Kashish Chugh is a dedicated student counsellor navigating her final year of studies. Throughout 2025, we will follow Kashish’s journey as she balances academics, practical experience, and personal growth on her path to becoming a professional counsellor. Through her monthly blog, she will share insights, challenges, and valuable lessons, offering a real and relatable perspective on life as a final-year counselling student. Stay tuned for an inspiring year ahead!
Kashish Chugh | Burnout: Recognising the Signs Before They Take Over
When I first heard the word burnout, I thought of overworked professionals, long hours, and corporate jobs. It wasn’t until I began my Master of Counselling—and started juggling placement, assignments, work, and personal commitments—that I realised burnout doesn’t wait until you’re “established.” It can quietly show up while you’re still learning, and if left unchecked, it can slowly dim the passion that brought you into this field in the first place.
For me, burnout never arrived in one big crash. It was subtle—like a slow leak in a tyre. I noticed myself losing focus in lectures, feeling emotionally drained after sessions, and needing more recovery time between tasks. I would push through because “it’s just part of the process,” but the truth is, ignoring those signs only made things harder.
As counselling students, we are taught the importance of self-care, yet we can often treat it as an afterthought. The irony is that the very skills we want to offer our future clients—empathy, presence, and emotional attunement—depend on us showing up as our whole selves, not as burnt-out versions of who we are.
I’ve found three strategies that help me stay balanced:
- Building in micro-breaks – I’ve learned to step away from my desk between study blocks, even if it’s just for a few minutes of deep breathing or a walk outside.
- Separating “me” from “my role” – Especially in placement, it’s easy to carry clients’ stories home. I now have intentional rituals—like journaling or listening to music—that help me transition out of work mode.
- Honouring boundaries – Saying no is hard when you’re trying to learn and grow, but overcommitting leaves little room for rest. I’ve started protecting my downtime like any other important appointment.
Burnout isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a signal. It tells us that something in the way we are working, studying, or living needs to shift. Listening to that signal early allows us to make those small adjustments before exhaustion becomes the default.
The more I grow in this profession, the more I realise that taking care of myself isn’t optional—it’s ethical. If we want to help others navigate their challenges, we need to model what sustainable, compassionate care for oneself looks like.
Because in the long run, the goal isn’t just to graduate or meet deadlines—it’s to stay in this work for the long haul, with our passion intact and our wellbeing at the centre.