When You’re Running on Empty
Burnout doesn’t always arrive with a clear warning sign.
For many people I work with, it builds slowly - long hours, constant demands, and a growing sense that there’s never enough time to recover.
Maybe you’ve started to notice you’re snapping more easily, or your weekends no longer feel like enough to recharge.
By the time many people notice, exhaustion feels like their new normal.
In therapy, we often explore how burnout can be more than “too much stress.” It’s a deeper kind of depletion - emotional, physical, and mental. And yet, it can also be the body’s way of asking for something kinder.
Why It’s So Hard to Slow Dow
Many professionals I support say they simply don’t have time for themselves. They care deeply about doing a good job, supporting others, or meeting expectations - and that sense of responsibility can make rest feel impossible.
But when rest is constantly postponed, your system keeps running on adrenaline. You might notice irritability, emotional flatness, forgetfulness, or a sense of disconnection from the things you usually enjoy.
Therapy offers a calm space where you don’t have to perform or keep everything together. You can talk openly about what’s been happening beneath the surface - the guilt, the pressure, and the quiet wish for things to slow down.
Burnout Is Your Body’s Way of Saying “Rest”
One of the gentlest truths about burnout is that it isn’t a sign of weakness.
It’s your body and mind asking for recovery - a signal that something needs care, not criticism.
I sometimes think of burnout as the body waving a small flag, whispering: please stop.
If we ignore that whisper for too long, it starts to shout.
Learning to notice those early flags - tiredness that doesn’t lift, resentment about small things, tears that appear out of nowhere, can be an important part of healing.
I understand this personally too. I’ve experienced my own burnout in the past, without recognising the signs until I was already deep in it. That experience helps me approach this work with empathy and realism. Recovery isn’t about “fixing” yourself - it’s about listening differently.
How Therapy Can Help You Recover and Reconnect
In therapy, we slow things down together.
You might begin by talking through what’s been happening at work or in your wider life, exploring the expectations that keep you going and the moments that feel most draining.
In sessions, we make space so you can actually hear yourself think again.
From there, therapy can help you:
- Understand what burnout looks like in your body
- Begin setting boundaries that feel sustainable
- Reconnect with what truly restores you - not just what’s “efficient”
- Gently rebuild a sense of balance and meaning
Over time, therapy can become a space where rest starts to feel safe again - not something to earn, but something you deserve.
Finding Space to Breathe Again
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you don’t have to wait until things fall apart.
Small changes, and a bit of support, can make a real difference.
You’re welcome to get in touch if you’d like to explore therapy for burnout in Hertfordshire. Together, we can help you find space to breathe again and begin to restore the energy you’ve been missing.
Suzanne is a counsellor based near Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamsted, with a special interest in therapy for professional women navigating anxiety, low self-esteem, or overwhelm.