Stress & Burnout Therapy in Port Coquitlam
A Clinical Definition of Stress & Burnout
Stress is your body's natural response to challenges and demands. But when stress becomes constant and overwhelming, it can lead to burnout, a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion. Clinically, burnout is characterized by feeling emotionally drained, disconnected from work or activities you once enjoyed, and having a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. It's not just being tired - it's feeling completely empty and unable to cope.
Read More: Combating Workplace Burnout: Effective Therapy Tools for a Balanced Life
Symptoms of Stress & Burnout
Physical: Constant headaches, muscle tension, stomach problems, getting sick often, or feeling exhausted even after sleep.
Emotional: Feeling overwhelmed, irritable, anxious, or like you just don't care anymore.
Behavioural: Procrastinating, avoiding responsibilities, isolating from friends and family, or using food/alcohol to cope
How Stress & Burnout Can Show Up in Your Life
Stress and burnout don't just stay at work, it can take over everything. You might notice:
Dreading Monday mornings or feeling trapped in your daily routine
Snapping at people you love over small things
Feeling like you're running on empty but can't slow down
Losing interest in things that used to make you happy
Feeling like you're failing at everything, even though you're doing your best
What Stress & Burnout Really Feel Like (Beyond the Textbook)
Clinically, burnout involves emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced sense of accomplishment. But let's be real about what it actually feels like:
Running on Empty You wake up tired and go to bed exhausted. Even simple tasks feel impossible. It's like your phone battery is always at 2% but you can't find a charger.
Emotional Numbness You used to care deeply about your work, relationships, and goals. Now you feel disconnected and just going through the motions. It's scary when you realize you don't feel much of anything anymore.
The Impossible Trap You feel like you can't keep up, but you also can't stop. There's always more to do, more people counting on you, more pressure to be perfect. Rest feels selfish or impossible.
Why “Just Take a Break” Isn’t Enough
Trauma memories aren’t stored like regular ones. They get trapped in the brain’s amygdala (the “alarm center”) and body, bypassing rational thought. This is why:
Talking about the event might retraumatize you, flooding your system.
You can’t “logic” your way out of triggers – your body reacts faster than your mind.
Coping strategies like avoidance or people-pleasing keep you stuck in survival mode.
EMDR and somatic therapy work differently. They help your nervous system complete the survival response frozen in time, so your body learns, “The threat is over. I’m safe now.”
Are You Ready to Move Past These Symptoms?
Healing from stress is possible, and you don’t have to do it alone. At Serenity Counselling, we provide a safe, supportive space to process your experiences and reclaim your life.
Ready to take the first step?—Book a free consultation.
How Stress & Burnout Counselling Helps
Identify Your Patterns We'll figure out what's really draining you - perfectionism, people-pleasing, impossible standards, or feeling like you have to do everything yourself.
Learn to Say No Discover how to set boundaries without feeling guilty, and protect your energy for things that actually matter to you.
Recharge Your Battery Find realistic ways to restore your energy that actually work with your busy life, not against it.
Rebuild Your Spark Reconnect with what makes you feel alive and purposeful, even when life gets hectic.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How do I know if I'm stressed or if I'm actually burned out?
You can tell if you're stressed versus burned out by looking at how empty you feel inside. When you're stressed, you still care about things but feel overwhelmed trying to manage everything. But if you're burned out, you've moved past caring - you feel emotionally numb, disconnected from work or activities you used to enjoy, and like you're just going through the motions. Burnout feels like your phone battery is permanently stuck at 2% no matter how much you try to recharge.
What's the difference between normal work stress and needing therapy?
The difference between normal work stress and needing therapy is how much that stress has taken over your whole life. Normal work stress stays mostly at work and gets better on weekends or vacations. But when you need therapy for work stress, it's probably affecting your sleep, relationships, and how you feel about yourself. If you're dreading Monday mornings every single week, snapping at people you love, or feeling like you're failing even when you're doing your best, that's when stress therapy can really help.
Can stress therapy help me learn to say no without feeling guilty?
Absolutely! Stress therapy can definitely help you learn to say no without feeling guilty. When you can't say no without feeling guilty, it's usually because you think your worth depends on being helpful to everyone all the time. But learning to say no in stress therapy is actually about protecting your energy so you can show up better for the things that really matter. We'll practice what boundaries look like and help you get comfortable disappointing people sometimes, because saying yes to everything means saying no to your own well-being.
Is it normal for stress to make me feel sick or exhausted all the time?
Yes, it's completely normal for stress to make you feel sick or exhausted all the time, your body isn't designed to handle constant pressure. When stress makes you feel sick, it's because your nervous system is stuck in "emergency mode," pumping out stress hormones that can cause headaches, stomach problems, muscle tension, or feeling tired even after sleeping. In stress therapy, we'll work on helping your body learn that it's safe to relax and give you tools to calm your nervous system down.
What if I'm too busy or stressed to even do therapy?
If you're too busy or stressed to even do therapy, that's actually a sign that you may really need it, when you feel too busy for help, that's usually when stress has completely taken over. I get that adding one more thing feels impossible when you're already overwhelmed. But here's the thing about being too busy for stress therapy: we'll work with your schedule and energy levels. Even 1 session every couple weeks can give you tools to manage everything else better. Sometimes slowing down for therapy is exactly what you need to stop feeling like you're drowning.
Can stress therapy help me stop feeling like I have to be perfect all the time?
Yes, stress therapy can absolutely help you stop feeling like you have to be perfect all the time. When you feel like you have to be perfect, it's usually because you learned somewhere along the way that your worth depends on never making mistakes. But that perfectionism is probably what's burning you out in the first place. In stress therapy, we'll explore where that pressure comes from and help you get comfortable with being "good enough" instead of perfect. Learning that you don't have to be perfect all the time is actually one of the most freeing parts of therapy.
Does EMDR for stress bring up work memories that make me feel worse?
EMDR for stress can bring up work-related memories, but it's designed to help them feel less triggering, not more overwhelming. When people worry "does EMDR bring up stressful memories," I understand that concern because you're already dealing with so much. During EMDR for stress, we work with experiences that might have taught you unhealthy work habits or beliefs about your worth, but we do it in a way that helps those memories lose their emotional charge. You stay in control, and most people find that EMDR helps work stress feel more manageable rather than worse.
How do I find a therapist who gets what I'm going through?
Look for therapists who specialize in stress and burnout, especially if they understand young people or your cultural background. It's okay to ask questions about their experience and approach. You want someone who makes you feel heard and understood, not judged. Therapists like Zahra Lakhdhir and Suki O'Huallachain create safe spaces where you can work on feeling better without judgment.