Signs You’re Burnt Out: And How to Start Healing 🌿
Burnout doesn’t always show up in dramatic ways. More often, it creeps in quietly, disguising itself as tiredness, forgetfulness, or a growing disconnection from the things you once cared about.
You may not realize it until you’re too overwhelmed to even name what’s wrong. But your body always knows. And it will whisper until it has to shout.
🥀 Common (but often missed) Signs of Burnout:
You wake up tired no matter how much you’ve slept
You feel emotionally flat, numb, or more irritable than usual
Your creativity is gone and you're just going through the motions
Even simple tasks feel overwhelming or pointless
You feel disconnected from your work, your relationships, or even yourself
You avoid things you used to enjoy or procrastinate more than usual
You start feeling like “nothing will change” or “I can’t do this anymore”
If any of these sound familiar, you’re not lazy or broken. You’re likely burnt out and that matters.
🤕 What Burnout Really Is
Burnout isn’t just stress. It’s what happens when stress becomes chronic, and your body no longer feels safe to rest or recover.
In women especially, burnout is often linked to overgiving emotionally, physically, mentally. You may be carrying too many roles, responsibilities, and expectations with too little support. Eventually, your nervous system becomes stuck in survival mode.
🛑 First, Pause and Acknowledge It
The first step to healing burnout is simply acknowledging it. Say it out loud or write it down:
“I am burnt out. And I’m allowed to feel this way.”
Naming it is powerful. It gives your body permission to finally exhale.
🌸 How to Start Healing from Burnout
🍃Prioritize Rest in All Forms
Rest isn’t just about sleep. It also includes:
Mental rest: Taking breaks from decision-making and screen time
Emotional rest: Saying no to draining conversations
Social rest: Protecting your time and energy from people who deplete it
Spiritual rest: Creating space for stillness, prayer, or self-reflection
Rest doesn’t always mean doing nothing. Sometimes it just means doing less of what depletes you and more of what brings you peace.
🍃Let Yourself Feel
Numbness, disconnection, or irritability are signs that emotions are building up inside. Journaling can help move those emotions through.
Try writing:
“Right now, I feel…”
“I’m holding a lot of…”
“What I really need is…”
This is not about fixing everything, it’s about noticing what’s present without judgment.
🍂Create Micro-Moments of Nourishment
You don’t have to overhaul your life to begin healing. Start with small, doable shifts:
A quiet morning before your phone
Drinking water before your third cup of coffee
Saying no to one extra thing this week
Five deep breaths before answering that message
These moments of softness, stacked over time, begin to restore your nervous system and sense of self.
🍂Reconnect With Your Body
Burnout pulls you away from your body. Gentle, mindful practices help you return:
Practice the 5-5-7 breathing method.
🌱Inhale deeply through your nose for 5 seconds, hold your breath for 5 seconds, exhale slowly through your mouth for 7 seconds. You can repeat this cycle 4-6 times to reduce stress, calm your nervous system, and improve focus.
Grounding exercises like walking barefoot or stretching
Light, intentional movement (like yoga or a slow walk)
A 60-second body check-in: “Where am I holding tension right now?” “What can I do to release it?”
💬 A Gentle Reminder
Burnout is not a personal failure. It is a signal from your body and soul asking for something different. You are allowed to pause. You are allowed to heal.
The more compassion you offer yourself now, the more capacity you’ll have later to show up fully, to feel again, and to thrive.
You deserve a life that doesn’t exhaust you. 🌸