Are you a dedicated well-being coach looking for a way to help your clients prevent and overcome burnout? As a burnout coaching pro, you’ll be in a unique position to provide immediate relief and lasting change to all your clients through a thorough knowledge and understanding of burnout. 

By developing the right strategies for tackling burnout before it even occurs, you’ll not only give your clients their best chance at achieving success in their goals but will also help them avoid chronic stress-related health issues down the line. And if a client does happen to burn themselves out, you’ll be there to offer them the support and guidance to help turn things around.

Thankfully, there has never been an easy way to reach out to more clients and help more people defeat burnout than with Wellavi. Our unique well-being platform brings the clients right to you using our advanced AI algorithm, proprietary TrueSelf© and TrueCoach© assessments, and Six Dimensions of Well-being approach (which we’ll dive into later)! And we’re always looking for eager and ambitious coaches to join our community and make a real difference in people’s lives.

Now—to become the best burnout coaching professional that you can be, it’s always essential to go over the fundamentals to keep them fresh in your mind and be able to introduce them to your client in an understandable way. So the best way to start is a clear description of this dreaded “burnout.”

What Really Is Burnout?

Burnout is a condition of physical, psychological, and emotional exhaustion as a result of a variety of professional, financial, and social factors. What we know today as “burnout” was first coined in the 1970s as a term to describe “the consequences of severe stress and high ideals in ‘helping’ professions.” However, this definition has now rightly expanded further to encompass all facets of life, from overworked hourly employees and entrepreneurs to stay-at-home parents and creative-blocked artists. 

The precise definition is still under some debate since so many other conditions—such as depression, anxiety, and general exhaustion —share similar and equally bothersome symptoms.

The Tell-tale Signs of Burnout

As we just mentioned, burnout can look and feel similar to a variety of other common conditions, so it will be up to you and your client to decipher what it is that they’re experiencing. With that said, the clearest signs of burnout include, but aren’t limited to:

• Mood swings or random changes in attitude
• A decreased level of energy or continuous fatigue
• A strong loss of motivation, enthusiasm, and/or joy
• Difficulties concentrating or completing chores or tasks
• Physical pains such as headaches, stomachaches, and cramps
• Neglecting personal needs such as hygiene and general self-care
• The avoidance of people, activities, or situations that may cause stress
• Feeling completely overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to be done

As you can see by its symptoms alone, burnout is a serious issue that can have life-altering consequences if left unchecked. That’s why it’s up to burnout coaching professionals like you to help clients identify and address their state of burnout to put them back on the right path.

What Causes Burnout?

Though the causes of burnout can also overlap with a variety of other well-being issues, there are some common sources that are generally agreed on by burnout coaching experts and medical professionals alike.

To start, working long hours with little to no time for breaks or rest can lead to an extreme build-up of stress and exhaustion, as well as a work/life balance that is in shambles. Then, when this is combined with a lack of control over a workload or a feeling that the work being done isn’t meaningful enough, this can lead to a state of emotional and physical depletion. A lack of positive feedback or recognition from a supervisor or employer can also aid and abet burnout.

Furthermore, burnout can sometimes be the result of a demanding social environment or difficult relationships with colleagues, friends, and family. And, as we all know, any combination of these conditions—especially when compounded over time—will undoubtedly lead to a state of burnout. Some people even self-induce burnout because of perfectionist tendencies and feelings of obligation to perform at 100% all the time—even if it means sacrificing their own mental and physical well-being.

The bottom line is that extended periods of frequent or continuous stress, along with few outlets for self-care, will eventually lead to burnout. That’s why burnout coaching is ultimately about getting to the root of your client’s individual challenges and helping them create a plan to address their concerns. By understanding these causes of burnout, coaches can empower their clients to come up with creative solutions to prevent burnout and live a more balanced and fulfilling life!

Catching Your Client’s Burnout Early

Burnout is a serious problem in the world today, especially among workplace professionals, and it can happen before your client even realizes it. That is why it is essential to catch your client’s burnout early and begin the burnout coaching process as soon as possible.

And the best way to catch your client’s burnout early is to listen carefully and pay attention to any signs of exhaustion or stress. Too often, clients may not realize that they are on the brink of burnout until it is too late. As a coach, it is up to you to recognize the signs and intervene before the situation gets worse. Take note of any changes in behavior or attitude that could be indicative of burnout, such as increased irritability, lack of motivation, or difficulty concentrating. These can all be signs that something isn’t quite right with your client and should be addressed immediately.

Be sure to ask important, precise questions that can help you learn more about the current state of your client’s well-being. Whether you ask about their sleep habits, diet, or stress levels, these questions will help you to build a bigger picture of your client’s life and understand their current situation. From there, you’ll be able to better curate your sessions towards their specific needs and ultimately get to the root of their burnout.

You’ll also find it helpful to work simple anti-burnout routines and lifestyle changes into your coaching sessions. This could include teaching them how to practice mindfulness, establish boundaries and goals, or incorporate more relaxation activities into their routine. By preventing burnout altogether, you’ll be able to keep your client in the best mental state possible and help them to achieve the goals they have set for themselves.

Helping Your Client Understand and Overcome Burnout

Once your client has let you know that they’re feeling burnt out, or if you’ve picked up on the more subtle signs, it’s time to focus on getting them back on their feet again, energized and motivated thanks to your efficient approach to burnout coaching!

Identify the Cause of the Burnout 

The first step to helping your client is to identify the root cause or causes of their burnout. This may be something as simple as too much work or too little sleep, or it could be something deeper and more complex. Getting to the root of their burnout is essential in order for you to provide effective solutions for your client. Once you know what’s causing the burnout, then you can begin working on ways to help them overcome it. Asking direct questions, as we mentioned above, is the best way to start!

Develop Strategies For Stress Management 

Quality stress management is an essential part of overcoming burnout. Showing your clients techniques for stress reduction and management can help them keep their stress levels in check so that they don’t become overwhelmed or exhausted as easily!

Encourage Self-Care 

One of the most effective ways to undo burnout is by encouraging your clients to practice meaningful self-care regularly. Self-care can include anything from taking regular breaks throughout the day and engaging in activities that bring joy, like reading a book or going for a walk outside. Encourage them to carve out time each day for relaxation so that they can come back to work or any other projects with a refreshed and focused mind.

Set and Maintain Realistic Goals

Most importantly, you can help your client overcome burnout by assisting them in setting realistic goals for themselves that will keep their life more in balance. It is essential for clients to have attainable goals so that they can stay motivated and keep track of their progress over time. However, setting unrealistic goals can lead to frustration and resentment if those goals aren’t achieved within a certain period of time.

Burnouts are unfortunately common experiences for many people today—but with the right strategies in place, it doesn’t have to be that way! And when you provide burnout coaching through Wellavi, you’ll have access to a large pool of amazing clients as well as the tools and resources you need to ensure they are on the path to success free from burnout.

Being the Burnout Coaching Expert That You Are

Burnout coaching is an incredibly rewarding experience, but it takes more than just passion and knowledge to be a great one. We’ll say it time and time again: the most important trait of any successful burnout coaching expert is patience. It takes time for someone to recognize that they are burned out, let alone start making the changes needed to move forward. It can be difficult for those going through burnout to open up and be vulnerable, so having compassion and understanding is key. Always taking an empathetic approach with clients will help them feel comfortable and is also an attractive quality for future clients.

Having an in-depth understanding of mental health issues is also essential for helping your clients work through their problems. That doesn’t mean you have to have a Ph.D. in psychology or psychiatry—it just means you should have a firm grasp on the common causes of burnout (as we described above) and a thorough understanding of how mental health issues can affect someone’s ability to cope with burnout.

Lastly, a burnout coaching expert that has strong communication skills is effective in connecting with clients and building a strong bond of trust. Being able to listen actively, ask relevant questions, provide constructive feedback, offer support when needed, and explain complex concepts in simple terms will make it easier for clients to understand the best ways to tackle their personal challenges. This will also make them more likely to keep coming back because they’ll feel supported by you every step of the way!

Beating the Burnout with Wellavi

Now that we’ve gone over the fundamentals of being a burnout coaching professional, it’s time to start providing your clients with burnout coaching the Wellavi way! When you sign up to be a wellness coach on Wellavi, you’ll have access to a wide range of coaching options, from one-on-one appointments to group sessions that are both enjoyable and helpful. On top of that, you’ll have the flexibility to cater to your customers at their own speed by offering a wide variety of programs on demand. These gatherings and courses will naturally be based on our platform’s central tenet, the Six Dimensions of Well-being.

All of our wellness coaching is grounded in our effective and comprehensive Six Dimensions of Well-being approach to a more joyous and thriving life. By taking a holistic view of your clients’ health and wellness—which includes their professional wellness, physical wellness, mental health and wellness, financial wellness, social wellness, and intellectual wellness—you will be better able to assist them in reaching their well-being goals.

Not only will you be joining a community of like-minded and equally passionate coaches who specialize in a variety of areas, but you will also have access to our cutting-edge tools and resources, which are designed to help make your coaching sessions as impactful and engaging as possible. Our friendly and knowledgeable Wellavi staff will handle all the cumbersome, day-to-day administrative work so that you can get back to doing what you do best: helping your clients reach their fullest, happiest, and healthiest potential.

So if you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to get in contact with us. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you join our Wellavi team as a successful burnout coaching professional!