Understanding Workplace Burnout Through a Trauma-Informed Lens
By Jen Bennethum
As we approach National Sickie Day on February 3rd, it's worth examining what this unofficial "holiday" really represents. More than a cheeky acknowledgment of post-holiday absence rates, it reflects a collective exhaustion that deserves our compassionate attention. February is highlighted as a month focused on self-worth, compassion, and body-image awareness, aligning well with trauma-informed and somatic-based content. This makes it the perfect time to explore how our bodies communicate their limits through what we often dismiss as "just stress."
The phenomenon of National Sickie Day—traditionally the first Monday in February when workplace absences spike—tells us something profound about the embodied experience of modern work life. When thousands of people simultaneously feel unable to face another workday, we're witnessing more than individual weakness or lack of motivation. We're seeing bodies in rebellion against unsustainable conditions, nervous systems crying out for restoration, and human beings reclaiming their fundamental need for rest. In our blog in November, I talked about honoring your nervous system, so I’m going to urge you again, to listen to your body.
"The body benefits from movement, and the mind benefits from stillness." - Sakyong Mipham
The Body's Wisdom in Workplace Stress
From a trauma-informed perspective, chronic workplace stress creates a state of perpetual activation in our nervous systems. We're not designed to maintain the constant vigilance, performance pressure, and emotional labor that many modern workplaces demand. When we push past our body's signals day after day, something eventually gives. That "sickie" isn't laziness—it's often our body's last-ditch attempt at self-preservation.
Our bodies hold incredible wisdom about what we need, yet workplace culture often teaches us to override these signals. The tightness in your chest during Sunday evening, the chronic headaches that mysteriously improve on weekends, the exhaustion that sleep doesn't cure—these aren't character flaws. They're somatic messages from a nervous system that's been pushed beyond its capacity to regulate. When we understand burnout through this lens, we can move from shame to self-compassion, from pushing through to honoring our limits.
Recognizing Burnout as a Trauma Response
Workplace burnout shares many characteristics with trauma responses. The emotional numbing, the sense of helplessness, the physical symptoms that seem disconnected from any specific illness—these mirror what we see in other forms of chronic stress and trauma. Just as we wouldn't shame someone for having a trauma response to abuse, we need to extend that same understanding to ourselves when work becomes a source of ongoing harm to our well-being.
The hypervigilance required in toxic work environments, the constant threat of criticism or job loss, the inability to meet basic needs for rest and restoration—these create a state of chronic threat in our nervous systems. Over time, this leads to the collapse we call burnout, where even simple tasks feel overwhelming and our usual coping strategies stop working. Understanding this helps us see that the problem isn't our weakness but the unsustainability of the demands placed upon us.
Creating Space for Restoration
True healing from workplace burnout requires more than a day off—it requires a fundamental shift in how we relate to our bodies and their needs. Somatic practices can help us reconnect with our body's wisdom and begin to restore our depleted nervous systems. This might include gentle movement that feels nourishing rather than depleting, breathing practices that activate our parasympathetic nervous system, or simply learning to notice and honor our body's signals before they become screams.
Creating boundaries at work isn't selfish—it's an act of self-preservation that ultimately makes us more sustainable in our roles. This might mean taking actual lunch breaks, setting limits on after-hours communication, or advocating for realistic workloads. When we model healthy boundaries, we give others permission to do the same, creating a ripple effect that can shift workplace culture from the ground up.
Therapeutic Resources for Workplace Trauma
For those experiencing severe burnout or workplace-related trauma, professional support can be invaluable. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) can be particularly effective for processing workplace trauma, especially incidents of harassment, public humiliation, or other acute stressors that continue to trigger our nervous systems long after they've passed.
Depression therapy becomes relevant when burnout has progressed to a sense of hopelessness, loss of meaning, or inability to imagine things improving. The learned helplessness that comes from chronic workplace stress often requires therapeutic intervention to help us reclaim our sense of agency and possibility. Similarly, anxiety therapy can address the hypervigilance and constant worry that workplace stress creates, helping us learn to regulate our nervous systems even in challenging environments.
Moving Forward
As we approach National Sickie Day this year, perhaps we can reframe it not as a failure of character but as a collective cry for more humane working conditions. Our bodies know what they need, and sometimes what they need is rest, restoration, and the radical act of saying "not today." By honoring these needs with self-compassion rather than self-judgment, we begin to reclaim our fundamental right to well-being. The path forward isn't about becoming more resilient to unsustainable conditions—it's about creating lives and workplaces that honor our humanity, including our very real needs for rest, connection, and meaning. When we listen to our bodies' wisdom and respond with care, we model a different way of being that benefits not just ourselves but everyone around us. Please reach out to us at Integrate Therapy and Wellness Collective for more information or if you would like us to walk with you on your journey.
