How to Recognize Burnout and Recover From It
You’re not just tired, you’re running on empty.
As a therapist who specializes in high-functioning anxiety and burnout in millennial women, I see this all the time. You keep showing up. You get things done. You look “fine” on the outside. You check all the boxes, holding it all together…until you can’t.
Burnout is everywhere right now. Between work, caregiving, friendships, relationships, and the never-ending pressure to be “on,” it’s no wonder so many women feel exhausted, disconnected, and stretched paper-thin.
Burnout is everywhere right now. Between work, relationships, caregiving, and the relentless pressure to “do it all,” it’s no wonder so many women are running on fumes. The good news? You can recover. Real rest, nervous-system repair, and therapy for burnout can help you find your footing again without losing your ambition or your edge.
What Burnout Actually Looks Like (It’s Not Always a Meltdown)
Burnout rarely shows up as one dramatic collapse. More often, it looks like functioning so well that no one realizes how much you’re struggling underneath.
In my therapy room, women often say things like:
“I’m exhausted but can’t slow down.”
“Everyone thinks I have it all together, but I feel like I’m falling apart behind the scenes.”
“I don’t recognize myself anymore.”
If any of that sounds familiar, here are common signs:
Physical signs of burnout:
Constant exhaustion no matter how much you sleep
Tension headaches, jaw clenching, or gut issues
Feeling “wired but tired,” like you can’t shut your brain off
Frequent illnesses or slow recovery
Emotional signs of burnout:
You cry over small things or feel totally numb
You dread work or social plans that used to excite you
You’ve lost your sense of purpose or motivation
Feeling detached, irritable, or overstimulated
Behavioral signs of burnout:
You scroll to escape, over-commit, or isolate
You say “yes” when your whole body wants to say “no”
You run on caffeine and adrenaline instead of rest
Isolating because you have no energy to “people”
Chronic stress actually changes the brain’s wiring impacting mood, energy, and focus (McEwen, 2017). That’s why burnout isn’t just “in your head.” It’s a full-body experience that needs real recovery.
Why Ignoring Burnout Makes It Worse
If you’ve ever told yourself, “It’s just a busy season,” I see you, and I’ve been there. LOTS of times. burnout doesn’t magically resolve when the calendar clears.
Ignoring the signs of burnout can lead to:
Chronic anxiety or depression
Emotional detachment from work or relationships
Brain fog, decision fatigue, and decreased productivity
Physical symptoms or illness
Resentment toward people or responsibilities you actually care about
The World Health Organization (WHO, 2019) classifies burnout as an “occupational phenomenon” caused by chronic stress that hasn’t been successfully managed (WHO, 2019). Ignoring the signs can delay recovery and deepen the emotional and physical toll.
How Therapy Helps With Burnout Recovery
This is where therapy comes in…not as one more thing to add to your to-do list to “fix,” but as a space to exhale and learn how to release what isn’t serving you for good.
In therapy for burnout, we’ll slow things down in order to:
Identify your burnout triggers and patterns of over-functioning - perfectionism, people-pleasing, chronic caregiving - these patterns didn’t come from nowhere. We’ll explore where they started and why they feel so hard to set down.
Build boundaries that actually stick (without the guilt hangover) - learn boundaries that protect your time, energy, and emotional bandwidth. Click here if you’re ready to start setting boundaries right away.
Reconnect with your values and what actually matters to you - burnout pulls you away from what matters. Therapy helps you rebuild a life that aligns with who you are, not who you’re “supposed” to be.
Learn nervous-system regulation tools to get out of survival mode - burnout keeps your system stuck in fight-or-flight. You’ll learn practical tools to calm your body, settle your thoughts, and access safety again.
At Real Well Therapy, I help anxious overachievers and high-functioning women learn to rest and still get sh*t done. Burnout recovery isn’t about giving up your goals, it’s about creating a life that doesn’t cost you your health or peace.
Therapy gives you structure, perspective, and tools to rebuild balance so you can stop running on empty and make more room for the things that bring you joy.
The Bottom Line
Recovering from burnout doesn’t happen through pushing harder. Real healing comes from slowing down, listening to your body, building boundaries that protect your peace, and creating routines that support your nervous system instead of draining it. Be gentle with yourself as you experiment with rest, boundaries, and balance. Even small changes can create big shifts over time.
How Therapy Can Help
As an anxiety therapist in Austin and Colorado, I help women with high-functioning anxiety and burnout learn how to rest without guilt, reconnect with themselves, and find balance again. If you’re ready to stop running on empty, schedule a consultation or call 512-686-7009 to start.
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