Burnout Recovery: Because I’m Too Young to Feel This Old

Super excited for White Lotus Season 2!

The Wake-Up Call: When Burnout Catches Up With You

For most of my life, I didn’t just juggle responsibilities—I collected them. I reveled in being able to do all the things for all the people all the time. People-pleasing on steroids. The more I could handle, the more valuable I felt. If someone said, “I don’t know how you do it all!” or “Where do you find the energy?” it wasn’t just a compliment—it was my fuel. Proof that I was worthy. Proof that I was enough.

And I probably would have kept going forever if it weren’t for two things: my body shutting down and the forced slowdown of work at my last job.

At first, the slowdown felt like an opportunity—I could finally get to all the things I had been neglecting! Cook dinner every night. Keep the house spotless. Be the perfect, present, doting sister, daughter, friend, neighbor, wife and mother. But then, my body wouldn’t even let me do that. Suddenly, I wasn’t just stuck with free time—I was stuck with myself. No distractions. No productivity to hide behind. Just me, my thoughts, and the uncomfortable realization that I had been avoiding myself for years.

That’s when I knew something deeper was wrong. I had spent so long defining my worth by how much I could give to others that I never once stopped to ask what I actually needed. I thought I was being productive—I was actually running myself into the ground.

Burnout is Sneaky: How It Shows Up in Your Body

Burnout doesn’t hit you like a brick wall. It seeps in slowly, convincing you that you just need more caffeine, more focus, more discipline, more efficiency.

For me, the signs were there long before I admitted them. Overstimulation. Brain fog. Shortness of breath. Stomach pain. Feeling drained no matter how much I slept. The way I’d forget simple things or find myself midsentence staring across from someone with just absolutely no idea what I was talking about. And still, I thought, I just need to push through.

Here’s something I wish I had understood sooner: speed creates heat, and heat creates inflammation in our body. When we never slow down, our bodies stay in a constant state of stress. That stress doesn’t disappear—it lingers, causing tension, pain, exhaustion, and even serious health problems. I wasn’t just “tired.” I was shutting down.

What Actually Helps? (Hint: It’s Not Just “Self-Care”)

Burnout recovery isn’t about bubble baths, pedicures, and brunch. Those are fun things to do, but they don't honor what's probably lurking in your body. It’s about intentional recovery—actively undoing the damage that hustle culture, and subsequently burnout, have inflicted on your nervous system, your body, and your sense of self-worth. Here’s what’s been helping me:

• Float Therapy – You know those sensory deprivation tanks with lots of salt a la Stranger Things? They've been a lifesaver for me and not just because they eliminate any sensations (though if you’re someone who gets overstimulated easily, that alone is a game changer). It’s about feeling weightless. Literally. The water is heated to the exact temperature of your skin, so after a few minutes, you don’t even recognize you’re in water. There’s no pressure, no resistance. The weight of gravity, of your burdens, your fears, your worries—gone. In the dark, you feel like you’re floating in the cosmos, at one with the universe. The Epsom salts work their magic, easing stress and relieving aches and pains. It quiets my mind and resets my nervous system, which is the closest I’ve ever gotten to true inner peace. And yes, it does make me feel like I'm as strong as Eleven!

• Therapy – I had to fire my old therapist after nearly four years of substandard care, and I almost didn’t have the energy to start over. The thought of retelling my story, digging through all the same traumas again—it was exhausting just thinking about it. But when my husband and I started couples therapy at a new practice, I realized just how much better therapy could be. So I made the switch. And in just one year, I’ve done more real work with my new therapist than I did in four. She challenges me. She pushes me. She gives me strength. And I am so, so glad I didn’t let the dread of starting over keep me stuck. If you’ve been on the fence about therapy or making a change with your current provider, consider this your sign that it’s okay to start fresh with someone who truly supports your growth. Don't think about the sunk costs!

• Staying Connected – Burnout has a way of isolating us. When we’re constantly running around doing everything for everyone else, we sacrifice real connection to our own detriment. And when burnout fully sets in, the tendency to withdraw can make things even worse. It can be hard to reach out, but communication is a two-way street—your friends and family may be going through their own struggles or have just grown used to you always being busy. You can start the conversation too. It’s okay to need others. It’s part of our DNA as human beings.

• Setting Boundaries – This one? So hard!! Setting boundaries when you’ve spent your life proving your worth through over-functioning feels impossible. But it was critical for me. I realized I not only wasn't setting boundaries in my work life, but I also was making myself too available even to my own family. I was trying to do everything at home, too. Wracking myself with guilt over forgetting something at the store or not having the kids clothes washed and folded by Sunday morning, not cleaning the entire downstairs every Saturday, getting take out instead of a homemade meal... I realized at nearly 40 years old that I require alone time and LOTS of it. I traded in guilt over being away from them to realizing I could be better for them taking that time away. And I also advocate for them to do the same. I also did a culling of energy vampires. Folks that drained me or constantly moved the goal post had to GO.

• Finding a Doctor Who Listens to Me – One of the hardest parts of healing is advocating for yourself in a medical system that often gaslights patients—especially when labs come back 'normal' and traditional diagnoses don’t fit. It has felt almost impossible to find a doctor that actually listened to me. In fact, I went through many of them. It was hard and sometimes humiliating, especially when they would point to my weight as the primary driver of my symptoms. But if you've read my previous blog post, you know that I am sporting 6-7 illnesses atm despite being told for a year "You look healthy!" So don’t give up. You know your body better than anyone else. Be relentless. Keep pushing until you find someone who listens, who validates your experience, and who’s willing to dig deeper. Your health depends on it. 

What do you do to help with burnout? Acupuncture? Yoga? Meditation? 

The Hardest Part: Letting Go of the Guilt

Even when we know we need rest, there’s this nagging voice that whispers, Shouldn’t you be doing something productive?

That’s hustle culture talking. That's the "you're not good enough and you'll never be" marketing that is in our faces 24/7. It’s convinced us that rest is something we “earn” rather than something we need. But rest isn’t a break from being productive. Rest is what allows you to be the best you possible!

Your Worth is Not Tied to Your Output

Burnout recovery is not a weekend fix. It’s a process—one that requires undoing years (or decades) of conditioning. But it’s worth it. Because at the end of the day, you are not valuable because of what you produce. You are valuable because you are human. You are valuable because you are you.

In the next post, we’re flipping the script. What happens when organizations actually support their people instead of draining them? Let’s talk about it.