The Weight of Invisible Stress: Are You Running on Empty?

There’s a kind of exhaustion that sleep doesn’t fix. You know the feeling—the one where you wake up tired, no matter how many hours you’ve had. Where everything feels like a little too much effort. Where even fun things, things you used to look forward to, seem like just another item on the to-do list.

I see this all the time in my practice. People who look like they have it all together but are secretly holding on by a thread. They’re juggling work, family, friendships, responsibilities—keeping all the plates spinning—but inside, they’re drained. Checked out. Numb.

I get it. I really do. Because I’ve been there, too.

Burnout isn’t always dramatic. It doesn’t always announce itself with a full-blown breakdown. More often, it’s quiet. It creeps in gradually, like a slow leak in a tire. You tell yourself you're fine. Just a little tired. Just need to push through. And then one day, you realize you've been running on fumes for months.

How Did We Get Here?

Most of us don’t just wake up one day and decide to run ourselves into the ground. We learn to ignore exhaustion early.

Think back to childhood. Were you praised for being “so responsible” or “so mature for your age”? Did you get the message—directly or indirectly—that emotions should be kept in check, that needing a break meant you weren’t trying hard enough?

A lot of us grew up watching the adults in our lives push through their own exhaustion. No time for rest. No room for softness. Just “do what you have to do.” We absorbed that lesson. And now, here we are—overworked, overwhelmed, and unsure how to not feel this way.

And yet, when we do stop, even for a moment? The guilt creeps in. That little voice that whispers, You should be doing something productive. You don’t have time for this.

It’s exhausting, isn’t it?

Signs You Might Be More Burnt Out Than You Think

Burnout doesn’t always look like a breakdown. It often looks like:

• Feeling perpetually exhausted. No amount of sleep seems to touch it.

• Irritability over small things. The dishwasher isn’t unloaded? Cue the frustration.

• Feeling emotionally flat. Nothing is wrong, but nothing feels particularly right, either.

• Avoiding social interactions. Even answering a simple text feels like work.

• Constant zoning out. You find yourself staring into space, brain blank, halfway through the day.

If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. A lot of us are walking around in a state of low-grade burnout, convincing ourselves that this is just how life is.

But it’s not.

Why We Ignore It (Until We Can’t Anymore)

Because stopping feels uncomfortable.

The moment you pause, all those buried feelings—the stress, the sadness, the sheer weight of everything you’ve been carrying—start bubbling up. And that’s scary.

So, we keep going. We tell ourselves:

"Other people have it worse.""I just need to get through this week.""I don’t have time to be tired."

But here’s the thing: your body will keep score. It doesn’t care about deadlines or expectations. If you keep running on empty, eventually, you will hit a wall. Whether that’s full-blown exhaustion, anxiety, or just waking up one day and realizing you don’t recognize yourself anymore.

So, What Can You Do?

You don’t need to upend your life to start feeling better. But you do need to make some small, intentional shifts.

1. Check in with yourself. Not just How are you? but How am I really feeling today? Be honest.

2. Stop seeing rest as optional. Your body isn’t a machine. You don’t have to “earn” the right to slow down.

3. Set (and actually hold) boundaries. Saying no doesn’t make you difficult. It makes you human.

4. Find small joys. Not things that “should” make you happy—things that actually do. A favorite song. Sitting in the sun. Five minutes of quiet with coffee.

5. Talk to someone. Burnout thrives in isolation. You don’t have to figure it all out alone.

You Deserve to Feel Better

If you’ve been feeling off lately—more tired, more disconnected—please don’t ignore it. You’re not broken. You’re not failing. You’re just tired.

And you don’t have to wait until you’ve completely hit a wall to do something about it. You can start now. Small steps, small changes.

And if you need support along the way? I’m here.