For all you dads and sons, I hope you were able to connect father-to-son on Father’s Day at the weekend. Did you lark about and enjoy the connection? Then you’re lucky.
Because for most of my clients, when they come to me in burnout, life isn’t like that. Family time has become pretty frustrating and irritating – something to avoid. Men in burnout often dread coming home from work, with no energy left for the kids, or for their partner’s needs.
The big unmentioned side-effect of burnout is the deterioration of family and social relationships. Loss of interest, energy and engagement aren’t just happening at work. They’re happening at home too. And your man in burnout just wants some PEACE and relaxation. Two things he typically can’t find in his over-stressed brain.
It’s natural to respond this way under sustained pressure and exhaustion. We men mostly withdraw, often in to a dark cloud of self-judgment.
This might not seem temporary, but it is. If you’re in burnout, your family might be tiptoeing around you, but that can change.
Happy to say, those family relationships can easily be restored and repaired through burnout coaching. When you defeat burnout, your normal desire to connect returns.
