01 your problem
Do you feel tired and exhausted most of the time? Are you living to work rather than working to live? Do your to-do lists and responsibilities fill you with dread? Are you feeling disengaged and demotivated, or underappreciated and distressed at work? Perhaps you find yourself constantly questioning your accomplishments and skills, adding the unhelpful noise of an overactive inner critic to your outer stressors?
You may still be functioning at work, just so, dragging yourself in regardless of how shattered you are feeling inside. It may cost you an incredible amount of energy just to keep going, and you are worried that you can’t keep it up. You might have quietly quit a long time ago and are in inner exile, just counting down the minutes, hours, and days. Or your body might have said no and forced you to stop working altogether.
If this describes you, please know that you are not alone. And that change is possible. Exhaustion threatens the very core of our being. If we feel lacking in energy, strength and time, we switch into a zombie-like survival mode. Living in a state of chronic stress, we become ever more alienated from our emotions, desires, family and friends. We lose sight of what really matters to us and what makes us happy. We tend to run in reserve mode rather than at the level of our full potential. Because we feel we have no energy to spend, we cut ever more activities from our lives, including the ones that give us energy. This creates a vicious circle.
02 my offer
Coaching can help you to drag yourself out of the wasteland of your exhaustion, take control of your life, regain your vitality, and reconnect with your purpose. I offer a 10-session burnout and exhaustion coaching programme that is based on a combination of the latest evidence-based coaching interventions and ancient wisdom. I have helped numerous clients to regain their energy and vigour, to re-establish balance in their lives, to manage their inner critics, and to take courageous actions towards their most important goals. You can read some of their testimonials here.
My programme is based on seven core pillars:
1. Deepening your Self-Knowledge
We can only improve ourselves if we know what our preferences, patterns, values, and character strengths are. How have your experiences shaped you, how do they continue to shape you, and what would you like to change?
I recommend starting our coaching journey with an Insights profile – a powerfully eye-opening and accurate psychometric analysis of your personality preferences.
2. Identifying Core Stressors
The second step on your journey towards vitality is to identify and understand your personal core stressors. What are the external circumstances that contribute to your chronic sense of exhaustion? And what are the inner stressors that make things worse for you?
3. Circle of Control
Next, we use a Stoic technique to assess carefully which of these stressors are in your control and which ones are not. This matters, because when we are exhausted, we have limited energy to spend, and we need to spend this energy wisely – in the areas of your life where it can make a difference.
4. Minimizing Internal Noise
Whilst toxic working environments tend to be the number one burnout generator, we can also be our own bad bosses. Negative self-talk and overactive inner critics can drain us from the inside, making things much worse. Understanding your self-talk patterns will help you manage them more effectively.
5. Letting Go of Unhelpful Self-Stories
We all tell ourselves stories about ourselves all the time. Some of these stories are helpful, others are not. We will look at your self-story together and fix what needs fixing.
6. Value-led Action Planning
At this point in our coaching journey, you will be ready to take action. What do you want to say yes to, and what do you want to say no to? Which first step can you take today? What are your long-term goals and how can you start moving towards them?
7. Cementing Good Habits
In our final session, we establish strategies for turning your insights and new behaviours into a solid framework of powerful habits that stick.
I offer weekly, bi-weekly and fortnightly 1-hour coaching sessions via Zoom. You can see my session fees here.
Please get in touch to book a 20-minute free exploration call with me. Just email: anna@exhaustion-coach.com or book your slot here.
03 blog and podcast
04 why work with me?
I am a professional burnout coach. I hold qualifications in Co-Active Coaching (ICF-accredited), ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and mBIT coaching. I am also an Insights Discovery Profile practitioner, and part of the amazing Performance Catalyst team of coaches and facilitators.
In my previous life, I used to be a Professor of Cultural History at the University of Kent, but I am feeling much better now. The truth is that I suffered a burnout in academia, and that I didn’t thrive in my job for a very long time. It nevertheless took me many years to dare to leave the university and to become a full-time coach and writer. I couldn’t be happier now, doing what I truly love, and helping others to make courageous changes in their lives.
I am the author of Exhaustion: A History (Columbia University Press, 2016) and The Art of Self-Improvement: Ten Timeless Truths (Yale University Press, 2021). I have also written a novel, academic works and journalism. My writing has appeared in the Times Literary Supplement, the Guardian, Psychology Today, PositivePsychology, AEON and PSYCHE. My research has been discussed in national and international media, including on BBC Radio 4 and WBUR, as well as in Vogue, the Atlantic, National Geographic, Philosophie Magazine, the TLS and New Republic.
My new book, Exhausted: An A-Z for the Weary (Profile) will come out in January 2024 – watch this space!
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