⚡ Burnout Doesn’t Look Like What You Think—Here’s How to Spot It Before It Swallows You Whole

We glamorize hustle. We romanticize being “booked and busy.” But here’s the truth no one wants to admit: burnout doesn’t start when you collapse—it starts when you convince yourself it’s fine.

I didn’t recognize it either—at first.

There was no dramatic crash. No public spiral. It came like a fog. Soft. Quiet. Creeping into the corners of my ambition until even my passions felt like burdens. And when I finally realized what was happening, I was already in deep.

This is a call for those who are just starting to feel off. Who suspect something is wrong but keep brushing it off. This is what burnout actually looks like, and how to pull yourself out—before you go completely dark.

💭 Burnout Doesn’t Just Mean You’re Overworked

You can be getting eight hours of sleep, eating decently, checking tasks off your list—and still be burning out.

Why?

Because burnout isn't just about doing too much. It’s about doing too much of the wrong things, for too long, without feeling meaning, rest, or support.

Burnout is emotional erosion.

Burnout is when the light in your eyes dims, but you keep showing up anyway.

Burnout is when success doesn’t feel like success anymore.

And no, it doesn’t always look like total collapse.

🚩 The Warning Signs No One Talks About

You’ve heard the textbook symptoms: exhaustion, brain fog, apathy. But here are the subtle signs I wish someone had told me to look for:

1. You wake up tired—no matter how long you slept.

Not sleepy. Not groggy. Tired, in your bones. As if your body has rest but your soul doesn’t.

2. You dread things you used to love.

Writing. Teaching. Creating. Socializing. Even eating well or moving your body. Everything becomes “one more thing.”

3. Small decisions feel overwhelming.

What to eat for dinner. Whether to respond to a text. Picking between two emails. Your mind hits a wall at the smallest fork in the road.

4. You’re emotionally flat—or unreasonably reactive.

You either feel nothing or everything. A spilled coffee breaks you. A compliment makes you cry. You’re not crazy. You’re depleted.

5. You fantasize about running away—not dying, just disappearing.

This is a massive red flag. If you're daydreaming about quitting everything or moving somewhere no one knows you, it’s your nervous system waving a red flag in your face.

⚙️ The Mechanics of Burnout: What’s Actually Happening

When you’re constantly in “go” mode, your sympathetic nervous system—your fight-or-flight response—stays activated. Cortisol (your stress hormone) is constantly elevated.

Over time, this leads to:

• Fatigue and hormonal imbalance
• Poor concentration and low motivation
• Sleep disruption
• Immune system suppression

Your body isn’t just tired. It’s malfunctioning. But here’s the worst part?

Burnout numbs your self-awareness. You stop realizing how bad it’s gotten.

🧭 Finding Your Way Back: 5 Powerful, Real-World Strategies

You don’t need a six-month sabbatical in Bali. You don’t need to quit your job overnight.

You need to start somewhere.

1. Name It

Stop pretending you’re “just tired.” Burnout thrives in denial. Say it out loud. “I think I’m burned out.” That one sentence can shift everything.

2. Audit Your Energy, Not Your Time

Forget to-do lists. Start tracking what drains you vs. what fuels you. Some tasks deplete you even if they’re quick. Some refuel you even if they take an hour. Learn the difference.

3. Reclaim Micro-Joys

You won’t heal all at once—but you can reconnect with life through tiny doses of joy: a good song, a walk without your phone, your favorite mug. Start there.

4. Do Less (But More Intentionally)

Cut the “shoulds.” Prioritize what’s essential. If you’re running on empty, don’t pour into five cups. Pour into one that matters.

5. Tell Someone

Shame loves silence. Burnout feeds on isolation. Talk to a friend, a therapist, a mentor—someone who sees you outside of your productivity.

🧠 A Final Word for the Strong Ones

If you’re reading this and thinking “But I’m not allowed to be tired—I haven’t even done that much”—you are exactly who needs to hear this.

• You don’t earn rest by suffering.
• You don’t prove your worth by breaking.
• You are allowed to be tired. You are allowed to rest. You are allowed to stop.

And when you do?

You may find that the strongest version of you isn’t the one who grinds until she cracks—but the one who knows when to pause. To breathe. To feel again.

✨ You’re Not Broken. You’re Just Tired.

Let yourself come home.

📌 This piece was written for Potent—where power doesn’t always mean force. Sometimes, it means healing.