July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to really think about and recognize the unique mental health challenges that BIPOC and other minority communities face. If you’re wondering how you can help support minority mental health in your community, here are some easy ways to get started:
Talk About Mental Health
Just having real conversations about mental health can go a long way to break the stigma. Whether you’re chatting with friends, family, or at a community event, being open and honest helps create space for meaningful dialogue. Don’t be afraid to ask people how you can support them and listen without judgment. There is no shame or weakness in asking for help – in asking for help, we allow others to feel safe asking for help too. Another great way to stay connected is to take part in local groups which focus on creating voices for minority groups. Nowadays, many of these groups take place online so you can join even when on the go.
Find Little Joys Every Day
Joy isn’t just something you earn after hard work but something you deserve every day. Try to bring joy into your routine by dancing to your favorite song, cooking food that reminds you of home, or picking up a creative hobby. These little things can help you recharge, beat burnout, and feel more connected to who you are. They can also help you feel connected to your culture and further strengthen your identity.
Look for Culturally Competent Care
Finding a psychotherapist who understands your background can make a huge difference. It’s not your job to teach them about your culture but sharing what’s important to you can help guide their therapeutic approach. This doesn’t mean your therapist necessarily has to be from your ethnic or cultural background. However, your therapist should value different experiences and always be willing to learn more about where you’re coming from. Don’t be afraid to ask your psychotherapist these important questions to make sure they are the best fit for you!
Don’t Forget to Rest
A lot of people from marginalized communities feel like they have to keep going non-stop, but rest isn’t a privilege, it’s a basic right. Stress, trauma, and pressure to always push ahead can take a toll. Give yourself permission to take breaks, say no when you need to, take a walk without your phone, or just unplug from the news for a while. Rest can also mean spending time with those that make us feel heard and understood.
Conclusion
Remember, supporting mental health, especially in minority communities, isn’t something that only happens in July. Every step counts and it can start with simple choices you make each day. Whether you’re reaching out to check on a friend, advocating for better mental health resources, or simply caring for yourself, these actions accumulate and help build stronger, more compassionate communities all year long. And remember, while we have come a long way, it does not stop here. Continue to talk, advocate, and support.
If you or a loved one are seeking services, do not hesitate to reach out today.
We are often socialized to think of men as providers of support during the perinatal period, but it’s rarely mentioned that men can experience many of the same difficulties with the transition to parenthood as women. Men are often taught to ‘be strong’, and these subtle and not-so-subtle messages can lead to increased shame, guilt, or embarrassment if they are struggling with becoming a father. Therefore, dads may be less likely to admit when they are struggling or to seek help.
The Numbers May Surprise You
In fact, around 10% of dads experience postpartum depression and more recent studies have shown that as many as 22% of new dads experience an anxiety disorder. This number often increases significantly when their partner is also experiencing perinatal mood and anxiety disorder (PMAD) or if the father has previously experienced mood difficulties.
Why Fathers Are Also at Risk
The changes dads go through as they adjust to parenthood are often overlooked. Men experience social and physical changes that impact their mental health a great deal. For instance, shifting schedules can lead to sleep deprivation or changes in circadian rhythms that put men at increased risk for PMAD as well. The increased stress of becoming a parent, lack of social support for new fathers or feeling excluded from mother-infant bonding may also increase the risk for men to experience PMAD. Men often feel they can’t talk about how difficult these changes are, which can lead to further isolation.
Did You Know… Men’s Hormones Change Too!
We often focus on the wild ride women’s hormones take during the perinatal period, but did you know men’s hormones change too. Men experience changes in their hormones during the perinatal period designed to promote parenting behaviors and strengthen the dad’s attachment to the new baby. Research has shown that testosterone decreases, and estrogen, cortisol, vasopressin, and prolactin increase during the perinatal period to prepare dads for the transition to parenthood. Decreases in testosterone have been linked to depression symptoms in men, and if men have lower than expected levels of estrogen, vasopressin, or prolactin it can result in more difficulty bonding.
Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore
Dads who are struggling with significant changes in their mood are not to blame and help is available. Consider reaching out for help if you are experiencing:
increased tiredness, headaches and pain
irritability, sadness, anxiety and/or anger
loss of interest in activities
changes in appetite
feelings of being overwhelmed, out of control and unable to cope
a tendency to take increased risks
changes to sleep patterns, especially a lack of sleep
feelings of isolation and disconnection from partner, friends or family
loss of libido
increased hours of work as a part of the withdrawal from family
increased use of drugs or alcohol instead of seeking treatment for PMAD
Have No Fear, Help is Here
The good news is that help is available for new dads experiencing any of the difficulties described. What works best is different for everyone, but it’s generally recommended to increase social support, find ways to improve instrumental support to keep your own self-care intact, seek support groups of other dads in the transition to fatherhood, and work with a counselor or therapist who understands perinatal mental health disorders.
The transition to parenthood forces the old patterns and routines to change, but figuring out ways to stay connected and take care of yourself is so worth it and important. If that transition feels especially hard there are several research backed treatments that can help improve your mood, learn the skills to cope more effectively during this transition, and build the relationship with your child(ren) and partner that you want and deserve.
Scarff JR. Postpartum Depression in Men. Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience. 2019 May 1;16(5-6):11-14. PMID: 31440396; PMCID: PMC6659987.
Kim P, Swain JE. Sad dads: paternal postpartum depression. Psychiatry (Edgmont). 2007 Feb;4(2):35-47. PMID: 20805898; PMCID: PMC2922346.
International Father’s Mental Health Day June 2026 (have not updated website from 2025 as of 4/13/26 but still good videos and information): https://www.postpartum.net/join-us/ifmhd/
For many, the days leading up to their period can be a little tougher– mood swings, irritability, or fatigue are common symptoms. But for those living with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), these symptoms are far more intense and can disrupt daily life, relationships, and work. PMDD is more than just a “bad period,” or PMS. PMDD is a serious, hormone-related condition that affects mental, emotional, and physical health.
How is PMDD different from a normal period?
PMDD is a much more severe version of PMS (premenstrual syndrome). PMDD is a health condition that affects people of child bearing age and requires attention and treatment. Key differences between PMDD and PMS are summarized in the following chart:
Feature
PMS
PMDD
Severity
Mild-Moderate, manageable
Severe, often debilitating
Mood
Irritability, mild mood swings
Extreme irritability, anger, and intense anxiety/depression
Physical symptoms
Bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, etc.
Higher intensity of normal PMS physical symptoms
Functioning
Mild to moderate impact on daily functioning
Significant impairment to life, work, and relationships
Prevalence
Very common (around 90% of women report symptoms)
Less common (around 3% -8% of women report PMDD)
Treatment
Self-care, over the counter remedies
May require medical intervention (e.g., CBT, SSRIs)
How can I tell if I have PMDD and how is it diagnosed?
Typically, symptoms of PMDD start around 1 week before your period starts, and end a few days in. They disrupt daily activities and can impact home, work, and relationships at this time. The difference in mood and functioning is notably different than other times during the month.
The following are common symptoms of PMDD:
Depressed mood, hopelessness, or feelings of worthlessness
Increased anxiety, tension, or feeling on edge
Mood swings
Sensitivity to rejection
Frequent/sudden tearfulness
Increased irritability
Increased relationship conflicts
Difficulties concentrating
Changes in sleep (excessive sleep or difficulty sleeping)
Changes in appetite (lack of appetite or overeating)
Physical symptoms like breast tenderness, headaches, joint/muscle aches, weight gain, or bloating
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, reach out to a medical professional. It is likely that your provider will ask you to keep a diary or journal of symptoms, coinciding with your menstrual cycle to differentiate between PMDD and other disorders with similar symptoms such as depression or anxiety.
Living life with PMDD: treatment approaches and more
PMDD is a serious and chronic condition. However living with PMDD can be manageable with appropriate care and treatment. Lifestyle changes, therapy and medication can decrease symptoms of PMDD. A combination of the following approaches can be pivotal in symptom reduction:
Changes in diet, such as; decreasing sugar, salt, caffeine, and alcohol, and increasing protein and carbohydrates
Getting regular exercise
Practicing stress management, like mindfulness and relaxation techniques
Therapies such as CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy)
Vitamin supplements, like magnesium or calcium
SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
Birth control pills
Conclusion
May is Women’s Mental Health Month, and in turn, we draw attention to the unique challenges that women face and their impacts on mental health. PMDD is often a hidden struggle for many women, dealing with the stigmas surrounding women’s health, both physical and mental. But you and your loved ones are not alone. If you believe that you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms of PMDD, do not hesitate to make an appointment with a clinician at Monarch Behavioral Health to discuss your concerns and make a plan for treatment and support.
When it comes to mental health, few topics spark as much curiosity—and confusion—as neurodivergence. One of the biggest questions people ask is: Are labels like autism, ADHD, or OCD helpful… or do they do more harm than good?
What is Neurodivergence?
Neurodivergence is a term used to describe differences in brain development that naturally occur – this includes a wide range of differences in how people think, learn, process information, communicate, and experience the world. People who are neurodivergent may have brains that function differently from what’s considered “typical” (sometimes called neurotypical). Instead of viewing these differences as problems to be “fixed,” neurodivergence recognizes them as variations with inherent strengths. Neurodivergent diagnoses include a wide range of profiles, including ADHD, OCD, communication and sensory processing differences, learning disabilities and – importantly – autism. In fact, autism is one of the most well-known forms of neurodivergence.
To Label or Not To Label…
Imagine trying to grab a can of soup from your pantry… but all the labels are missing. You might guess what’s inside—but you won’t really know until you open it.
That’s exactly what navigating neurodivergence can feel like without a diagnosis.
Labels like autism or ADHD help us:
Clearly understand what’s going on internally
Identify both strengths and challenges
Find the right tools, supports, and environments
Build a sense of positive identity and self-understanding
Instead of limiting people, the right label can be empowering. It gives language to experiences that may have felt confusing or isolating.
And of course, sometimes we need a valid diagnosis to access the correct resources at work, school or in healthcare settings. For instance, insurance rarely covers treatments for autism without a valid diagnosis, provided by a credentialed clinician. Many physicians won’t prescribe medication for executive functioning disorders, like ADHD, without a full assessment and diagnosis. Sometimes labels are necessary to get what we need.
But Labels Don’t Tell the Most Important Information
A correct and clear diagnostic label can only go so far, because of course neurodivergence is a heck of a lot more complex than a can of soup! An accurate label helps in communicating with professionals and getting services, but it doesn’t tell us much about the individual. And understanding someone’s experience in neurodivergence is all about understanding the individual. The communication, cognitive, social, emotional and behavioral patterns typical of neurodivergence all exist on spectrums. If you were to map each of these experiences and characteristics on a 3D model, with each represented on a spectrum that juts out from the center, each neurodivergent individuals’ profile would take a unique shape and dimension. The beauty of neurodiversity is seen in these unique profiles and experiences, this uniqueness is not communicated in a simple label.
So… Are Labels Helpful or Harmful?
The answer is: they can be both—but they’re most powerful when used the right way.
Labels are helpful because they:
✔ Provide clarity and understanding ✔ Unlock access to services and support ✔ Empower identity and self-advocacy
Labels are limited because they:
✖ Don’t capture individuality ✖ Can oversimplify complex experiences ✖ May lead to assumptions if misunderstood
The Bottom Line
Labels aren’t the destination—they’re the starting point. Although diagnoses are important and useful, if we focus too narrowly on the label we are missing the big, beautiful picture, and opportunities to support neurodivergent individuals to live at full potential. At Monarch Behavioral Health we ensure accurate diagnoses are empowering and jumping off point, leading to individualized paths of success and growth.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you or someone you love is wondering whether neurodivergence may be part of their story, professional evaluation can provide clarity and direction.
With the right support, insight, and tools, every individual can build a path toward confidence, growth, and well-being.
Because everyone deserves to be understood—not just labeled.
Some nights, it might feel like getting good sleep is impossible. There’s just so much to do and so much to worry about! You feel so tired but can’t fall asleep, you lay there with your eyes open, or perhaps even worse, you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep. Let’s examine 3 reasons you might be getting such poor sleep, how this impacts our bodies and minds, and 5 easy things we can do to improve our sleep tonight.
3 Reasons You Are Probably Getting Poor Sleep
1. Disruption of Circadian Rhythm
Our circadian rhythm is the body’s 24-hour internal clock that regulates our sleep-wake cycle, our hormone release, appetite and body temperature. Brains are very reliant on the changing light wavelengths throughout the day and night to maintain this cycle. Our brains are literally programmed to ‘read’ the horizon light – morning light wakes our brains up, and evening/dusk light shuts us down. One factor of modern life that disrupts our circadian rhythm is lighting. With technology being as advanced as it is, that means we have access to lights brighter and more effective than ever in human history. Modern lighting, including screens, that shine at all hours of the day, affects chemical communication to the brain disrupting our internal clock. Another influence on our circadian rhythm is scheduling. Whether due to swing shifts, personal time management, or our intensely busy schedules, when we constantly change our schedules and routines, our brain doesn’t know when to wake and sleep. This lack of consistency makes it hard for the body to develop a rhythm, impacting our ability to fall and stay asleep.
2. The Click-Swipe Insomnia
Not only does technology negatively affect our circadian rhythm due to the light (especially when we are going on our phone before bed), but brain wave activation associated with tech use interferes with sleep cycles. “Doomscrolling” can be a pattern we easily fall into, both during the day and right before bed, where we scroll through endless bad news. Not only are we exposing ourselves to the blue light of the phone before bed, but we are exposing ourselves to upsetting news, increasing anxiety or depression (especially in the case of social media use), causing an increase of stress just as our body is supposed to be calming for the night, resulting in delayed and disrupted sleep.
3. Wake Up and Go Signals
Our brains and bodies interpret stress hormones as ‘wake up and go’ signals. If your anxiety is on the rise, so is sleep disruption. People may ruminate about worries while trying to fall asleep, they may have increased nightmares, or they may find themselves restless and struggling to stay still. Stress can impact both falling asleep and staying asleep. Even anxiety about sleep can negatively impact sleep. For example, if someone is anticipating not being able to sleep, they get worried before bed, and then their body produces ‘wake up’ chemicals. Additionally, it may be more difficult to stay asleep, as the increased tension and rumination make it difficult to achieve deep sleep, making us wake more frequently. Anxiety increases sleeplessness, which then in turn increases anxiety – creating a vicious cycle to try to combat and manage.
How Does Lack of Sleep Impact Our Bodies and Brains?
Sleep loss has many adverse effects both mentally and physically, which are only exacerbated by chronic lack of sleep.
Lack of sleep can impact our ability to regulate our emotions, prompting higher levels of irritability and predicting anger.
People who are not getting enough sleep have a higher risk of intrusive thoughts and memories, negatively impacting their mood and behaviors.
There is a high impact on our ability to concentrate on daily tasks, which can be very dangerous in the case of driving (driver fatigue can be very dangerous).
Chronic sleep loss has a high impact on long term health, with a higher risk of chronic disease such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes to name a few.
Even brief difficulties with sleep negative impact your immune system, making it hard to fight off illnesses
Studies have demonstrated a correlation between sleep loss and depression, identifying lack of sleep as a predictor for depressive symptoms.
Sleep loss greatly impacts cognitive functioning such as working memory, processing speed, problem solving, and organization
Chronic sleep loss is also associated with negative effects on metabolism and weight gain
5 Ways to Prioritize and Improve Your Sleep Tonight
Sleep is crucial to both our mental and physical health, so what are some concrete ways we can improve our sleep?
1. Give Your Brain Consistent Cues with a Consistent Routine
We can leverage what we know about brain functioning to get better sleep. If we go to bed at the same time each night, and wake up at the same time each morning, regardless of the day of the week, our sleep improves vastly. We can also build in consistency to our bedtime routines – such as brushing your teeth, washing your face, or reading a chapter of a light book – doing the same tasks/activities, at the same time and in the same order most days of the week. Consistency in time and routine will help your brain and body learn the cues for bedtime; making you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
2. Curate Your Bedroom Environment
Your bed and space for sleeping should be a peaceful environment built for relaxation and sleep. I know it’s hard – but consider removing technology from your bedroom. Get an old school alarm clock, your brain will thank you. Take steps to make sure your bed is comfortable and you have the space around you set up to be relaxing to your standards. Keep a lower temperature in the room at night, keep blinds shut and lights to a minimum, and limit your bed only for sleeping. That way, your body will know that when the room is set, it is time to rest.
3. Limit Naps, and Time of Naps
When we are exhausted, napping can feel like a good solution. However, napping can sometimes have negative effects on our ability to sleep later in the day. Try to not nap later than 3:00pm in the afternoon, and if you are taking naps, ensure they are no longer than 20 minutes.
4. Eat & Move for Sleep
What we put in our bodies and our daily activities and movement impact our sleep a great deal. To improve sleep limit your drug and alcohol intake, which includes caffeine. If you are consuming caffeine during the day, try not to have any after 3:00 pm. Additionally, many people think marijuana helps them sleep – although it can make you feel drowsy and fall asleep, it actually impacts quality of sleep negatively and can cause sleep disorder. In addition, getting exercise and eating a healthy diet can also aid in sleep. Regular exercise really improves sleep – but try not to exercise in the 2-3 hours before bed.
5. If You’re Up, Get Up
Often, if we are struggling to sleep, whether going to bed or waking up in the middle of the night, we tend to toss and turn and lay in bed. But laying in bed awake is actually not great for our sleep. If you cannot fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed and engage in a calming, low light activity until you feel sleepy, such as listening to calming music or reading a book. Once you feel sleepy, return to bed.
What if I do all these things and I still am not sleeping well?
With our busy schedules and immersion in technology, good sleep can sometimes feel like an unreachable dream. However there are tricks we can use to help our brains and bodies get the rest they need. But as a reminder, these tips can only go so far. Clinically disordered sleep such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or insomnia will require direct treatment in addition to these simple fixes. If you are concerned that you or a loved one has a sleep disorder, contact a doctor or sleep specialist today. There are further proven effective services such as iCBT (a type of therapy) and medication that can help. Therapy treatment plans differ among sleep disorders, so getting a proper diagnosis is very helpful in getting the correct help. Prioritize your rest today, to ensure you are awakening with your best foot forward tomorrow.
Children who have supportive relationships with siblings tend to do better in school, build better relationships with peers, and learn to resolve disagreements better. Close sibling relationships can be an important buffer against the negative effects of difficult circumstances, build empathy, and help children learn to accept other people’s differences. Close siblings enjoy each other and have fun together, they celebrate each other’s accomplishments, are protective and loyal toward each other, which helps build confidence and fosters more happiness.
Not all Conflict is Bad
However, close relationships do not mean that siblings always get along. Some conflicts and disagreements between siblings are normal and can be helpful in building important relationship skills. This allows kids to learn problem solving skills and how to work out issues with people you live with, care about, and spend a lot of time together. These skills help prepare them for future relationships and can build closeness when the conflict has a positive resolution and is balanced with other warm and positive interactions. Healthy competition generally results in bonding and feelings of closeness after. This allows kids to practice setting and following other people’s boundaries. As long as competitions don’t lead to degrading, demeaning or aggressive behaviors, it teaches important skills that will help children foster stronger relationships with others.
How to Improve their Connection
The weather lately has meant a lot of snow days off of school. That means a lot more time together than normal. Here are some suggestions on ways to foster more positive interactions amongst your children
1. Make sure they are spending time in the same room together
They don’t have to be doing the same thing together but helping them to have positive experiences in the presence of each other helps build the expectation that they will have an enjoyable time with each other. Plus, they can observe and learn from each other when they are engaged in different activities
2. Plan activities that foster play, silliness and cooperation
Make family game night cooperative games like Pictionary, or have it be kids against parents where they must work together to win
Give them walkie talkies and have them pretend to solve a mystery as detectives
Create a treasure hunt for them to work together to find the clues
Go on funny animal walks where they take turns calling out the animal
Reading to each other their favorite book
Dancing to their favorite songs
Have them work to draw funny characters – divide the paper into a top, middle and bottom and each sibling gets to draw a different character that they can then make silly versions of by looking at different tops, middles and bottoms
Pretend the floor is lava or work together to keep the balloon in the air
3. Praise what’s going right
Look for moments when they are helping each other, sharing, taking turns, or working together and praise their actions. The more attention you give to actions you want, the more you will see the behavior.
4. Build in acts of kindness for each other
The holidays might be over, but the time for kindness is never done. Helping siblings work together to do something nice for family members or neighbors, spending time with each sibling helping them pick out something special for each other or cheering family members on during their after-school activities are all great ways to promote the importance of being kind. Additionally, it helps build positive memories, compassion and care for each other.
Conclusion:
Sibling relationships are one of the longest lasting relationships of a persons life. It is important to cultivate a positive and supportive relationship from a young age, and that starts with encouraging compassion, fun, and care within the household. Want to read more on the subject? Check out Raising Loving Siblings by Jonathan Caspi, PhD, Guilford Press, 2025.
As much as we love the holiday season, it’s also a time of heightened stress—one that can amplify long-standing family patterns and dynamics. The holidays are different from most other times of year because we often placate and compromise more during interactions just to get through the event. We may tolerate behaviors or slip into family roles we wouldn’t otherwise accept.
While compromise has its place, creating positive family memories shouldn’t come at the expense of our emotional wellbeing. Here are five ways to protect yourself from emotional burnout while celebrating with family this holiday season.
What Role Are You Cast In?
When we step back into family and friend circles during the holidays, familiar patterns of interaction and communication often resurface. These dynamics can pull us back into roles we may have long forgotten—or already outgrown. Roles like The Peacemaker, The Jokester, Mom’s Favorite, or The Black Sheep are shaped over time and influence how we feel about ourselves and others.
Each family role also comes with its own emotional weight, sometimes stirring up intense feelings like anger, anxiety, or abandonment. One helpful thing to remember is that every role serves a purpose within the family system. When you can reflect on the role (or roles) you tend to occupy and increase awareness of the function it plays, you’re less likely to be unintentionally pulled back into it—and into its emotional aftermath.
Don’t Fight the Feeling
Resurfacing family roles and patterns can trigger some of our most intense emotional experiences. During the holidays, we often try to compartmentalize or push emotions aside just to get through gatherings. But emotions have a way of sneaking out anyway—often through less adaptive behaviors like sarcasm, overindulgence, social withdrawal, or internalized sadness, anxiety, or anger. Over time, these outlets contribute to emotional burnout.
Instead of suppressing emotions, try noticing them. Pay attention to how a particular person or interaction makes you feel, and give that feeling a bit of breathing room. What might it be telling you—to back off, reduce contact, speak up for yourself, or seek support elsewhere? Even if you don’t act on the emotion, acknowledging it helps release internal pressure and lowers your emotional temperature.
Write New Endings to Old Stories
Do interactions with certain family members always seem to end the same way? If your answer is a resounding yes, here’s the good news: you have more control than it might feel like.
Identify the familiar “story arc”—the beginning, middle, and typical ending of the interaction. Then imagine a few alternative endings that would feel more supportive or aligned with your needs. For example, instead of an ending marked by escalation or shutdown, you might choose one where you express yourself directly and respectfully, or one where you take space before emotions run too high.
When you notice yourself entering a familiar rerun, you can consciously turn the page and choose a different ending.
Boundaries Are the Perfect Gift to Give
One of the most effective ways to step out of well-worn family roles and change interaction patterns is through clear boundaries. Practice stating boundaries using simple, direct language:
“I’ll be leaving at 9:00 pm.”
“Please don’t speak to me that way.”
“That’s not something I want to talk about.”
Notice that each of these is an “I” statement. Focusing on what you will or won’t do—rather than trying to manage someone else’s behavior—makes boundaries far more effective and less dependent on others’ reactions. Truly, boundaries are the gift that keeps on giving.
Beware of the Shame and Guilt Trap
Some family members may respond to boundaries by attempting to induce guilt or shame. Don’t fall for it. You are allowed to have physical and emotional needs.
Expressing what you want or need gives others the opportunity to respect you and, in some cases, strengthen the relationship. If someone isn’t able—or willing—to make space for your needs, remind yourself that your wellbeing still matters. Taking emotional or physical space can be an act of self-respect, not selfishness.
Conclusion
As the holidays unfold, remember that you don’t have to show up perfectly—you just have to show up honestly. Family dynamics are deeply wired, and noticing them without judgment is already meaningful work. Each moment of awareness, each boundary you honor, and each pause you take to care for yourself is a step toward creating holidays that feel more peaceful and more authentic.
Happy Holidays from all of us at Monarch Behavioral Health
Burnout isn’t just “being tired.” It’s a full-body, full-mind experience that can drain your energy, dull your motivation, and make even the work you once loved feel overwhelming. In fact, between 30–75% of people worldwide report experiencing burnout at some point. If you’ve ever found yourself asking, “Am I just exhausted, or am I burning out?” — you’re not alone.
What Exactly Is Burnout?
Burnout is more than stress. It’s a recognized syndrome caused by chronic stress associated with a particular role (e.g., job, caregiving) that isn’t successfully managed. It typically shows up in three dimensions:
Exhaustion – feeling drained, depleted, and unable to recharge.
Depersonalization – becoming detached, cynical, or negative about your work.
Reduced Accomplishment – feeling ineffective, unmotivated, or like you’re failing.
Left unchecked, burnout impacts not only your work, but your physical health, relationships, and overall wellbeing.
Spotting the Warning Signs
Burnout doesn’t happen overnight. It sneaks up on us through gradual signs:
Physical: disrupted sleep, low energy, changes in appetite, unexplained aches/pains.
Behavioral: procrastination, reduced productivity and efficiency, withdrawal from responsibilities.
Noticing these signals early is key to preventing burnout from taking over.
Why Do We Burn Out?
The causes often come from two sides:
Work Factors: overwhelming workload, lack of values match with job or role, lack of control, unfair treatment, low rewards, and/or disconnection from community, distressing work tasks
Self Factors: tying self-worth to productivity and work identity, valuing self-sacrifice as a personal ideal, self-blame and low self-empathy, and/or struggling to balance other roles and responsibilities in life.
Interestingly, those who care the most — helpers, teachers, healthcare providers, parents, and leaders — are at highest risk for burnout.
Fighting Back: Emotional Intelligence as Your GPS
Emotions are not the enemy. In fact, they act like an internal GPS guiding us toward what we need. By practicing emotional intelligence (EI), you can learn to:
Recognize and label your emotions accurately. We only have 6-8 basic emotions! Sure, we have thousands of descriptions for subtle differences in each emotion, but if we can label the core emotion accurately, this is very powerful.
Understand how emotions link to motivation and action. Each of our basic emotion states links to specific motivational states and behaviors. For example, happiness links to a desire to keep doing the thing that is making us happy. Sadness links to rest, recouping the loss and connecting to others. As you learn emotion-motivation-action linking, emotions are far less overwhelming.
Use emotions as guideposts for action and direction. Putting all the information together, we can make an action plan that points us in the direction of getting our actual needs and wants met in a healthy way – whether that means resting, seeking support, or setting boundaries.
When you tune into your emotions, they stop being roadblocks and start being signals that point you back toward balance.
The Secret Weapon: Mindful Self-Compassion
One of the most powerful antidotes to burnout is treating yourself with the same compassion you give to others. This means:
Permission: Allow yourself to feel and acknowledge your limits. Allow yourself to be as kind to YOU as you are to others.
Mindfulness: Practice being fully present without judgment or distraction. Daily sensory mindfulness practices are a great way to cultivate this ability. .
Common Humanity: Remember, burnout is a shared human experience, not a personal failing. We are all flawed and we all make mistakes.
Self-Compassion: Replace harsh self-criticism with care, understanding, and patience. Notice self-critical thoughts. Imagine your friend was saying these things about themself. How would you respond to that friend – now turn that empathy and compassion inward.
Simple daily practices — like repeating a mantra (“My work is important, and so am I”), mindful breathing, or noticing and reframing negative self-talk — can help you rebuild resilience.
Creating Your Burnout Recovery Plan
Recovering from burnout isn’t about powering through — it’s about addressing work and self factors, so you can realign your approach to work with your values and daily capacity. A strong recovery plan includes:
Addressing workplace factors with a practical, solution-focused approach.
Building emotional intelligence to listen to your internal GPS.
Practicing mindful self-compassion daily to stay grounded and resilient.
Burnout isn’t a personal flaw. It’s a signal — and when you listen with compassion and curiosity, you can use it as a turning point toward healthier, more sustainable ways of working and living.
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