3 Ways to Deal With Burnout with Ana MacDowell
Jan 7
Burnout is one of those words we hear everywhere—yet so many high-achieving women still feel alone inside it.
If you’ve ever opened your eyes in the morning and immediately thought, “I can’t do this today,” you’re not dramatic. You’re not weak. And you’re definitely not broken.
More often than not, you’re experiencing burnout—or you’re closer to it than you realize.
On this episode of Superbloom Coach, I sat down with my friend and fellow life coach, Dr. Ana MacDowell—an allergist physician turned coach who helps female physicians navigate burnout and stop hating their jobs.
While Ana works primarily with doctors, everything we discussed applies far beyond medicine. In fact, I see these exact burnout patterns show up constantly in coaches, entrepreneurs, and high-achieving women across industries.
So in these show notes, I’m breaking down what burnout actually is, why self-care alone doesn’t fix it, and how to start shifting out of the “I hate my job” spiral—without blowing up your entire life.
What Burnout Really Is (And Why It’s More Than Just Stress)
Stress is often temporary. Burnout is cumulative.
Burnout builds when pressure becomes constant and your nervous system never gets to stand down.
It often looks like:
- Feeling emotionally exhausted before the day even starts
- Resenting responsibilities you used to tolerate—or enjoy
- Dreading meetings, clients, or your inbox
- Questioning your competence or impact
- Fantasizing about quitting, even after “making it”
What makes burnout especially sneaky is that it doesn’t usually arrive all at once. Instead, it creeps in quietly—one long day after another—until your joy disappears and everything feels heavy.
Burnout in Medicine (And Why It’s a Warning for All Careers)
Ana shared how dramatically medicine has changed over the last few decades.
She trained in Brazil, completed her residency in pediatrics, then moved to the U.S. for research—and ultimately stayed. Back then, the system was very different.
Today, physicians are dealing with:
- Endless documentation
- Increased bureaucracy
- Unpaid administrative work
- Fewer moments of meaningful patient connection
Burnout isn’t just affecting doctors—it’s affecting patients, healthcare systems, and society as a whole.
And while this example comes from medicine, the theme is universal:
You didn’t sign up for this version of the job.
Why Burnout Hits Women Especially Hard
Burnout can happen to anyone. However, women often experience it more intensely.
Why?
Because many women carry two full workloads.
Alongside demanding careers, women often manage:
- Household responsibilities
- Emotional labor
- Caregiving roles
- Mental load logistics
- Pressure to succeed everywhere, all at once
Even when professional expectations are equal, the invisible labor is not.
That extra weight compounds over time—and burnout becomes inevitable if it’s never addressed.
Why “Just Do More Self-Care” Doesn’t Solve Burnout
Let’s talk about the advice burnout sufferers hear constantly:
- “Exercise more.”
- “Get a hobby.”
- “Take a vacation.”
- “Practice self-care.”
Do these things help? Sometimes.
Do they fix burnout? No.
Because burnout isn’t just about what you’re doing—it’s about what you’re thinking while you do it.
You can:
- Work out while mentally spiraling
- Journal while dreading Monday
- Sit on a beach while feeling anxious about returning
Without addressing the mental layer, self-care becomes a temporary patch—not a solution.
The Root of Burnout: Thoughts + Systems
One of the most important distinctions Ana made is this:
Burnout is both personal and systemic.
In medicine, broken systems create impossible demands.
In entrepreneurship, hustle culture does the same.
In corporate careers, bureaucracy and unrealistic expectations fuel the fire.
So no—burnout is not fixed by mindset alone.
And at the same time, your thoughts still matter deeply. Because your thoughts determine how you experience your reality—and whether burnout continues to run the show.
Thought work doesn’t erase the problem. It gives you your agency back.
The “I Hate My Job” Burnout Spiral
One of the most common burnout thoughts is:
“I hate my job.”
Once that thought takes over, your brain immediately starts collecting evidence.
Suddenly:
- Every email feels annoying
- Every meeting feels pointless
- Every task feels heavy
This is how burnout turns into an all-or-nothing narrative.
The breakthrough happens when you realize:
“I don’t hate everything about my job.”
That single shift creates breathing room.
The First Step Out of Burnout: A Thought Download
When Ana works with burnout clients, she always starts with a thought download.
This means writing down:
- Every uncensored thought about work
- Without judgment
- Without editing
- Without “I shouldn’t feel this way”
Once thoughts are on paper, patterns become obvious.
Even more importantly, people usually rediscover something unexpected:
There are still parts they don’t hate.
Burnout thrives in mental chaos. Clarity weakens it.
Burnout and Overwhelm: When Time Really Is the Problem
We also talked about overwhelm—because burnout and overwhelm often go hand in hand.
In coaching, overwhelm is sometimes labeled an “indulgent” emotion. However, Ana made an important point: for physicians, the time constraints are very real.
When your income depends on documentation and your schedule is non-negotiable, it can feel like the circumstance itself is the trap.
So what do you do when you can’t create more time?
You work on how you think about the time you have.
Not to magically make it disappear—but to reduce the emotional load you’re carrying while you move through it.
That shift alone increases capacity.
A Powerful Burnout Tool: Start With the Result
One approach I love—and use constantly—is starting from the result you want.
Instead of asking:
“How do I fix my job?”
Ask:
- How do I want to feel at work?
- What relationship do I want with my career?
- What result am I trying to create?
Then work backward:
Result → Actions → Feelings → Thoughts → Circumstances
Your circumstances may stay the same for now.
Your experience doesn’t have to.
Burnout Relief Through the 50/50 Rule
Here’s a concept that immediately lowers pressure:
Life is 50/50.
Even a dream job includes:
- frustration
- boredom
- inconvenience
- discomfort
Burnout often comes from expecting work to feel good all the time—or believing something is wrong if it doesn’t.
The goal isn’t perfection.
The goal is less suffering.
Burnout in Entrepreneurs: Freedom Doesn’t Equal Immunity
Many people assume entrepreneurship is the cure for burnout.
And yet burnout is rampant in the coaching and online business world.
Why?
Because burnout follows pressure—not job titles.
Burnout shows up when:
- Your worth is tied to results
- You never feel “caught up”
- You push constantly to avoid discomfort
- Growth happens without boundaries
You can love what you do and still burn out doing it.
Morning Burnout Thoughts: “I Hate My Job”
I shared something personal during this episode.
In my 20s, I used to wake up and immediately think:
“I hate my life.”
Not because my life was objectively terrible—but because my brain had built a default thought pattern.
Once I noticed it, everything changed.
I didn’t force positivity. I simply stopped letting that thought run unchecked.
If you wake up thinking “I hate my job,” start here:
- What don’t I hate?
- What does this job allow me to have?
- What am I grateful for—even if it’s small?
Small shifts create momentum.
A Simple Burnout Practice: Work Gratitude
Ana recommends a daily gratitude practice specifically focused on work.
Each day, write down three things you’re grateful for, such as:
- A client or patient who appreciated you
- A moment you felt competent
- A small win you usually dismiss
This doesn’t erase hard days.
It widens your focus beyond what’s wrong.
Burnout narrows perspective. Gratitude expands it.
Burnout Trigger Moments (And How to Let Them Pass)
Ana shared a powerful story about a single difficult patient interaction that emotionally hijacked her entire day—even though multiple patients were grateful.
That’s burnout plus negativity bias.
The solution isn’t pretending it didn’t hurt.
Instead:
- acknowledge it
- feel it
- let it move through you
- then release it
Burnout recovery requires processing—not suppression.
Burnout Recovery Is Ongoing—and That’s Okay
Coaching doesn’t make you immune to life.
We still get triggered.
We still have hard days.
We still work on ourselves.
The difference is that now we have tools.
Burnout stops being a personal failure and becomes a signal—one you can respond to with skill, compassion, and strategy.
Final Thoughts on Burnout
If you’re experiencing burnout, hear this clearly:
You’re not broken.
You’re not failing.
You’re responding to sustained pressure.
Start small:
- do a thought download
- find one thing you don’t hate
- shift one morning thought
- write three gratitudes
- choose a believable bridge thought
You don’t have to fix everything today.
You just have to take your power back.
And that’s exactly what we do here.
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