering their services as so-called “burnout coaches.”
From anxiety to constant fatigue, difficulty concentrating and stomach pains, the list of signs and symptoms of burnout is long.
This psychological disorder is characterised by physical, mental and emotional exhaustion.
It results from prolonged involvement in psychologically demanding professional situations.
The global consulting firm BCG estimates that most employees worldwide will experience one or more symptoms of burnout during their career.
Such is the prevalence of this syndrome in the working world that some coaches are now specialising in this niche, marketing themselves as “burnout coaches” or “post-burnout recovery specialists.”
They are particularly numerous in the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia and Europe.
These specialists offer to accompany workers experiencing this deep malaise on the road to recovery.
For the most part, they sell telephone coaching, online training or e-books in which they deliver practical advice on how to rebuild yourself after experiencing burnout.
But contrary to what their job titles might suggest, burnout coaches are rarely licensed therapists or psychologists.
Some have obtained certification from the International Coaching Federation, but most have simply spent a great deal of time studying the mechanics of burnout.
“I spent probably hundreds of hours researching burnout,” said Rhia Batchelder, a burnout coach based in Denver (USA), speaking to the New York Times.
The young woman, who was a lawyer before launching her coaching business in 2021, says she began researching the syndrome to “help [herself].”
Advice that can be too general
The success of burnout coaches lies in the fact that many have already experienced burnout themselves.
This intimate knowledge of the subject gives their clients confidence.
“She could understand what I was going through,” explains Tara Howell, one of Rhia Batchelder’s clients, speaking to the New York Times.
Indeed, it’s not always easy to talk to a health professional about burnout.
People experiencing burnout tend to blame themselves for their situation, which can prevent them from moving forward and seeking medical help.
But are coaches who have overcome burnout in a better position than other healthcare professionals to help suffering workers? Not necessarily, it seems.
In a video posted on TikTok, Gabriela Flax, a burnout coach practicing in London, advises overworked people to “make their lives boring.”
She recommends, for example, that they dress the same way every day to minimize decision fatigue.
“When we are experiencing burnout, the part of our brains that make decisions is offline. Even something as simple as deciding what to wear today [...] is really difficult for our brain to process,” she explains in her post.
The likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs and Barack Obama have used this strategy to reduce the number of decisions they had to make per day, thus preserving their intellectual faculties for dealing with more important issues.
But while routine is good, boredom can be very negative if it’s apathetic.
That’s why therapists often advise depressed or burned-out people to be active (with exercise, hobbies, etc.) to improve their mood.
Sabine Sonnetag, an American psychologist specializing in burnout, maintains that the best way to recharge your batteries is to get out of the house and engage in stimulating activities, as she explains in Inc magazine.
The advice given by burnout coaches like Gabriela Flax is not inherently harmful, but it is often too generalised.
These coaches also tend to focus on the individual, rather than on the wider working conditions—lack of resources, staffing or time—that led to burnout in the first place.
This limited approach can prove counter-productive in the long term.
So while coaches can be helpful, it’s still important to turn to certified healthcare professionals if you’re experiencing burnout. — ETX Studio
