10 Phrases to Leave Behind in 2025 (And What to Say Instead in 2026)

The calendar changed. Your burnout didn’t.

A new year doesn’t magically erase moral distress, overload, or the fatigue that’s been building since long before the holidays. But the way we talk about work, rest, responsibility, and ourselves does shape how we experience them.

So instead of setting unrealistic resolutions, here’s a healthier approach for 2026:
Retire the language that kept you stuck in burnout—and replace it with words that make space for recovery, clarity, and agency.

Here are 10 phrases to leave in 2025, and what to say instead this year.

1. “It’s fine. I’ll just handle it.”

Say instead: “I can help—but not on this timeline, or not without support.”
Because saying yes to everything is not responsibility. It’s avoidance of conflict at your own expense.

2. “Everyone is counting on me.”

Say instead: “This matters, but it doesn’t depend entirely on me.”
Burnout grows in isolation. Healthy teams share the work—and the weight.

3. “This is just how it is here.”

Say instead: “Something has to change, and I’m willing to start the conversation.”
Acceptance is not the same as resignation. One keeps you sane. The other keeps you stuck.

4. “I’ll rest when things slow down.”

Say instead: “Rest is part of how I keep going.”
Things won’t slow down. Burnout isn’t cured by waiting for calm—it’s prevented by building rest into the chaos.

You can take breaks along the path of service.

5. “If I don’t do it, no one will.”

Say instead: “If I am the only one who can do this, we have a systems problem.”
Martyrdom is not a winning strategy.

6. “I can push through.”

Say instead: “My limits aren’t the problem, they are what make me human.”
Pushing through is how people end up in urgent care, HR meetings, or drafting resignation emails at 2 a.m.

7. “It’s selfish to say no.”

Say instead: “Saying no allows me to say yes to the things that matter.”
Neither your time nor your energy are infinite.

8. “I don’t have time to think about what I want.”

Say instead: “Pursing personal desires isn’t just for others—it’s for me, too.”
If you’re not directing your life, exhaustion will.

9. “Other people have it worse.”

Say instead: “Pain isn’t a competition. Mine still deserves attention.”
Compassion for others shouldn't require neglecting yourself.

10. “This is normal.”

Say instead: “It’s common. That doesn’t make it healthy.”
Burnout may be common in healthcare, leadership, education, or corporate life—but that doesn’t mean it’s acceptable.

Want a Clearer Starting Point for 2026?

If you're not sure where your burnout level really is heading into the new year, take two minutes and find out here:
MyBurnoutTest.com

Looking Ahead

In 2026, don’t promise to be stronger, tougher, or more resilient.
Promise to be more honest.
With your energy. Your limits. Your values. Your voice.

If your organization needs a speaker or workshop on burnout, moral distress, or creating a healthier workplace culture this year, you can check my availability here:
https://patrickriecke.com/live-presentations

Or, if you want ongoing resources, reflection tools, and a recovery path you can actually follow—explore The Burnout Hub:
https://www.myburnouthub.com/learn-more

2025 Round-Up

As the year comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on just how many miles, conversations, and meaningful moments this work has included.

This year took me to eight states and into conference rooms, hospitals, universities, and retreat centers across the country. Every space was filled with people doing hard, important work—often under immense pressure, and often while quietly carrying more than anyone sees.

Below are a few snapshots from the road and the rooms where we gathered.

Where the Work Took Me This Year

January

• First Friday Indiana

• Fairlawn Retirement – Ohio

February

• University of Memphis

• Loewenberg School of Nursing – Tennessee

• Carle Health – Illinois

March

• Perinatal Symposium – Indiana

April

• Book Release Events

• Oncology Nursing Society – Colorado

May

• Dialysis Clinic, Inc. – Florida

• Nurses Week Events – Indiana

• CASAH – California

June & July

• Adams Health Leadership Series

• Completion of The Burnout Hub

August

• Great Lakes Trauma Conference

September

• Grow Allen

• Burnout Conference – Indiana

October

• Inaugural Monthly Coaching Call

• Hosted Laura with Dignity Care Network – United Kingdom

November & December

• Indiana Emergency Medical Society

• Emergency Nurses Association

• POHMS – Pennsylvania

• Indiana Workers Compensation Institute

What Stood Out

What stood out most wasn’t the travel or the stages—although both were genuinely meaningful.

It was the honesty.
And, at times, the desperation.

People were willing to name what’s hard.
Leaders were open about what they don’t have figured out.
Teams were hungry for something more practical than recycled “self-care” slogans.

Across keynotes, workshops, retreats, and small-group conversations, the themes were remarkably consistent:

• People want to do meaningful work

• They want to stay well enough to keep doing it

• And they want solutions that go beyond surface-level advice

Those conversations—real, unscripted, and sometimes uncomfortable—are what keep me doing this work.

Looking Ahead to 2026

Many organizations are already planning for 2026. Others are just beginning those conversations.

If your organization is thinking about:

• Burnout prevention

• Leadership wellbeing

• Healthcare workforce sustainability

• Or creating space for more honest, practical conversations

…I’d love to be part of that discussion.

And if you know someone who books keynote speakers, workshops, or retreats, feel free to pass this along.

Thank you to every leader, clinician, educator, and team who trusted me with their stories this year. The work continues—and the conversation matters.

Christmas in Healthcare: Remembering Those Who Work While the World Celebrates

As Christmas approaches each year, I find myself thinking about what the holidays were really like when I worked in healthcare.

For many people, Christmas Eve is quiet—family gathered, lights glowing, the day winding down. But for those of us who have worked in hospitals or healthcare systems, the holidays often look very different.

I remember lying awake late on Christmas Eve, my family asleep down the hall, replying to text messages from our chaplain who was working overnight at the hospital. Even in those quiet hours, the hospital never truly slept. Patients still needed care. Families still needed comfort. And healthcare workers kept showing up—steady, present, and compassionate—through the night.

The Reality of Working Holidays in Healthcare

Healthcare doesn’t pause for holidays. Illness doesn’t wait. Crisis doesn’t check the calendar.

For many nurses, physicians, chaplains, social workers, technicians, and leaders, Christmas means:

• Being on call

• Covering overnight or extended shifts

• Responding to urgent texts and pages

• Holding emotional space for patients and families during deeply vulnerable moments

While much of the world is resting, healthcare workers are often carrying both professional responsibility and personal sacrifice at the same time. That weight—especially when repeated year after year—can quietly contribute to burnout.

A Word of Gratitude

If you’re working this Christmas—on the floor, on call, covering a shift, answering messages, or quietly holding space for others—I want to say this clearly:

Thank you.

Your presence matters.
Your sacrifice matters.
And it is deeply understood by those of us who have lived that responsibility.

This work takes more than skill. It takes emotional endurance, moral courage, and an ability to show up even when your own reserves are low. That’s not something to minimize or romanticize—it’s something to acknowledge honestly.

Why Conversations About Burnout Matter—Especially Now

The holidays can intensify burnout in healthcare. Long shifts, staffing shortages, emotional labor, and time away from loved ones all compound during this season.

That’s why conversations about burnout prevention and recovery are so important—especially among people who care deeply about their work.

I’m grateful for everyone who has been part of that conversation this year:

• Naming what’s hard

• Acknowledging moral distress

• Recognizing limits without guilt

• And exploring what sustainable care—for ourselves and others—can actually look like

Burnout thrives in silence. Awareness, honesty, and shared language are part of how we interrupt it.

Honoring All Ways of Marking This Season

I also want to acknowledge that not everyone celebrates Christmas—and that many people experience this season differently. For some, it’s joyful. For others, it’s complicated, heavy, or quietly endured.

Wherever you find yourself this time of year, my hope is that you’re able to find moments of rest, grounding, and connection—however that looks for you.

Looking Ahead

As this year comes to a close, I’m reminded that caring professions need more than gratitude—they need systems, cultures, and leadership that make sustainability possible.

Thank you for being part of the ongoing effort to do this work more honestly and more humanely.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and wishing all of you a steady, meaningful start to the New Year.

Panic attacks and mantras

Panic attacks and mantras.

Anyone who has transitioned out of traditional W2 work understands the anxiety that I've felt for the last two years.

As a healthcare leader, my paycheck arrived every two weeks--at a predictable time and with a predictable amount.

Now that I speak, write, and coach fulltime, nothing is predictable about the pay.

Like many people, especially men my age, I tend to tie my worth to my income.

That has been problematic for me in this season. You see, my income varies widely from month to month.

Have I experienced months when I didn't earn anything at all?
Yes.

Have I had months when I earned 3-4x what I earned as a healthcare leader?
Also, yes.

The wild swings are like a financial roller coaster.

Not long ago, my brain started catastrophizing our finances. It was a low month, which followed another low month.

My inner dialogue became progressively more dark.

"You're never going to make it."
"You're ruining your family's financial situation."
"You don't have what it takes to run a business."

One Friday morning, my brain was abusing my heart.

I felt a familiar panic start to rise.

When I am feeling fearful about money, everything is triggering.

The darkness closed in.
I had to leave the house.
Some fresh air and a coffeeshop helped abate the overwhelm, but only temporarily.

Back at home, I dove into our finances, calculating just "how bad" things could become. The picture wasn't rosy.

On Sunday, I decided to journal and deep dive again. Not into our finances. But into my own brain and emotions around money.

What was my brain telling me on Friday?
It was saying--"You are going to financially bankrupt your family."

So, I decided to test the veracity of that claim.
I did some math on what it would take for us to actually go bankrupt.

I assumed worst case scenarios for the coming years, since that's what my brain wants to adhere to when I am the darkness.

When I was done, the math told me that we'd have to experience at least four years of "worst-case-scenario" finances to even approach bankruptcy.

Huh.

It was time to take my own medicine.

I encourage burned out people to develop mantras about their stress.
The ones that have worked for me in the past were:
"Things can change at any time." and
"It's not my job to save the world."

But in this new season, I need new mantras.

So, here they are.

1. I am living my dream
For years, I dreamt about speaking and writing full time. Now, that's exactly what I am doing.

2. I can help.
Burnout is an epidemic that is hurting so many people and organizations. I can help with that.

3. Bankruptcy is at least four years away.
This mantra, which is a little tongue-in-cheek, acknowledges the ups and downs. But it reminds me that I can't ruin my family's life TODAY.

What mantras are carrying you through your dark times?

When ACA Health Insurance Premiums Rise, Moral Distress Rises Too

Yesterday, we paid our January premium for our ACA health insurance plan.

It was more than four times our December premium.

At the same time, we now have one fewer eligible family member on the plan—and higher out-of-pocket costs.

Less insurance.
At four times the price.

After more than a decade on my employer’s health plan, my wife and I knew that the transition from W-2 employment to running our own business would come with a learning curve. We expected complexity. We expected paperwork.

What we didn’t expect was how quickly health insurance costs would climb to a level that made me seriously wonder:

Would we actually be better off with no insurance at all? Just going fully self-pay?

That question alone should give us pause.

Still, I don’t want to spend my time simply bemoaning my own increased costs—or even the skyrocketing health insurance premiums facing millions of Americans right now. I don’t want to pin this on one political party or another.

And I don’t even want to repeat the well-worn (and true) statement that the United States is the only high-income country where people routinely fear financial collapse when they get sick or injured.

I won’t retell the story of my teenage daughter worrying aloud about money while we were on the phone with 911 during a health crisis.

Even though all of that is real.

Why I’m Most Concerned About Healthcare Workers

The group I’m most worried about right now isn’t small business owners like me.

It’s healthcare workers.

Why?

Because healthcare professionals enter this work with a clear purpose: to provide excellent care for their patients.

But that purpose is increasingly undermined when:

• A patient says, “I can’t afford that test. I’ll have to pay for it all out of pocket.”

• A cancer patient has to stop working and can’t find an affordable option for immediate health coverage.

• Someone delays care altogether, terrified of the ambulance bill or the emergency room charge.

In moments like these, delivering excellent care can feel nearly impossible.

This is where moral distress takes hold.

One of the most powerful antidotes to healthcare worker burnout is the belief that your work is making a difference. That your effort matters. That the system allows you to help.

Rising healthcare and insurance costs are steadily pushing that antidote out of reach.

The hearts of healthcare providers are breaking—not because they don’t care, but because they care deeply and can see what’s coming. They know that people who need coverage will lose it. They know patients will delay care. They know outcomes will suffer.

And they’re being asked to carry that weight every day.

P.S. Thanks to Dan Sherman for a recent session that helped illuminate just how significant this coming increase in moral distress may be.