Following a burnout, finding your way back to the office is a major challenge. Rather than endure a toxic system again, some choose to reinvent their career around a meaningful mission. And one profession in particular seems to tick all the boxes for finding balance.
Burnout is not only extreme fatigue, it is an earthquake that weakens our foundations and calls into question our professional identity. Once the recovery phase begins, a question becomes obsessive: “Where should I go so that I never experience this again?” For many, returning to their old position is unthinkable. Reconstruction then involves a quest for meaning, kindness and, above all, direct utility towards others.
After burnout, the relationship with work changes radically. We no longer seek performance at all costs, but alignment. We want a job where people take precedence over the performance indicator (KPI), and where we feel like an actor in our own schedule. It is this search for balance that pushes many former executives or employees towards support professions.
If we are to believe the observations of the France Burn Out association, a strong trend is emerging among those seeking to retrain: the profession of well-being coach (or life coach). Why this choice? It’s simple! Who better than someone who has experienced burnout can understand the warning signs in others? This “lived experience” becomes a therapeutic force and a demonstration of empathy. Coaching is often carried out independently. This allows you to manage your own pace, set your limits and no longer suffer from the pressure of a hierarchy. Also, seeing a client smile again or relieve their stress provides immediate gratification, essential fuel for restoring self-esteem damaged by burnout.
However, moving from exhaustion to support cannot be improvised. So that this new profession is a source of care and not a new source of stress, don’t start out alone. Following serious training allows you to establish a professional framework and reassure yourself about your skills. A coach must have worked on his own experience so as not to project his anxieties onto his clients. Also don’t forget to choose a niche (stress management, nutrition, sleep, career transition) in order to become a reference and structure your offer.
The France Burn Out association, however, recalls a crucial point: the risk of wanting to “save the world” in order to treat yourself. Reconstruction must first be personal before being professional. The job of wellness coach is an interesting path, provided you have firmly closed your own parenthesis of suffering.
