By Cristy Ozburn
Law enforcement professionals are burned out — there’s no question about it. Rotating shifts, conflicts with supervisors and coworkers, excessive overtime, community pressures, divisive political climates, media scrutiny and personal challenges all take a toll. I experienced this firsthand during my career as an FBI special agent.
But something you may not have realized is that burnout can significantly impact your financial future. That’s right — burnout isn’t just something that causes weight gain, sleep loss, anxiety, headaches, pain, illness, memory issues and hypervigilance. It can also lead to long-term financial pain and suffering. Let’s explore how this happens and what you can do to prevent it.
The impact of burnout on career longevity and retirement planning
Burnout is often characterized by exhaustion, cynicism and inefficacy. Chronic burnout over months and years can lead to physical, mental and lifestyle issues such as hypertension, obesity, heart disease, pain, digestive problems, frequent illnesses, cancer, substance abuse, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, PTSD, thoughts of suicide, isolation, poor communication, infidelity and divorce. The financial and personal costs of these challenges can quickly add up.
Excess healthcare costs
Burnout impacts both career longevity and retirement planning, particularly through out-of-pocket medical costs. It’s no surprise that healthcare in this country is expensive. However, for someone experiencing months or years of burnout, out-of-pocket expenses can add up quickly due to increased medical visits, counseling, medications and supplements. For example, if you invested $2,200 per year for 20 years at an 8% return rate instead of spending it on excess healthcare costs caused by burnout, you could have an extra $100,000 at retirement.
Vices
Cigarettes, chew, vapes, alcohol, coffee and energy drinks are common coping mechanisms for burnout, but they also worsen health outcomes and impact career longevity and retirement planning. Spending just $2 a day on any one of these habits adds up quickly. For example, if you invested that $2 per day for 20 years at an 8% return rate instead of spending it to cope with burnout, you could have an extra $33,000 at retirement. If you’re among the many law enforcement professionals who spend more, that figure could easily double or triple.
Income disruptions
Burnout can impact your income in several ways, including missed promotions, reduced overtime, sick leave and even early retirement. When you’re burned out, you lose motivation to perform at your best. One key sign of burnout is inefficacy, which is that pervasive feeling of ineffectiveness paired with the sense that no matter what you do, it doesn’t matter. You’ve probably experienced this feeling: “I’m constantly working, but I’m not making any difference. What’s the point of even going to work?”
Pursuing promotions and overtime opportunities requires physical, mental and emotional resources, which are things you simply don’t have when you’re burned out. If you’re barely able to get through a shift, how can you be expected to take on extra work? As a result, you get passed up for promotions and miss out on the financial benefits of overtime. Everyone’s situation is different, but it’s easy to see how this lost income can add up to tens of thousands of dollars over time.
Burnout can also lead to excessive sick leave or unpaid time off for medical or mental health treatment. This may involve multiple specialists and treatments to address the conditions you’ve developed over the years due to cumulative stress. In extreme cases, burnout can even result in disability or early retirement.
Many employees leave the workforce earlier than planned due to health issues. Everyone’s situation is different, but resigning before retirement or retiring earlier than expected can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost wages. This could be the difference between a comfortable retirement and one filled with financial struggles.
Divorce
Burnout can also impact your financial future through legal expenses, alimony and child support. You might be wondering how burnout leads to divorce. When you’re burned out, you’re emotionally drained and less present for your spouse, which often leads to poor communication, conflicts and a loss of connection and intimacy, eventually resulting in divorce.
Divorce can be costly, not just during the process but long after. In many cases, an ex-spouse is awarded a portion of your pension, permanently reducing your retirement checks. Add in alimony and years of child support, and you could easily be losing hundreds of thousands of dollars over time.
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How to build a whole health strategy that supports financial stability
While burnout can have serious financial consequences, you can turn things around. Burnout is reversible, but overcoming it requires an internal shift by changing your mindset, building resilience, and prioritizing your health and well-being. These elements are essential to recovery. If you’re experiencing burnout now, you know there’s no quick fix. But let’s explore the steps you can take to regain control and move forward.
Shifting mindset
Recognizing that you’re burned out and committing to change is crucial. You can’t afford not to. Mindset plays a key role in making lasting behavioral changes. It’s not as simple as “If you can think it, you can do it,” but shifting your mindset is where real change begins.
A powerful first step is to say out loud, “I don’t want to live like this anymore. I want to regain control over my life. I am committed to making the necessary changes to achieve my career and financial goals.” It may feel strange, but vocalizing this acknowledgment reinforces where you are today — burned out — and where you want to be — resilient.
Now, belief is key. You actually have to believe these thoughts. If you repeat these thoughts without genuinely believing them, the process won’t work. Visualize how great your life could be, now and in retirement, if you were no longer burned out. Imagine being financially secure, stress-free and in good health, both mentally and physically.
Building resilience
To build resilience, you need a clear plan. Without one, you’re just drifting, forced to react physically, mentally and emotionally to whatever comes your way. This leaves you inflexible and constantly on the defensive, a dangerous position for any law enforcement professional.
The opposite of being reactive is being resilient. When you are resilient, you have the physical, mental and emotional capacity to handle whatever comes your way. You are in control and proactively ready to deal with challenges. You are flexible and able to adapt. This is exactly where you want to be. But how do you build resilience to reverse burnout and prevent it from returning?
It takes action. You cannot simply think your way out of burnout or hope things improve on their own. You must change how you do things. Small daily changes can add up to big, impactful results over time. You need to systematically eliminate habits that do not serve you. Habits that hinder your health and financial goals should be replaced with those that help you achieve them. Here is a resilience-building checklist:
- 😴 Prioritize sleep – Set a consistent sleep schedule, even on days off. Sleep deprivation weakens decision-making, slows recovery, and increases long-term health risks.
- ⚡🚫 Limit stimulants – Energy drinks, nicotine and excessive caffeine may provide a short-term boost but worsen stress and disrupt sleep. Try cutting back, especially in the afternoon.
- 🏃♂️💪 Move daily – You don’t need a gym membership to build resilience. Just 10 to 15 minutes of stretching, walking, or bodyweight exercises can improve stress resilience and prevent burnout-related illness.
- ⏳🔕 Protect your off-duty time – Set clear boundaries. Avoid checking work emails or taking on extra tasks when you’re off the clock. Giving your brain time to decompress is essential.
- 🤝💙 Stay connected – Isolation fuels burnout. Talk to a spouse, a trusted friend, or a mentor to decompress and gain perspective.
- 🧐⚠️ Assess your burnout level weekly – If you find yourself constantly exhausted, dreading work, or feeling disengaged, recognize it as a red flag 🚩 and take corrective action.
By building resilience, you are not just reversing burnout and learning how to prevent it in the future, you are also safeguarding your financial future. Resilient law enforcement professionals are more likely to enjoy longer, more fulfilling careers without premature retirement or missed income opportunities. Additionally, by taking proactive steps today, you will likely spend less on healthcare expenses, allowing more of your money to go toward retirement.
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Prioritizing health and well-being
Prioritizing your health and well-being is essential to reversing and preventing burnout. The financial benefits of maintaining your health are significant. By taking care of your physical and mental health today, you can help avoid costly issues like heart disease, preserve your retirement funds and enjoy retirement without being plagued by illness.
Once you shift your mindset and commit to reversing burnout and building resilience, where do you start? Take a comprehensive look at your personal and professional life and identify the sources of your stress. Maybe it is your relationship with your spouse, lack of sleep, poor stress management, limited social connections or a combination of these. With so many areas to address, it can feel overwhelming to know where to begin. That is where a coach comes in.
Professional coaching can help you overcome burnout
Burnout is tough to navigate alone, and lasting change requires more than just good intentions. A coach can help you create a clear plan, build resilience and stay accountable as you work toward a healthier, more sustainable career.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, seeking guidance from someone who understands law enforcement challenges can make all the difference. Taking the first step toward recovery isn’t just about your health — it’s about securing your future.
About the author
Cristy Ozburn is a former FBI Special Agent and certified coach with Cristy Ozburn Whole Health + Wellness. She provides one-on-one resilience coaching to law enforcement professionals experiencing burnout. If you are looking to regain control over your health and your wealth, schedule a free consultation with Cristy at https://www.ozburnwholehealth.com.
