Career burnout isn’t a weakness, it’s a wake-up call

Have you ever resisted going to bed because you know once you fall asleep, the next thing waiting for you is another workday?

You convince yourself the logic is valid because staying up that extra hour is one more hour of your life you have control over.

And if that involves doom scrolling Instagram to squeeze a few last drops of dopamine out of your brain, then so be it.

It’s your final act of defiance before surrendering to the job that’s going to drain you again tomorrow.

Sorry to start off so heavy, but I lived like that for a long time. I didn’t realise I was trapped in a loop that was costing me happiness and fulfilment.

Many high achievers feel ashamed to admit they’re burnt out, until it’s too late. No one wants to show “weakness” when they’re still chasing the next promotion. But in the race to keep up and compete, we lose sight of two crucial things:

1. What we actually want.

2. How the system is actively designed to prevent us getting it.

Some people believe that once they reach the top, they’ll change it. But if that change was ever going to happen, wouldn’t it have happened by now?

In the NHS, where I got burnt, I saw a culture where many of those who made it to the top seemed to believe their suffering had earned them the right to uphold the very system that hurt them.

And so as the system continues to hurt others, the cultural message becomes:

You’re not good enough.

Not: This system is broken.

What burnout really means

For a long time, I thought burnout meant I was doing something wrong. Maybe I wasn’t strong enough. Maybe I just couldn’t hack it like everyone else.

That’s the lie burnout tells you. It makes you think you’re the problem. That if you were tougher, smarter, more disciplined, you wouldn’t feel so drained all the time.

I was already teetering on the edge of burnout before I even finished GP training. It’s one of the reasons I chose to locum instead of taking a fixed salaried role.

I’ll never forget the other trainee at my practice. In my opinion, they were probably the best GP in our year. They were smart, efficient, brilliant with patients. They stayed on as a salaried GP after qualifying. Just over a year later, I returned to locum at the same practice and found out they’d gone off sick. Burnt out.

That’s when I realised burnout isn’t about personal failure. It can happen to anyone. It’s a chronic mismatch between who you are and the environment you’re trying to survive in.

Psychologist Christina Maslach’s research shows it’s not just overwork. It’s being under-supported, disconnected from meaning, and stuck in systems that violate your core values.

In 2019, the WHO recognised burnout as an occupational phenomenon – not a medical condition, not a character flaw.

Which confirmed what I’d intuitively known all along. The feeling of brokenness is your body calling for a time out.

This moment is an opportunity to reconnect with your values and see the truth.

The system will continue to damage you unless you make a change.

Turning your burn out into your breakthrough

Burnout isn’t the end of the world - it’s the start of a whole new one.

It’s your body, your mind, your entire being saying: “I can’t do this anymore. At least, not like this.”

This isn’t just a throwaway comment at the end of a rough shift. It’s a genuine opportunity for change.

When the system you’re working in violates your values continuously over time, you may find yourself passing through these six stages:

1. Honeymoon phase – You’re full of energy, saying yes to everything.

2. Onset of stress – You begin noticing irritability, fatigue, and skipping meals or breaks.

3. Chronic stress – The pressure becomes constant. Sleep suffers. You might feel anxious or detached.

4. Burnout – Exhaustion, cynicism and a loss of purpose kick in.

5. Habitual burnout – These symptoms become your new normal. You feel stuck.

6. Breakdown or breakthrough – The turning point. Collapse… or change.

You may not be able to control the system that’s making you sick. But you can choose whether it breaks you down – or becomes the catalyst for something new.

Burnout is a call for realignment and redirection. If you’re unsure what that looks like, download the free Career Compass exercise I’ve created.

Your breakthrough begins with three gentle steps:

1. Listen – What’s your exhaustion trying to tell you?

2. Reflect – What’s no longer working? What values are being compromised?

3. Choose – Even a small step toward energy, alignment and freedom can shift everything.

Conclusion: Reclaiming your energy, your life

Burnout doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means something needs to change.

Not just on the surface, but deep down relating to how you work, how you live, and how you honour what matters most to you.

The truth is, you were never meant to run on empty. You were never meant to be a machine in a system that only rewards self-sacrifice. You’re a human being with values, energy, dreams, limits, and a life outside the job title.

You get to question what no longer feels right. You get to explore new ways of working that protect your energy. You get to choose a path that fits who you are now, not who you were when you started.

I know it’s scary to imagine a different future when you’re just trying to survive the day in front of you. But you don’t have to leap, you just have to begin.

With awareness. With honesty. With one decision to stop pretending you’re fine when you’re not.

There’s no need to pretend here because you’re not actually broken. You’ve just worked for too long in a system that never taught you how to thrive.

The moment you choose to acknowledge this you’ll feel empowered by burnout instead of trapped by it.

This is real healing my friend.

Stay Healthy,

Lewis

P.S

If this resonated I'd love to hear your thoughts. Reach out to me on Linked-In or Instagram

If you're feeling burnt out, emotionally drained, or stuck in a system that no longer works for you, then:

1) Book yourself a clarity call in The Empowerment Clinic.

It's my virtual coaching room where I run the Confident Career Change Coaching program to help you 'flow' into a career that truly fulfils you.

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