Helping clinicians beat burnout & bulletproof their bag—1 journal entry at a time.
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Dr. Latisha Webb
Journal Entry 9 on May 18, 2025
It’s another Sunday. However, it’s 6:22 am. My desire is to go workout to maintain my mental wellness. But… I can’t get out of bed because I’ve been ruminating on an incident that occurred last week with one of my chocolate chips and colleagues. It’s so deep for me. I’m debating whether or not to keep him on my caseload. Reason being: I can’t seem to separate my personal ethics from my professional duties. — I know enough about myself and the field that if I’m taking a case to heart, I am traveling down a winding road headed towards a ditch. Besides, I can’t burn out again. So, I am waving the white flag 🏳️ of surrender.
Intrusive Thoughts
You may be wondering what happened. Well, let me just spill the beans since I can’t stop thinking about it. I shared with a colleague the expressed concerns from the client. My colleague’s response about my client’s experience seemed apathetic and cold. That bothered the crap out of me. I couldn’t stop thinking…
I think I just breached my client’s confidentiality Am I taking sides? Why are my personal ethics at play? Everyone has an opinion about their clients whether they admit it or not. Why is my colleague’s opinion about this case bothering me? Is it really about my client or am I triggered by a deeper unresolved issue? Who cares what others think about clients, don’t sabotage your money. Keep your personal opinion to yourself and bulletproof your bag. If you keep ruminating about this and taking it personal you will burn out. Why are you avoiding a simple conversation? Just talk it out with your colleague. What’s the big deal? You have been here before.
Is this client and your colleague worth your peace and your profit?
They better not be…
This is where my B.E.A.T. Burnout Framework makes sense.
The B.E.A.T. Burnout Framework
I need you to protect my peace and secure my profit. Here’s how… Boundaries Reset: ✅I have to consider my professional relationships. It's crucial to maintain professional boundaries with my clients and my colleagues. My ruminations suggest I am blurring the lines. To protect my wellbeing, I ask myself if the client relationship is no longer serving either one of us. Is it worth having a tiff in the relationship with my colleague? ✅I have to consider my mental health. Remember, I didn’t workout today because I was thinking about this situation. I can’t let my clinical work stop me from prioritizing my workouts. That’s where I need to draw the line. Although, I care about my clients, caring more about my mental health is essential. 🏳️As I surrender to this process to BEAT Burnout, here’s what I am going to do: I will continue working with my client for another week. If after careful consideration, I feel I can't maintain professional objectivity with my chocolate chip nor my colleague, then I will initiate the process of referring him to another clinician. Emotional Regulation & Earning Clarity: ✅I must acknowledge my feelings. As I engage in self compassion, I am telling myself it’s okay to feel conflicted. I refuse to judge my feelings about the situation. My internal struggle indicates I care deeply about how harshly people judge others and even myself. ✅I must separate the personal and the professional. I am reflecting on why this case is triggering such a strong personal reaction. Honestly, I am not ready to talk to my colleague or clinician supervisor. So, I am going to journal to help me unpack this and separate my personal ethics from my professional duties. 🏳️As I surrender to this process to BEAT Burnout, here’s what I am going to do: I will spend 30 minutes journaling today to explore why this situation is affecting me so personally. Aligned Income Action: ✅I must focus on my strengths My ability to bulletproof my bag will diminish if I allow myself to get so caught up with this case that I remove him from my caseload. The goal is to BEAT Burnout and Bulletproof my Bag. Those two things can only be done by prioritizing my well-being. I’m protecting my overall earning potential in the long run. ✅I must seek supervision when I am ready. I know I need to gain an objective perspective on the situation with my chocolate chip and colleague. I need to be clear-headed to make decisions aligned with my ethical practice. 🏳️As I surrender to this process to BEAT Burnout, here’s what I am going to do: After I journal today for 30 minutes and work with my client for another week, then I will schedule a clinical consultation the following week to discuss the case and explore potential solutions. Time & Energy Reclamation: ✅I must be mindful about my self-care. As I think about which activities to engage in to reclaim my time and energy, I will keep in mind the things that bring me peace. My motto is: Peace is priceless, but it costs a pretty penny. ✅I must reduce my rumination. If I intentionally set aside specific times to process the situation with my colleague, then it will reduce the time I spend ruminating. I remind myself I am only in control of me. Intrusive thoughts can be managed with mindfulness techniques or professional support. 🏳️As I surrender to this process to BEAT Burnout, here’s what I am going to do: I will listen to the birds sing for 10-minutes tomorrow morning before I begin my clinical work. This meditation will help me to 💜Refocus my energy 💜Release my anxiety 💜Reduce my rumination
How This Journal Entry Helped Me Beat Burnout
There is one main takeaway
I did not need to talk to my colleague and create an uncomfortable situation for the both of us because I could not separate the personal from professional.
If you are like me and are you ready to B.E.A.T. Burnout & Bulletproof Your Bag?
I gotchu…😘
🛡️ Bulletproof Your Bag
Here’s this week’s tip on how to keep your green in your jeans.👖
If the focus is to set boundaries to protect your energy, then ask yourself: +What do I do when I ruminate or have an internal conflict? +Do I buy my favorite comfort food? Or do I go to retail therapy? Your emotional energy can negatively affect your financial energy.
Impulse buys, emotional spending, or constantly saying yes to financial requests from others drain your "money bag." 🛡️Learn to say "no" to your temptations. 🛡️Learn what are unnecessary expenses in your life. 🛡️Learn to prioritize your needs over wants. These strategies build financial resilience and protect you from self-sabotage. —Think of it as putting a protective shield around your money.
B.E.A.T. Burnout | Bulletproof Your Bag | Build Your Bank
Behavioral Health Clinician & Coach
What's Next
There are 3 things that I will ask you after each journal entry
1.—Find and follow me on Threads so we can connect.
2.—Let’s practice what we preach and engage in some form of self-care. If you love journaling or coloring, then you can purchase one of my products from Amazon.