Tuesday Jul 08, 2025

When Helping Others Leads to Burnout

What if you went into helping work to make a difference—and now it's breaking you?

This is a conversation about navigating the messy middle of burnout in helping professions—teaching, therapy, social work, ministry, healthcare. About the transition anxiety and overthinking of caring too much when the system doesn't care enough. About major life changes in how you work when you're exhausted by the bothness of loving the work AND hating what it costs.

In this episode of It's Both, host Nikki P and guest Corey Alexander have authentic conversations about the emotional complexity of the helping professions—burnout, toxic work environments, and the cost of caring. You'll hear about the passion that drew you in and the burnout that's pushing you out, how overthinking every case or student keeps you up at night, and why emotional regulation is harder when you're absorbing everyone else's pain. This is about boundaries you thought you couldn't set and the grief of realizing helping work might not be sustainable.

In this episode:

- The anxiety and overthinking of caring too much

- Burnout in helping professions (teachers, therapists, social workers, ministers)

- Navigating major life changes in your career

- Boundaries in work that feels boundaryless

- Passion AND burnout (holding the bothness)

- Emotional regulation when you absorb everyone's pain

- Grief for the idealism that brought you here

- Why helping work isn't sustainable without systemic change

If you're in a helping role, nonprofit work, caregiving, or any profession built on empathy—and you're exhausted, conflicted, or questioning your limits—this episode offers clarity, language, and permission to choose yourself without shame.

Because meaningful work shouldn't cost you your mental health—and it doesn't have to be either/or.

Get Connected & Support the Show:

- Listen to the companion podcast: It's Both- Guided Meditations for Anxiety, Emotional Regulation, & Real Life Transitions