Signs that you’re burning out 🕯

I recently went through a tough bout of burnout. Despite years of experience, I thought I had learned how to prevent it, but the truth is—it still honestly hits hard when it comes.

I’m on the stance that having a healthy amount of stress is good—it shows that you’re growing and learning to be resilient. But when is the breaking point between stress and burnout? How can you tell when it’s gone too far?

From my experience, it’s important to recognise the signs early before you’re completely burnt out. Fatigue, frustration, feeling numb, or losing the energy to care are all early signals. Stress can be temporary and managed with rest or self-care, but burnout is much deeper. It drains you emotionally, mentally, and even physically, requiring more time to recover.

I used to think pushing through was a sign of strength, but I’ve learned that identifying these warning signs is actually the key to preventing burnout. It’s about knowing when to step back, recharge, and take care of yourself—before you reach the point of exhaustion.

There’s a fine line between manageable stress and the onset of burnout, and it’s not always easy to spot when you're in the thick of it. For me, the first signs were subtle—feeling more fatigued than usual, snapping at small things, and constantly dreading work.

At first, I brushed it off as normal stress, thinking I just needed to push through. But over time, those feelings intensified. I became emotionally drained, physically exhausted, and disconnected from everything, even things I normally enjoyed.

In hindsight, I realised there were clear signs I should have paid attention to. Fatigue that no amount of sleep could fix, frequent illness from a weakened immune system, and an overwhelming sense of cynicism and detachment. When you stop caring not just about work, but about things you once loved, that's a major red flag 🚩🚩

The hardest part? Realising that burnout requires more than a weekend off to recover. It takes real rest, a reset in mindset, and sometimes, a change in routine or boundaries.

If you’re starting to feel these symptoms creep in, don’t ignore them like I did. It’s your body and mind telling you to slow down and reassess.

#burnout #mentalhealth #mentalwellness #selfimprovement #RealTalk #GirlTalk