Published 11 March 2025

Emotional exhaustion is a defining aspect of burnout - the feeling of being drained, not just physically, but emotionally, by the sheer weight of patient care.

And in that exhaustion, it’s easy to make assumptions. Patients don’t take accountability. They won’t change. What’s the point? These judgments feel protective - a way to manage disappointment. But they can also deepen our own sense of hopelessness.

I think back to a recent follow-up with a patient:

The waiting room is full and as usual, I am behind schedule, feeling anxious and guilty for making my patients wait so long. When he walks into the consultation room, his first words are "I won't be long doctor, this will be a quick one". He has come for a follow up consultation for his diabetes. He is overweight and a smoker. At our last consultation, we talked about lifestyle changes that could contribute to his diabetes being better controlled. He tells me that after our last consultation, he thought about what we discussed for a few days and then decided to act. He has started walking early in the morning and is now walking 7 km a day. He has adjusted his diet and has lost more than 5 kg. Although he is still smoking, he has cut down considerably on the number of cigarettes per day. Today his blood sugar is within normal limits.

So often, I assume patients will carry on as they always have. But what if our beliefs about them shape their beliefs about themselves? When we hold even the possibility of change, we create space for it to happen.

This encounter shifted something in me. It reminded me that change does happen, that small conversations do matter. It gave me an emotional lift - a moment of renewal in a day of exhaustion.

What energises you in your day-to-day work?