Name the Weight: What Burnout Feels Like and Why It Matters

Part of our “Still Standing” Series at Empower Yoga Hartwell

What is Burnout?

I want to be open and personal as we move into this month’s theme... because burnout isn’t just something I’ve researched, it’s something I’ve lived, and am currently learning and living through.

I used to think burnout just meant being “really tired”, something we all go through, something normal, expected, even earned. But I’ll never forget the moment I broke down in tears in front of my therapist, trying to explain what I was feeling… or, more accurately, what I wasn’t feeling:

I’d gone numb. I was so far past exhaustion that I didn’t even recognize myself. Things I loved didn't bring me joy any more. In fact, I was so afraid I might never feel joy again. Through the tears I expressed fear at who I was, and whether I'd ever feel like I'd be myself again. "What I am hearing is you're not just tired. You're burned out." My therapist explained. And this learning journey began.

I once heard someone describe burnout as “your brain pulling the emergency brake.” and that hit me hard.

Burnout isn’t just being tired. It’s being too tired.

It’s your body and mind screaming for something to change.

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. Burnout doesn’t just happen from doing too much. It happens when you keep doing without support, without rest, without space to breathe... until you just can't do anything at all. You aren't just struggling to keep going: you have hit a wall that will not let you move forward until you address what's happening in your body and mind.

So this month, I’m passing on what I’ve learned (well, and what I’m still learning) in hopes it helps you recognize burnout in your own body and start to rebuild from a place of care, not collapse.

What's the difference between burnout and stress?

When we confuse burnout for just "normal stress", we run the risk of pushing ourselves more and more... we just have to try harder, right? But when trying harder doesn't work - because it never works - we feel worse and worse about ourselves. We might begin to think we are lazy, or that there's something wrong with us, when in reality we've simply run out of fumes.

• Stress is typically short-term and tied to specific pressures—like a deadline, a busy week, or a big decision. Stress might just need a day off, a walk, a deep breath.

• Burnout, on the other hand, is what happens when that stress never truly lets up. It builds and builds until the body and mind reach a state of depletion, disconnect, and often a loss of motivation or hope. It needs support, rest, boundaries, and healing.

According to WebMD and MentalHealth UK, burnout shows up as:

• Exhaustion: Feeling physically and emotionally drained, even after rest

• Mental Distance: Detachment from responsibilities or a sense of numbness

• Negativity: Cynicism, frustration, or feeling like everything is pointless

• Reduced Efficacy: Struggling to complete tasks, or feeling like nothing you do makes a difference

And it can affect every part of your life, not just your job.

Burnout from parenting, caregiving, emotional labor, activism, or simply trying to keep everything afloat is VERY real and often overlooked.



Physically, burnout might show up as:

• Fatigue that sleep and rest doesn't help

• Headaches, muscle tension, body pain

• Digestive issues

• Insomnia or oversleeping

Emotionally and behaviorally, it might present as:

• Feeling helpless, irritable, unmotivated, or emotionally flat

• Procrastinating even things you enjoy

• No longer enjoying things you used to

• Withdrawing or shutting down

• Using food, alcohol, or screen time to numb

• Being so tired you can't do anything, but even when you aren't doing anything, it doesn't seem to help

And here's the kicker: when burnout hits, we often blame ourselves.

We call it laziness.

We feel guilt for not “doing more.”

But these reactions only deepen the burnout.



Burnout and Neurodiversity

Burnout isn’t just being tired. It’s is a deep disconnection from your energy, your clarity, and often even from your sense of self. However, if you live with ADHD or other forms of neurodivergence, you may be even more familiar with this cycle.

Masking, navigating executive dysfunction, or managing sensory input takes real energy, and when those internal resources run out, burnout can feel even more extreme and jarring, like losing access to your own brain.



Burnout when you're neurodivergent might feel like:

• Constant fatigue

• Trouble concentrating or feeling motivated

• Emotional numbness or reactivity

• A fog you can’t quite shake

• Feeling like you’re not “yourself”

When these things are already a struggle on a regular day, adding burnout to the ND mix becomes even more extreme.

Why Naming It Matters

It's not an uncommon question or argument: what's the point in labels or diagnoses? What's the point in giving a natural reaction a name or a "why"? Does it make it easier? Not necessarily, but when we don’t realize what’s happening (or why), we tend to internalize it.

We tell ourselves we’re lazy, failing, weak. What's wrong with me?!

We try to push through it or beat ourselves up to “snap out of it.” I'm not doing enough.

But burnout doesn’t respond to pressure. It responds to care, honesty, and rest.

Naming burnout is an act of resistance.

It’s saying, “I am not broken—I am carrying too much.” It lets us stop blaming and start listening.



This Week’s Reflection & Practice

🖊️ Journal Prompt: What’s been feeling heavy lately? How do you know when you're approaching burnout—physically, emotionally, mentally?

🧘‍♀️ Mini Practice: Take 3–5 minutes to sit or lie down. Place one hand on your heart and one on your belly. Breathe slowly and deeply. Just notice what you feel. No judgment. No fixing. Just presence.



Reminder: You are allowed to pause. Pausing doesn’t mean you’re giving up... it means you’re listening.



If this resonates with you, please know you’re not alone.

These next few weeks are for you.

One breath, one journal entry, one stretch at a time.

You are reclaiming your energy, your voice, your peace.



Feel free to join us for a class, or simply follow along here.

This space is yours.