Moving to Health from Burnout

I have my own story about burnout.

For years, the quest to balance ambition with wellbeing felt overwhelming.

Learning to watch my body for early signs of fatigue, and intentionally scheduling rest, downtime, and creative self-nourishment, has been a lifelong journey. I wish I could say, “I have the answer—just do this…” but after years of over-striving, my immune system has worn down much like a rechargeable battery. At first, you bounce back quickly from each push, but over time, the ability to recharge fades—there simply isn’t enough capacity left to fill up to the top.

Moving from Burnout to Health

Burnout is not simple overwork—it’s what happens when the boundaries between self, work, and others blur until a person becomes emotionally and physically depleted. According to Alex Greene, founder of Redbeard Somatic Therapy, early warning signs of burnout are:

• Waking up tired despite adequate sleep
• Energy crashes in the afternoon
• Feeling “wired but tired”—exhausted but unable to fully relax
• Needing more caffeine or stimulants to function
• Feeling depleted after social interactions

If left unheeded, these signs progress to hypervigilance, extreme distractibility and lack of focus. Adrenal exhaustion sets in and even minor stressors become overwhelming. Inability to notice the early warning signs or to listen to them is strongly linked to poor personal and professional boundary setting.

Setting boundaries is not just a productivity hack; it is critical self-care that preserves energy, defines what is acceptable, and helps protect your sense of identity. Without strong boundaries, resentment, stress, and exhaustion build up, leading to physical and emotional symptoms that can be hard to reverse without intervention.

Dr. Sharon Martin writes in her article How Boundaries can Prevent Burnout, that even the step of being clear about what you want can help reduce feelings of burnout. One of my clients worried that telling his boss he felt overwhelmed would cost him his job. When we discussed what he wanted from his boss, it turned out, he wanted the boss to know his team did not have the capacity to add another project to their timeline and deliverables, and he was staying late to do their extras leading to exhaustion and resentment. After some discussion, he realized that he had never spoken to his boss about what he and his team were experiencing in terms of workload. He later suggested to his boss that putting one client’s project on hold for two weeks, and informing a new client of a project start date three months later, would solve the issue. The added benefit was having everyone go home on time at the end of the day and no burnout. My client was surprised when his boss agreed with him and thanked him for clarifying the problem.

Overwhelm had stopped him from clarifying what he really wanted his boss to know and coming up with a practical recommendation. Slowing down to walk through the situation with me, provided him with enough mental space to come up with a very do-able ask and feel confident about presenting it to his boss.

Somatic Awareness: The Body’s Role

Recent science reveals that burnout is not only psychological; it’s profoundly physiological. The nervous system, a complex network that connects body and brain, dictates the way stress is processed. According to Dr. Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory, up to 80% of stress signals travel from the body to the brain—particularly from the gut and heart—shaping our mood, attention, and resilience. This means you cannot simply think your way out of burnout; you must feel and listen to your body’s cues.

Why Professional Help Matters

It’s nearly impossible to properly recognize or diagnose your own burnout patterns in full. Even with the best intentions, most people overlook or misinterpret early warning signs. This is why professional intervention is critical—a trained coach or therapist can help identify subtle patterns, provide accountability, and offer strategies that fit the unique way stress lives in your body and mind. Without this kind of support, too often people push themselves until full depletion, missing the chance to reverse damaging patterns before they become ingrained.

Somatic Healing: Simple, Science-Based Practices

Somatic therapy and coaching offer approaches that help the nervous system recover by working with the body first. Techniques such as mindful breathing, body scanning, and “noticing” physical cues are proven to help regulate stress, complete the body’s cycle of tension and release, and gradually restore immune and emotional health.

• Noticing: Regular awareness of your breath, gut, and heart sensations throughout the day, and naming your emotions, helps interrupt stress spirals and primes the nervous system for calm action.
• Imagining: Once tuned in to the body, practicing imaginative “what if” or “I wonder how” questions shift brain activity from fear loops back into creative, problem-solving zones.

Evidence supports that these approaches change brain structure, improve emotional regulation, increase self-awareness, and foster a deeper sense of embodiment and resilience.

The Missing Ingredient: Rest and Downtime

While somatic techniques build the foundation for burnout recovery, true healing is only possible when paired with intentional rest and scheduled downtime. Body-based approaches help people notice when they need to say “no,” but it is just as important to consciously create space for rest, play, and meaningful activities that replenish energy. Without this, even the best somatic tools cannot fully recharge the “battery”—sustainability depends on honoring the body’s natural rhythms of recovery.

Conclusion: A Compassionate Path Forward

Burnout recovery is not a quick fix or a solo journey. Body-based healing methods offer transformational relief, but learning to genuinely rest—without guilt—and working with a professional for insight and guidance are essential for full recovery and resilience. Burnout is not a personal failure; it is the body’s way of saying “enough.” By tuning into the body, making downtime non-negotiable, and seeking professional support, it is possible to sustainably move from burnout to vibrant health and reclaim joy, creativity, and purpose in both work and life.

I have learned to watch my body more carefully for early warning signs, to schedule daily meditation time, and to practice healthy sleep habits. It is also easier for me now to say no and to explain that I need time to rest than it was in the past. Surprisingly people always understand when I state my need for rest, and I have yet to experience pushback on that boundary. The next step in my own journey is to make rest and downtime a more routine part of my week, so that I don’t reach a point of being overtired. I would love to hear from you about how you are building rest and somatic awareness into your life. We are all learning this together!

Check out the Shift webinars for more helpful workplace and wellbeing research and practical tips.