Living with chronic illness and/or chronic pain is a full-time job. There’s so much additional mental and emotional load that can come along with the physical experience of symptoms. Whether your chronic condition is visible or invisible, many people with chronic pain or illness also face significant social and systemic issues that make their lives even more difficult to navigate. Is it any wonder why someone may experience burnout?
I’m Stacey McDonald, a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), and I work with those who experience one or more chronic illnesses and/or live with chronic pain. Aside from my professional experience, I’ve lived with chronic pain and illness since early childhood, so I truly understand the challenges people living with chronic conditions can face in the medical system and daily life. So, let’s take a look at what chronic illness burnout is and what you can do to manage it.
What is Burnout?
The typical definition of burnout tends to relate to experiencing consistent stress and emotional, physical, and mental fatigue for long periods of time. It often involves being overworked, taking on too many responsibilities, and lack of rest. Symptoms can include:
- Feeling constantly exhausted
- Having no enthusiasm or motivation
- Feelings of negativity towards your job or responsibilities
- Brain fog
- Reduced performance or inability to perform your usual job or task
- Withdrawal from social or work activities and/or no longer engaging in hobbies/interests
- Depression or low mood
- Anxiety
Managing general burnout tends to involve a long-term dedication to prioritizing the basics like sleep, exercise, and regular eating habits; taking a vacation or scheduling more time for rest; connecting with support systems like friends and family; therapy; and mindfulness/relaxation activities.
What is Chronic Illness Burnout?
While it’s a similar concept, there are some ways medical burnout shows up differently for those living with chronic conditions. Chronic illness burnout is what occurs when those living with chronic conditions spend too much time managing their health and interacting with the medical system. Just like burnout, it’s an experience of constant stress and overwhelm combined with a lack of proper rest.
If you don’t have experience with a chronic or long-term health condition, it can be difficult to understand just how overwhelming it can be to manage these conditions, so here’s a little snippet of what typically can be involved in managing chronic pain or chronic illness(es):
- Medical appointments (often managing appointments for multiple doctors and specialists at once).
- Testing and the related time commitment, possible side-effects or recovery time (also involves more appointments!)
- Medication (including starting or stopping meds), which can mean managing side effects, flare-ups, tracking results, follow-up appointments or tests, and medication schedules.
- Daily routines that help manage symptoms/conditions.
- Health insurance, disability benefit, or general medical paperwork (and fighting your insurance companies when they inevitably try to deem something not medically necessary).
- Procedures and surgeries, which include recovery time and increased pain/symptoms.
- Having a social life, or life of any sort if we have the energy (spoons).
Whew, that’s a lot. I think I used all my spoons for the day just thinking about all that. It’s really no wonder why many people with chronic conditions end up experiencing medical burnout and long-term mental health consequences.
Symptoms of Chronic Illness Burnout
While medical burnout symptoms can be the same as general burnout, it can often be hard to distinguish between symptoms of burnout and chronic illness symptoms. Here are some symptoms of chronic illness burnout that may be easier to recognize:
- Avoiding making or skipping medical appointments
- Not following healthcare routines
- Skipping medication or delaying renewal/pick-up
- Withdrawal from healthcare activities
- Withdrawal from support systems such as friends and family
- Lying to healthcare providers or caregivers
- Avoiding follow-ups or check-ins
- Depression
- Increased anxiety
- More frequent anger, frustration, crying, etc.
How to Manage Chronic Illness Burnout
When you’re already burnt out trying to manage your health, the last thing you want to hear is all the things you also need to be doing to manage medical burnout (I get it). Luckily, a lot of what we can do to manage chronic illness burnout can also help with your chronic pain or chronic illness symptoms.
- Prioritize the most important/immediate health needs. This helps you get back on track with your medication and routines that help support your symptoms long-term. When starting to manage your burnout, this may include getting enough sleep, eating more regularly, taking your medications on schedule, and rescheduling that appointment you skipped. Something is better than nothing (my clients hear this all the time). Start with one immediate need and keep adding as your energy allows.
- Reward yourself. This comes from behavioural activation, which is often used for treating depression. The first thing we tend to drop from our routine when we’re feeling down or overwhelmed are the things that bring us pleasure. Reward yourself by making it a priority to get back to the things you enjoy doing. This could be a hobby, a regular social activity or hangout, or even the walk you’d take to the coffee shop nearby for a treat when you had a few extra spoons. When you experience the joy or pleasure that comes from engaging in these activities, you’re more likely to continue doing them.
- Find community. Chronic pain and illness can be isolating. Make sure you get back to your community, whether that’s your friends and family you stopped connecting with regularly or you find a local support group for chronic illness. Social connection is essential.
- Find an advocate or support person for appointments. While it can be hard to ask for help, finding someone that can help advocate for you and support you with appointments can take a huge amount of mental load off. Having someone at appointments means you have a second set of ears to make sure you don’t miss or forget anything, remind you to ask any questions (or ask them for you), and support you in advocating for yourself when necessary.
- Create a “coping toolbox” with strategies and items that work for you. If there are certain items (e.g., a cold water bottle, fidget toy) or strategies (e.g., breathing technique, meditation, playlist) that you know help you relax, rest, or calm anxiety, create a “toolbox.” This can be a physical box or a note in your phone, but the purpose is to have an easily accessible reminder of items and strategies that support you.
Therapy for Chronic Illness
Therapy can also be a great support and resource for those living with chronic pain and chronic illness. If you’re struggling to motivate yourself to try the strategies above to battle your medical burnout, or you feel like you need a bit of extra support navigating the challenges of daily life with a chronic condition, a therapist can help.
While it can be hard to take the first step to seek mental health support, working with a therapist doesn’t have to feel like all your other medical appointments. Unlike with doctors, you have control over finding someone that’s right for you. This includes booking free consults so you can ask any questions you may have and get a feel for a bunch of different therapists before making a decision.
There are many therapists out there now, like here at Good Thanks Therapy, that have lived experience of chronic pain and/or chronic illness. There are also a variety of evidence-based practices for supporting those with chronic conditions that can not only help you battle your medical burnout but also live a more valued life, regain a sense of control, and process the difficult emotions and experiences that come with being a chronic illness warrior. You don’t have to go through it alone.
