A woman pausing at her dining table after a long day

Burnout and Stress

Therapy for Burnout and Stress

Rest should help. When it does not, it may be time to look at what keeps filling your days back up.

Illustrative image · Secure video in Maryland

Good to Know

Therapy sessions are held by secure video for adults located in Maryland.

Burnout and Stress

The Work Nobody Sees

Planning, deciding, remembering, anticipating. You may be the person who keeps everyone moving and still feel frustrated by a lack of support. Overstimulation and exhaustion can follow you into the quiet moments.

You may be the person who remembers what needs doing before anyone else notices. At work or at home, the next decision lands with you, and even time set aside for rest becomes time spent thinking about what comes next. Being needed can make it hard to say that you feel exhausted, overwhelmed or overstimulated. You might feel frustrated that you are still tired after taking a break, then add that frustration to the list of things you carry. If you have spent years putting other people first, your own needs can start to feel like an interruption. We can begin by naming the planning and emotional labor that rarely gets counted, and asking where you have been left on your own to-do list. You do not have to make a case for why it feels heavy.

Burnout and Stress

Find the Cause, Not Another Task

We look at what is actually draining you and the thinking that says you have to do it all. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy gives us a way to question that pattern. Mindfulness, body-based tools and resilience skills can help you notice when the load is building.

CBT is my foundation, and in session we can listen for the thought themes attached to the heaviest weights. One theme might sound like 'I have to do it all.' We can look at when that thought shows up, what it asks of you and how it shapes the choices you make when you are already running low. Mindfulness and body-based tools can help you notice the moment stress is building, rather than waiting until exhaustion is the only signal you recognize. DBT and ACT skills can give us ways to stay with difficult feelings while choosing a response connected to what matters to you. I also draw on resilience skills I am certified by the U.S. Army to teach. The work is not another demand to manage perfectly. We pay attention to what is happening in your real days and choose a practical place to start.

More About This

What If Rest Has Not Helped?

We can look beyond how much rest you are getting and talk about the demands and thought patterns that keep filling your days. You can start with what leaves you feeling exhausted, overwhelmed or overstimulated. You do not need to have the cause figured out before a free consultation.

Burnout and Stress

Put Your Needs on the List

Together we make space for needs that have been pushed down for years. I will encourage you, challenge you when it helps and offer practical between-session steps that fit your life.

Putting yourself on the list can begin with one honest observation: when did you notice your needs getting moved to the bottom again? We can bring that moment into a session, look at the expectation behind it and consider a different choice you could practice. I bring warmth and accountability, including intentional homework that connects directly to what we discuss. Between sessions, you may notice a familiar thought or try a small way of making room for yourself, then tell me what happened. There is room to talk about what felt difficult as well as what felt possible. A free consultation is a first step if you want to ask whether this work fits. Individual therapy is available by secure video anywhere in Maryland, Monday to Friday, at $175 per session. Reduced-fee options may be available. Ask about eligibility in your free consultation.

What Others May Not See

The Invisible Load

Planning, deciding and remembering can fill your attention long before anyone else notices that something needs to be done. You may know what the week requires, who needs support and which decision cannot wait, while your own needs keep moving lower on the list.

That load can sound like the three problems many clients bring into the room: “Feeling frustrated with lack of support,” “Tired of making all the decisions and planning everything,” and “Feeling responsible for everything and everyone.” These are not isolated tasks. They are patterns that can keep your mind working even when the visible work is finished.

Christina helps you slow the pattern down and find what is actually draining you. Together, you can notice the thought that says you have to do it all, the body signals that show when the load is building and the responsibilities you have accepted without checking what they cost you. The work begins by naming what has been invisible, then choosing one practical place to make room for your needs.

A Two-Minute Reflection

Where Are You on Your Own To-Do List?

Tap everything you're carrying right now. Be honest. Nothing you choose is saved or sent.

This is a reflection exercise, not an assessment or a diagnosis.

Something just for me Usually last, if it's here at all

Now find yourself on the list.

For many of the women I work with, their own needs sit at the very bottom, or don't make the list at all. That isn't a flaw in you. It's a pattern, often learned early, of being the one who holds everything together.

There you are.

01Notice what’s draining you. You just named some of it. Exhaustion has causes, and seeing them clearly is where change begins.

02Count your needs, too. Putting yourself on the list isn't selfish. It's how you keep showing up for the people you love without disappearing.

03Try one small shift this week. Pick one item above to hand off, let go of or do “good enough.” Then protect fifteen minutes that belong only to you.

“I teach women how to recognize what is causing them exhaustion in their lives while helping them to prioritize their needs so they can create a life that brings them more joy and fulfillment.”Christina

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