How to Recognize Burnout and Recover From It

TL;DR

Burnout isn’t just being “a little tired.” It’s your body and mind saying, “We can’t keep living like this.” Learn how to recognize the signs of burnout, why ignoring it makes things worse, and how therapy can help you recover through rest, boundaries, and nervous system repair.

You’re strong, capable, and probably the one everyone counts on.
But lately? You’re running on caffeine, autopilot, and guilt.

Sound familiar?

That’s burnout — and it’s everywhere. Especially among people juggling jobs, caregiving, perfectionism, and emotional labor like it’s an Olympic sport. It’s not a flaw in your character; it’s a sign your system has been in survival mode for too long.
The good news? Burnout is reversible once you learn to listen to what your body’s been trying to say.

Recognizing the Signs of Burnout

Burnout doesn’t always show up as dramatic collapse — sometimes it’s the slow fade of your spark.

Here are some signs to watch for:

Physical Signs

• Constant fatigue, no matter how much you sleep

• Tension headaches, body aches, or getting sick more often

• Trouble focusing or remembering things

Emotional Signs

• Feeling detached, irritable, or emotionally flat

• Cynicism or dread about things that used to excite you

• Guilt for not “doing enough,” even when you’re doing everything

Behavioral Signs

• Withdrawing from people or numbing out with work, food, or scrolling

• Overcommitting and then crashing

• Feeling like rest is “wasting time”

If you read that list and thought, yep, that’s me, your nervous system is waving a white flag.

Why Ignoring Burnout Makes It Worse

Here’s the hard truth: powering through doesn’t make burnout disappear — it makes it louder.

When you ignore it, you risk:

• Physical exhaustion: chronic stress can lead to inflammation, hormonal imbalance, and immune issues.

• Emotional disconnection: you stop feeling joy, motivation, or even interest in things you love.

• Relationship strain: irritability and isolation take over, especially when you feel misunderstood.

Ignoring burnout is like driving with the check-engine light on and turning up the radio so you don’t have to hear the sound. Eventually, something breaks.

How Therapy Helps With Burnout Recovery

Therapy gives you space to slow down, make sense of what’s happening, and rebuild your energy from the inside out.

Here’s what that looks like:

• Identifying what’s draining you: not just the surface stressors, but the perfectionism, people-pleasing, or unhealed wounds that keep you pushing past your limits.

• Learning regulation tools: therapy helps you reconnect with your body, calm your nervous system, and rewire the “go, go, go” patterns that keep you stuck.

• Creating new boundaries: you’ll learn to say no without guilt and yes only when it aligns with your capacity.

• Restoring balance: we’ll rebuild your relationship with rest, productivity, and self-worth — so you can feel alive again, not just functional.

Because burnout recovery isn’t about “fixing” yourself — it’s about remembering you were never supposed to live in overdrive.

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

If you’re exhausted, numb, or caught in cycles of overfunctioning, therapy can help you rebuild safety, rest, and self-trust.

📍 In-person intensives in Gilbert, AZ 

👉🏽 Schedule your free 15-minute consultation
Let’s explore therapy for burnout recovery — and start feeling like yourself again.

🤎🌿✨

About the author

Karla Storey is a licensed trauma therapist based in Gilbert, Arizona and the founder of Anthology Collective. She specializes in helping high-achieving women heal from emotional neglect, perfectionism, and hyper-independence using EMDR, somatic therapy, and parts work. Karla offers both weekly sessions and EMDR intensives for clients who are ready to stop performing and start feeling. Her approach is warm, real, and rooted in lived experience – because she’s done the healing work too.