Recognizing the Signs of Burnout — and How to Gently Find Your Way Back
Burnout doesn’t often arrive suddenly, with sirens and flashing lights. There’s no big ole sign saying “alert! You’re burnt out!” Often, it’s a slow creep. A steady drain. A dimming of your inner light and a growing heaviness in your mind-body system. One day, you realize you're exhausted — mentally, emotionally, physically fried. The things that once brought you joy are inaccessible. You may never feel truly rested, even after a good night’s sleep. You may feel detached, numb, or in survival mode.
Burnout is more than just being overworked or overwhelmed. It’s a state of chronic stress that results in emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and a reduced energy for being a part of the world. Burnout is also not exclusively the result of workplace stress. It can be the result of caregiving, parenting, studying, or the collective pressure to “do it all” and “keep it together.”
The Subtle Signs You Might Miss
The early signs of burnout can be subtle and easy to dismiss. This may include:
Chronic fatigue – feeling drained even after resting
Irritability or emotional reactivity, such as a burst of anger or tears
Difficulty concentrating or being present
Loss of motivation, even for things you used to enjoy
Physical symptoms like headaches, stomach issues, or frequent illness
Withdrawal from social connections or relationships
Negative self-talk or feelings of failure and inadequacy
A sense of dread—you’ve heard of the Sunday Scaries? Yeah, that feeling.
Recognizing these signs is the first step toward healing. The next is giving yourself permission to slow down and re-evaluate what you need.
Recovery Is Not a To-Do List
If you're burned out, your instinct might be to "fix it fast"—read a self-help book, meditate for 10 minutes, drink more water, and keep powering through. This sounds like the solution a burnt out mind-body system might come up with. Healing isn’t another task to check off your list. It's a process of unlearning hustle, quieting the noise (inside and outside), and reconnecting with what you truly need.
Here are a few compassionate steps you can take:
1. Acknowledge It Without Shame
Burnout is not a personal failure. It’s a human response to sustained stress, often in systems or environments that ask too much and give too little. You are not weak for reaching your limit. You are wise for recognizing it.
2. Create Space to Feel
Sometimes we avoid slowing down because we’re afraid of what we’ll feel when we do. But emotions need a safe space to be felt and released. When they get bottled up, we are setting ourselves up for emotional reactivity. So, cry. Journal. Scream into a pillow. Talk to someone you trust. Let it out without judgment.
3. Reclaim Rest as a Right
Rest isn’t laziness. It’s a biological and emotional necessity. Sleep, yes—but also rest in the form of stillness, nature, play, and disconnection from screens. Don’t just rest when you're done with everything, prioritize it, build it into your rhythms.
4. Reassess Your Boundaries
This one is important! Burnout often stems from too porous or broken boundaries. Ask yourself: Where am I saying “yes” when I mean “no”? Often our minds work at a different pace than our bodies do. So if you’re saying “yes” to something quickly, check in with your body. Is your body saying yes too? Consider what commitments no longer align with your values or capacity. It’s okay to step back. It’s okay to renegotiate.
5. Seek Support
One of the signs of burnout is isolation. So once you’ve realized you’re dealing with burnout, reach out — whether to a therapist or a trusted friend. Acknowledging aloud how you’re feeling and what you’re going through can bring some relief. It’s important to not just go it alone.
Recovery from burnout is not a return to who you were before—it’s becoming someone more attuned to your limits, your needs, and your worth. Burnout does not discriminate, but I notice it especially in the women who I work with. Many of whom are juggling a lot of roles and responsibilities. If this resonates with you, consider reaching out for therapeutic support to help reset and refresh.