STRESS, OVERWHELM & BURNOUT SUPPORT
You’re getting things done. But there’s very little left for you.
Your mind starts organising before you’re out of bed. You keep track of what needs doing, anticipate problems and take responsibility when something falls through.
But your patience is shorter. Small requests feel bigger. Even when you have time to stop, your mind keeps finding something that needs attention.
Perhaps you tell yourself that things will settle after this week, this deadline or this busy period. Yet the breathing space never seems to last.
I offer personalised coaching for ongoing stress, overwhelm and the patterns that make it difficult to switch off.
We look at what is creating the pressure, how you respond and what needs to change in your everyday life.
Based in Hamilton, working online across New Zealand and Australia.
WHEN PRESSURE BECOMES NORMAL
Being able to keep going can hide how much it is taking.
You may still perform well at work, care for your family and meet your commitments. From the outside, there may be little sign of how stretched you feel.
You’re tired, but you don’t feel finished.
You sit down and remember another task. You check a message, plan tomorrow or do something useful because resting feels uncomfortable while anything remains outstanding.
Small demands get a bigger reaction.
An interruption, noise or another question can feel like too much. You snap, withdraw or feel close to tears, then criticise yourself for reacting that way.
You carry the thinking as well as the doing.
You remember appointments, notice what is running out and anticipate what other people will need. Even when someone helps with a task, you may still be responsible for organising it.
Your own needs are the first to go.
Meals become rushed, movement drops away and bedtime gets later. You know these things matter, but they are easier to postpone than someone else’s request.
You feel increasingly resentful.
You want to be helpful and dependable, but feel frustrated that so much lands with you. Asking for support may feel harder than doing it yourself.
These experiences deserve attention even if you are still managing. They do not, on their own, establish that you have burnout or that stress explains every symptom.
UNDERSTANDING THE RESPONSE
Stress affects how you feel, think and behave.
Stress is a response to demands or challenges. In the short term, it can help you act. When it becomes persistent, you may find it harder to relax, sleep well or concentrate. Irritability, headaches, muscle tension or digestive discomfort can also appear.
Those difficulties can add pressure of their own. Poor sleep leaves you less patient. Concentration becomes harder, so work takes longer. You stay late to catch up and have less time to recover.
We look at these interactions alongside your health and circumstances.
Persistent fatigue, sleep difficulties or other physical symptoms should not automatically be attributed to stress. Appropriate medical assessment may be an important part of getting the right support.
WHAT MAKES IT HARD TO STEP BACK?
The workload may be real. So may the pressure you put on yourself.
Sometimes there is simply too much to do with the time, resources and support available.
Alongside that, familiar patterns can make it difficult to reduce the load.
Perfectionism
You give tasks more time than you can afford because leaving them imperfect feels uncomfortable. Everything begins to carry the same importance, even when the consequences are very different.
Over-responsibility
You take ownership quickly, check that things have been done and find it difficult to let someone else approach a task differently. Delegating the job does not always mean letting go of it mentally.
Avoiding difficult conversations
You put up with an unreasonable expectation because addressing it feels uncomfortable. The immediate conflict is avoided, but the demand remains.
People-pleasing
You agree to help before checking your own capacity. Saying no brings guilt or worry about disappointing someone, so your existing commitments have to stretch.
Self-worth tied to productivity
A productive day helps you feel good about yourself. A quiet day brings restlessness or self-criticism. There is always something else you could achieve before allowing yourself to stop.
We explore which of these are relevant to you. The purpose is to identify where you have choices and where you need more support, rather than making you responsible for every source of stress.
WHEN REST DOESN’T FEEL RESTFUL
Having time to stop and feeling able to stop are different things.
You may finally get an evening to yourself and spend it mentally going through unfinished work. Or take a break, feel some relief and return to the same demands that exhausted you.
Rest matters. We also need to consider what interrupts it and what you are returning to afterwards.
For one person, the priority may be a genuine reduction in workload. For another, it may involve tolerating the discomfort of leaving something unfinished or allowing someone else to take responsibility.
Often, practical changes and changes in how you respond need to happen together.
A breathing exercise may help you settle after a difficult day. It cannot resolve an unmanageable workload, inadequate support or an expectation that you are always available.
We begin with your actual week: the responsibilities, interruptions, decisions and expectations you are managing, including the work other people may not see.
From there, we agree on priorities.
Understand your stress responses
We explore what you notice physically, emotionally and behaviourally when pressure builds. Where appropriate, we use stress education, breathing or body-based strategies to support how you respond.
Make practical changes to demand
We consider what can be reduced, delayed, shared or approached differently, and where a conversation or request for support is needed.
Some circumstances cannot change quickly. We take those limits seriously when deciding what is realistic.
Work with guilt, standards and expectations
Knowing you need a boundary does not make setting it easy.
We explore what comes up when you say no, ask for help, delegate or stop working. Then we agree on manageable opportunities to practise a different response.
Support recovery in everyday life
We look at what makes it difficult to eat regularly, protect sleep, move, connect with others or spend time away from demands.
The aim is to make recovery more achievable within your life, rather than give you another demanding wellbeing routine.
Explore relevant beliefs and associations
Sometimes beliefs about responsibility, approval or being good enough keep the pressure in place. RTT® hypnotherapy is one option when there is a clear focus and the approach is suitable.
HOW WE WORK ON CHANGE
We get specific about what is draining you and what could help.
Two ways to work together
Personalised 1:1 Coaching
Support over time for anxiety, stress or patterns affecting several parts of your life.
Six fortnightly sessions over three months, including agreed practices, session summaries and relevant resources.
RTT® can be included for an additional $200 when appropriate.
$1,500 NZD
Standalone RTT® Hypnotherapy
Focused work on a particular fear, belief, emotional association or recurring response.
Includes preparation, approximately 90 minutes of hypnotherapy, a personalised recording and email follow-up.
$450 NZD
Not sure which fits?
We can discuss both options during a free phone consultation. I’ll explain what I recommend and why, including if another service would be more suitable.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO CHANGE?
Have more of yourself available for your own life.
Finish work without continuing it in your head all evening.
Ask for help before you reach the point of resentment.
Let someone else complete a task without checking every detail.
Set a limit without repeatedly explaining or apologising for it.
Take a break while something remains unfinished.
Notice that you are becoming overloaded and act earlier.
We agree on goals that matter to you and consider what needs to happen to make them possible. Progress includes practical changes in your circumstances, as well as changes in how you respond.
WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH
I’m Genevieve.
My background includes a Bachelor of Health Science in Physiotherapy from AUT, clinical experience in neurological and respiratory care, and leadership roles within the health sector.
I later trained in RTT® with Marisa Peer and professional coaching through the NZ Coaching & Mentoring Centre.
I have also balanced work, parenting and long-term caregiving. I understand that responsibilities do not disappear because you recognise that you need a break.
That experience shapes how I work. We consider your physical responses, habits and beliefs alongside the practical demands you are carrying and the support available to you.
I remain registered as a physiotherapist but am currently non-practising. My services here are coaching and hypnotherapy. I am also an IICT member.
“
Her questions helped me connect patterns I hadn't fully understood before, especially what I'd internalised early on and how it was still shaping my reactions. Something shifted in how I see things now, and the recording has been a big part of reinforcing that.
— J, former client
Questions about stress and burnout support
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Stress describes a response to demands or challenges. Overwhelm is an everyday description of feeling that there is more to manage than you can cope with at that moment.
The World Health Organization uses burnout specifically for the effects of chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It involves exhaustion, greater mental distance or cynicism towards work, and reduced professional effectiveness.
People also use “burnt out” to describe exhaustion outside work. You do not need to settle on a label before seeking support, but persistent symptoms deserve appropriate assessment.
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We can work with stress related to responsibilities outside employment too. We consider what is being asked of you, what support is available and what changes may be possible.
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We begin with that reality. We look at the choices available, the support you could request and the parts of your routine that are most costly.
We also acknowledge when coping strategies alone cannot make the situation sustainable.
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Where relevant, we can use breathing, body-based strategies and stress education. We also consider what repeatedly creates the pressure and whether practical changes are needed.
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Coaching can support practical changes, boundaries, habits and responses to stress. It does not replace medical or psychological assessment, workplace action or other care you may need.
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Persistent exhaustion can have several causes. Speak with your GP rather than assuming it is solely stress or burnout. Coaching may be useful alongside appropriate healthcare.
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No. RTT® is optional. We can work together through coaching without hypnosis.
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No. Individual appointments are online and available across New Zealand and Australia.
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We talk by phone about what has been happening, what you have tried and what you would like to change. You can ask questions and we consider whether my services fit your needs.
You don’t have to wait until you can’t keep going.
If managing everyday life is taking more out of you than it used to, it is worth making time to look at why.
A free phone consultation gives us space to discuss what you are carrying, what you would like to change and whether my support is right for you.