5 steps to prevent practitioner burnout

Burnout amongst practitioners in the health and natural therapy industries is common. Practitioners are passionate and enthusiastic about helping others - at first everything goes well but then over time they become exhausted and their health suffers.

Why is burnout for practitioners so prevalent these days? Burnout mainly results because practitioners are using ineffective strategies to stay grounded and balanced. A massage student recently told me that his lecturer suggests that practitioners should only give 80% of themselves when working with clients, otherwise they will get ‘drained of their energy’. Restricting yourself in this way or even using crystals or room sprays to ‘protect’ yourself gives you a false sense of security which eventually fades.

The key to preventing burnout is to develop a strong energetic connection so you feel grounded, safe and secure from within, rather than having a need to protect yourself externally. From this space of awareness, you connect more deeply to your clients and can tune into their needs with greater empathy, understanding and wisdom.

So how do you provide 100% of yourself to every client without burning out? The answer lies in having a daily self-practice to help you stay grounded. When you are grounded, you shift your perception of how energy is exchanged. You realise your clients’ energy is the same as your energy. The energy is neither positive nor negative – it’s your mind that judges it in this way. It is similar to when we see a flower. Our mind might tell us that we don't like its colour, fragrance or shape. To another person, however, the flower may be beautiful. The flower itself is neither positive nor negative - it just is. We often judge people in the same way.

If you ‘protect’ yourself from the negativity of others so they don’t drain your energy or transfer their stuff onto you, then do so knowing this is a temporary measure. It’s like training wheels on a bicycle, providing support until we are grounded from within ourselves. Then, we realise there is nothing from which to protect ourselves because this need for protection arises out of fear. Although this fear may feel genuine based on past experiences, superstitions, or beliefs, ultimately it arises from our mind judging others and external conditions as ‘negative’. We react in this way because we feel uncomfortable physical, mental or emotional sensations.

When we accept these uncomfortable sensations and focus less on the external world around us, we cultivate a strong energetic connection from within. To help you to be grounded in this way, try the following ‘five step self-practice’:

1. Transcend duality – let go of your fears, superstitions, beliefs and attachments to ‘positive’ or ‘negative’. Be responsible for your own uncomfortable sensations.

2. Centre yourself – build your energetic centre with Meditation, Qi Gong, Yoga or Reiki.

3. Be mindful – take 10 breaths anytime, be aware of your five senses when you brush your teeth, walk, and eat. Sit with trees, walk in nature, play with an animal.

4. Be kind to yourself – relax and nurture eg take a bath, read, play music. Move your body and exercise. Eat wholefoods, and snack between clients eg eat nuts or fruit.

5. Keep hydrated – water in your belly is grounding. Drink it between clients!

With daily self-practice, you’ll feel confident to give 100% to your clients without burning out.