Caring for someone else can change your life.
It shouldn't cost you your health to do it.
A practical online program for paid and unpaid carers to prevent and recover from fatigue and burnout - that's the opposite of everything you've been told about self-care.
Learn how to recognise the signs, protect your energy and keep caring in a way that's sustainable - minus the guilt, the generic advice or pretending any of it is easy.
Long-term caring leaves the body in a constant state of readiness. Your stress response is built to switch on, deal with something, then switch off again. Constant caring keeps it on, so your body stops resetting inbetween and eventually forgets how to.
Tiredness, tension, numbness and a shorter fuse aren't signs you're failing. They're signs your body has been running on alert for a very long time, and that's a physical process, not a character problem.
It's also reversible.
Do any of these feel familiar?
You sleep through the night but regularly wake up tired.
Feelings of dread often turn up the night before a shift, or on a random Tuesday afternoon, without any specific reason.
You've snapped at the person you care for, but then can't let go of the guilt.
You're feeling run down all the time - headaches, an achy back, sore jaw or even just getting sick more often than you used to.
You get time off occasionally, but spend most of it thinking about what'II be waiting for you when you get back.
The love for your job hasn't changed. You’re just feeling irritable, numb or disconnected from the person you used to be.
Once or twice you might have even caught yourself half-hoping the appointment you have booked gets cancelled, or the road you normally take to work gets flooded in the recent heavy rains, just to get a bit of unscheduled time..
Please know: you are not failing. You are just carrying a whole lot.
And you haven't simply 'forgotten' to look after yourself, either.
You’ve chosen not to (in subtle ways).
Over and over, you’ve selflessly opted to put yourself last because the person or problem in front of you is real and immediate.
You say ‘yes’ when you want to say ‘no’ just to avoid the guilt.
You tell yourself you'll deal with your own tiredness once things 'settle down' - but they never do.
Generic ‘self-care’ advice feels like another job.
‘Just take a break,’ ‘go book a massage,’ ‘can’t you just ask family to help out?’
You’ve heard the same suggestions over and over again. None of them help.
They assume you’ve got a spare afternoon, or someone to hand over to. Each ‘solution’ just becomes another thing on your to-do list to feel guilty about.
You’ve taken the blame for far too long.
You’ve done the ‘resilience sessions’ at work. You’ve seen the ‘wellbeing hotline’ on the poster by the lift.
Or maybe you've been told you're taking on too much, usually by people who've never offered to take on any of it.
Nothing changes. Your workload never reduces, because somebody has decided the problem is you, not the system.
No wonder you’ve become skeptical about the whole business of ‘self-care’.
It’s just too hard, makes no difference or you’ve been conditioned to feel like you don’t deserve it.
I had a very clear picture of what burnout looked like. It didn't include me.
Hi, I'm Tess Howells, a psychologist, training consultant and author. Most of my career was spent supporting others across rural and remote Australia, from the Royal Flying Doctor Service to Aboriginal health organisations and a multidisciplinary clinic of my own.
Assessing people for stress, burnout and fatigue was my job. I can still recite every warning sign off the top of my head.
Then, somewhere in the middle of caring for others, I had a stroke. From burnout.
The most frustrating part? I didn't miss the signs. I noticed every single one of them.
I just decided each time that they applied to other people and not to me. That somebody else always needed something more than I did - so my health sat at the bottom of the list.
I know how that sounds coming from a psychologist. The irony isn't lost on me.
What I took from it is that anyone can burn out, including the people who do this day in, day out.
But the good news is there are ways to identify it. Prevent it. And yes, recover from it.
Four years of research after my stroke taught me that, and this course contains everything I wish I'd known before I ended up in hospital.
In it, you won't find useless 'self-care' tips or generic massage recommendations. Most of that advice starts from the idea that you're the problem.
What you'll find are ways to break the fatigue and burnout cycle that work around a demanding role or a busy schedule.
Because you shouldn't have to choose between your health and the valuable caring work you do.
The Carer Fatigue & Burnout Course is different.
Why? Because most wellbeing programs weren't built for carers. This one was.
And it introduces the concept of Radical Self-Care.
The difference?
Assumes you are the problem, so addresses the symptoms not the cause.
Regular self-care
Radical self-care
Acknowledges the underlying, systemic problems that cause fatigue and burnout - because the problem is not you!
And contrary to what you've been told, burnout does not happen because you're not resilient enough. It occurs because you've been so resilient for so long!
ACROSS 8 MODULES
You'll learn how to:
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Recognise the signs of stress before they become burnout - and prevent them.
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Notice, and interrupt, unhealthy fatigue patterns before they take hold.
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Understand how prolonged stress affects your body - and what you can do to avoid it.
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Discover simple strategies to help set boundaries whilst continuing to care... minus the guilt (yes, really!)
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Master and apply practical techniques to soothe your nervous system whenever or wherever you need them
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Set small goals to move forward and better meet your own needs
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Build small, sustainable habits that protect your wellbeing for the long term.
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Find your way back to sustainable, healthy caregiving
What you'll get:
Self-paced online modules
Lifetime access to the course + all updates
Evidence-based insight & strategies
Content that supports both paid & unpaid carers
113 page digital workbook
10 hours CPD if you're a professional carer
If you’re desperate for support that reflects your reality - not more generic self-care advice that doesn't work - you're in the right place.
And you don't have to wait until
you're running on empty.
This course was made for you if...
You're an unpaid carer
You look after a family member, friend or loved one - and you've started to realise that your own wellbeing keeps slipping down the list.
You know something has to change, but you're not sure where to start.
You're a health professional
You became a nurse, social worker, counsellor or allied health practitioner because you wanted to help people.
But the cumulative weight of that work is taking its toll, and the standard advice feels like it was written for someone with a very different job.
You're a support worker
You show up every day for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
The work is meaningful - and it's also relentless.
You need practical tools, not clichés.
It gives anyone - whether you're a healthcare professional or at-home carer - the practical support you need to restore your wellbeing - and keep caring sustainably for your clients, patients or loved ones.
IT'S TIME TO STOP POURING FROM AN EMPTY CUP
The Carer Fatigue & Burnout Course
An online program for restoring wellbeing, preventing fatigue and recovering from burnout.
ENROL TODAY
$79
AUD
Priced to ensure anyone can access this valuable information.
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Self-paced modules that fit between shifts, rosters and life
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Downloadable workbook for hands-on application
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Counts for 10 hours of CPD
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Designed around Safe Work Australia psychosocial safety guidelines
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Lifetime course access
Not quite sure if it's for you?
Here are some of our most commonly asked questions, answered for you upfront.
Still not quite ready to jump in?
Why not start with my quick, easy (and free) self-check to assess where you're at and give you a starting point.
Download: How Close to Burnout Are You?
You know something isn't right, but you've been too busy to work out what.
Take this free, 3 minute self-check to get a clearer picture of how close to burnout you may be, what your score actually means and what to do about it.
IF YOU NEED SUPPORT NOW
Lifeline 13 11 14, 24 hours a day
Carer Gateway 1800 422 737, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm AEST.
Free Australian Government services for unpaid carers, including counselling and respite.
Or contact your EAP provider
If you’re worried about your physical health, please see your GP.