The Truth About Burnout: It’s More Than Just Exhaustion

Burnout isn’t just being tired—it’s the body and mind's cry for help after too much stress for too long. Many people associate burnout only with working too hard, but it goes deeper than that. Burnout is emotional, mental, and even spiritual exhaustion. It’s waking up tired, feeling numb during the day, and collapsing into bed without feeling like anything you did mattered.

What causes burnout? It’s not always a high-powered job. Caregivers, parents, students, and even those in helping professions like nurses and therapists are at risk. Burnout can also stem from unresolved trauma, people-pleasing habits, and lack of boundaries.

Symptoms include chronic fatigue, irritability, cynicism, brain fog, and detachment from work or relationships. You may stop enjoying things that once brought joy. And you might feel guilty for not being able to “push through” like you used to.

In therapy, we look at the root causes of your burnout. Maybe you’re saying yes to too much. Maybe you’ve internalized the idea that rest equals laziness. Together, we rebuild your identity around your values—not your productivity.

We’ll also work on boundaries, stress regulation, and finding small ways to restore joy. Recovery isn’t about quitting everything. It’s about learning to work and live in ways that don’t cost you your health.

Burnout is reversible. You don’t have to earn rest—you’re allowed to need it.