Have you ever said, “I’m so burned out”?
These days, it is a phrase we hear everywhere, after long workweeks, endless meetings, or sleepless nights. But burnout is more than being tired. It is a deep level of exhaustion that rest alone does not fix. While not an official diagnosis, it is a well-recognized experience of chronic stress that can impact both mental and physical health.
What Burnout Feels Like
Burnout happens when stress goes unchecked for too long. It shows up when you are constantly giving your time, your energy, and your focus without replenishing yourself. It is especially common in high-pressure jobs, care giving roles, or when you are juggling too much with too little support.
At Therapeutic Horizons, we work with clients who describe burnout like this:
- “I feel like I’m running on empty.”
- “I used to be passionate about my work. Now I just dread it.”
- “I’m irritable all the time, even with people I love.”
Burnout does not stay in one area of your life. It spills over. You might feel emotionally numb, physically drained, or like you are just going through the motions. You might get sick more often, struggle with sleep, or feel detached from things that once mattered.
The Stress Cycle
When you are stressed, your body releases cortisol and adrenaline, designed to help you “fight or flee.” But when stress is constant, your nervous system gets stuck in overdrive. This can leave you feeling depleted, foggy, and more vulnerable to illness. Burnout is your body’s way of waving a red flag that something needs to change.
The Three Dimensions of Burnout
Researchers describe burnout as having three main parts:
- Exhaustion – feeling drained with nothing left to give.
- Cynicism and detachment – feeling negative or distant from work, people, or responsibilities.
- Reduced effectiveness – feeling like you can’t do things as well as you used to.
What Helps?
- Pause on purpose. Give yourself permission to rest without guilt. You do not have to earn it.
- Reevaluate your boundaries. Ask yourself: Where am I overextending? What can I say no to?
- Reconnect with what recharges you. Even a small daily ritual such as sitting in the sun, journaling, or spending time with a pet matters.
- Assess your environment. Sometimes burnout is not about you, but about unrealistic demands around you. Therapy can help identify what you can control and what may need to change externally.
The Role of Therapy
At Therapeutic Horizons, we use practical tools like stress-tracking, boundary-setting exercises, value clarification, and space to process what lies beneath. Often, burnout hides beliefs such as “I have to prove my worth” or “If I stop, everything will fall apart.” Therapy helps challenge these narratives and create new patterns.
Recovery from burnout is not about doing more. It is about doing things differently.
You do not have to stay exhausted to be valuable. You do not have to earn rest. You already deserve it.
If you are feeling drained, disconnected, or done, it is time to listen. Let’s work together to help you come back to life, not just survive it.
Therapeutic Horizons is here to listen and walk beside you. If you’d like to begin your journey with us, please contact us to learn more. If you ever feel unsafe or think you may harm yourself, please call or text 988, or go to your nearest hospital right away.