Clinician Burnout: Painlessly Taking Back Your Physiology

The Vagus Nerve and Your Mental Health

If you’re a therapist, a coach, or any kind of helping professional, you already know how heavy the work can feel sometimes. The last few years especially, I’ve had more and more conversations with colleagues who quietly admit they’re exhausted. Not just tired in the normal way, but worn thin.

Burnout. Compassion fatigue. Secondary trauma. Whatever name you use, the truth is that our nervous systems aren’t meant to carry this much dysregulation without some kind of reset. And if we don’t have tools to come back to ourselves, the weight starts to show up in our sleep, our moods, our digestion, even in our capacity to care.

This is where the vagus nerve comes in.

Why the Vagus Nerve Matters

The vagus nerve is like the body’s built-in brake system. It’s the main pathway of the parasympathetic nervous system — the part that lets us rest, recover, and repair after stress. When vagal tone is strong, we can return to balance more easily. When vagal tone is weak, we get stuck in “on” mode, running on adrenaline, even when the danger has already passed.

Clinicians live in this “on” state a lot. We’re tuned into clients’ stories. We hold trauma with them. Our nervous systems co-regulate in session, and sometimes we don’t fully discharge what we’ve absorbed. Over time, that takes a toll.

The good news is: vagal tone isn’t fixed. You can strengthen it. You can practice it. And you don’t need an expensive device or hours of training to begin.

Here are three ways to work with your vagus nerve in everyday life — simple things you can start today, between sessions, in your car, or even while brushing your teeth.

1. Humming or Gentle Vocal Vibration

I know it sounds too easy — but humming works. When you hum, chant, or even sing softly, the vibration stimulates branches of the vagus nerve that pass through your throat and chest. Research shows that humming increases heart rate variability (HRV), which is one of the key markers of vagal tone and overall resilience.

I often suggest starting small. Hum along with a song you like while driving. Make a low “mmm” sound in the shower. You don’t need to perform it, just let your throat vibrate. A few minutes a day adds up.

Research: Bhramari pranayama (a humming breath practice) has been shown to significantly increase HRV and reduce stress (National Library of Medicine, 2023).

2. Slow Breathing with Longer Exhales

Breath is the most direct way we have to influence vagal tone. Paced breathing — especially when your exhale is longer than your inhale — signals safety to the body. Think: inhale for 4, exhale for 6–8.

When you practice longer exhales, your heart rate naturally slows, and the vagus nerve becomes more active. Over time, this increases your baseline capacity to handle stress.

I tell my students: don’t wait until you’re panicked. Use this tool in the ordinary in-between moments. Try it while charting notes. Or before you walk into a session that you know will be heavy. You don’t have to sit cross-legged on a cushion — you just have to breathe differently.

Research: Slow-paced breathing with extended exhalation has been shown to enhance vagal activity and improve stress regulation (ScienceDirect, 2023).

3. The Gut–Brain Connection

The vagus nerve doesn’t only run through your throat and lungs. It also connects your brain with your gut. That means what you eat directly influences how your nervous system functions.

Gut microbes produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that stimulate vagal pathways. More fiber and fermented foods (like kefir, yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut) can literally improve vagal signaling to your brain. On the flip side, diets high in processed foods and sugar can disrupt this connection and make regulation harder.

I sometimes ask clinicians: if you wouldn’t skip meals before holding space for a client, why skip feeding your vagus nerve? Small dietary choices can be a form of nervous system care.

Research: SCFAs produced in the gut activate vagal afferent pathways, shaping mood and cognition (Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2023).

Why This Matters for Burnout

You can’t think your way out of burnout. You can’t “cognitively reframe” your way into regulation if your physiology is still locked in high alert. Until the body feels safe, the mind will keep spinning.

That’s why taking care of your vagus nerve isn’t just a self-care trend — it’s a professional responsibility. If you’re dysregulated, it shows up in the room. Clients feel it. Families feel it. Your body feels it.

Start where you are. Hum for two minutes. Try one longer exhale. Add one fermented food to your week. Notice what shifts.

None of these things erase the stress of this moment in history, but they give your nervous system a fighting chance. They help you hold the line, not just for your clients, but for yourself.