5 Ways to Prevent or Manage Burnout

In our work as music therapists, at times it can feel like we are constantly draining our mental and emotional reserves.  This can eventually lead to exhaustion and burnout if we do not take time to care for our own well-being. Here are some tips to help you prevent or manage burnout.

Leave Work at Work

At the end of the day, it is helpful to find a way to shift your focus off of work and on to life outside of work.  For some people, the act of taking the name badge off can be part of a ritual for leaving work behind.  Other ideas can include putting work computers, phones or tablets away and out of sight so as not to be drawn back into work. As a travelling community music therapist, work hours can easily be more ambiguous, however, creating a healthy boundary between work hours and non-work hours can help prevent feeling like work is always on your mind.

Moments to Decompress

A full day of seeing clients, whether you travel from one to the next or see clients back to back in the same building, can be very draining.  Finding a few minutes throughout the day, where you can take some deep breaths, enjoy silence, or perhaps listen to a personal favorite song can help shift your focus off your previous client and help you to be fully present with the next client. During a lunch break you could stream a TV show, listen to music that helps calm your mind, read a book, or listen to an audio book. There is always emailing, documentation or other busywork needing to be done, but our clients require a significant amount of mental and emotional energy, and small breaks throughout the day can help lighten the load.

Rest!

There are many reasons why it is important to rest and have healthy sleep routines.  When you are well rested, you are better able to handle whatever comes your way throughout the day with clients. Periods of sleep and brief periods of rest play an important role in shifting from our stress driven autonomic nervous system to our rest-driven parasympathetic system, which is how we experience mental and physical restoration (Waldrop, J. & Presler, C., 2025). These short and long periods of rest are very important in preventing burnout. Beyond making sure we get enough sleep at night, it is important to include short periods of rest, which can include deep breathing, mediation, yoga, or any relaxing activity.

Do Something You Love

Another way of preventing burnout is by finding time to engage with activities that you love. As music therapists, we are often listening to and creating music for others and our own music falls to the wayside. It is important not to forget the importance of music in our personal lives and to engage with music or any kind of activity that feeds your own soul.

Time to Recharge

We all have differing needs and tolerances for social engagement.  We have a very extroverted job, but some music therapists are actually introverts.  Some people recharge when they are with friends and family, and some people need time alone to recharge. Wherever you fall on the scale of being an introvert or extrovert, pay attention to your needs and be sure to include enough time in your daily or weekly schedule to to engage in quiet time alone or time with friends and family so that you can refill your mental and emotional energy.  

These tips are just a few strategies that can be used to help manage or prevent burning out working as a music therapist or in any role as a caregiver. By being mindful of your own sense of wellbeing and mental health, you can more effectively continue to be present for your clients and those you care for.

Waldrop, J. & Presler, C.(2025) Brief rest practices for caregivers. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. 21(3). ISSN 1555-4155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2024.105316 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1555415524003921