3 Self-Care Steps to Prevent Burnout And 5 Steps to Recover

Sometimes burnout doesn’t show up as collapse, it shows up as constant tiredness, irritability, or feeling disconnected from what once mattered. This week we’re talking about how to spot the early signs of burnout, how to prevent it before it takes hold, and how to recover if you’re already there, especially when you can’t just step away.

Because you deserve to feel calm, capable, and cared for, even when life is demanding. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and share this with someone who’s been doing too much for too long.

Transcript

Hey friends, welcome back, or welcome for the first time. I’m so glad you’re here. Maybe you’re listening on a morning walk, driving to work, or sneaking in a quiet moment before the rest of the world wakes up. However you got here, thank you for pressing play and giving yourself this time. It’s a small act of care that says, “I matter too.” And that’s really what today’s episode is all about, noticing when your hard work starts crossing into burnout and learning how to come back home to yourself again to show that you matter.

We live in a culture that celebrates productivity, right? The harder you work, the more you give, the more worthy you feel. Somewhere along the way, many of us started believing that slowing down meant falling behind, or that rest was a reward you had to earn. But the real truth underneath all that noise is that working hard and burning out are not the same thing. One builds you up, and the other quietly drains you. And the line between them is thinner than we think.

So let’s talk about what burnout really is.

The World Health Organization officially recognizes burnout as an “occupational phenomenon.” It’s defined as a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. But honestly, you don’t need a medical definition to know when you’re there. You just feel it. The exhaustion that doesn’t go away with a good night’s sleep. There’s a lack of motivation, even for things you used to love. There’s a sense of resentment or hopelessness that creeps in when you’re doing too much for too long, wondering when will it get better?

There’s a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology that found people experiencing burnout show changes in brain activity, especially in areas related to emotional regulation and decision-making. In simple terms, burnout doesn’t just make you tired, it literally changes how your brain processes stress. Your ability to focus, stay patient, and think clearly starts to fade, not because you’re weak or lazy, but because your brain is running on fumes.

So let’s start at the beginning, how do we know when hard work is shifting toward burnout? What are the early signs that your body and mind are giving you gentle warnings? Because burnout doesn’t arrive all at once. It creeps in quietly. You might start to notice you’re more irritable than usual, or small things feel bigger than they should. You might have trouble focusing, or you feel detached from your work or your loved ones. Sleep might get harder, or even when you rest, you wake up already tired. You might start to lose interest in things that used to bring you joy, and that’s one of the biggest red flags.

And we need to really begin to listen, because the body whispers before it screams. Those little signals of the tightness in your chest, the heaviness in your shoulders, the sighs you didn’t notice you were taking, they’re not inconveniences to ignore. They’re your system’s way of asking for care. Burnout often begins with a mindset we were taught to admire, which is perseverance. And don’t get me wrong, perseverance is a wonderful attribute to have. It’s what helps us stay committed to our dreams, our families, our purpose. But perseverance without balance turns into depletion. When your effort is no longer fueled by inspiration but by obligation, that’s when working hard begins to take more than it gives.

Sometimes it helps to ask yourself, Is my work giving me energy, or only taking it? That’s a simple way to feel where you are on the spectrum between dedication and burnout. Now, I know for many of you listening, taking a break doesn’t always feel possible and thinking this thru and figuring out where you are doesn’t seem reasonable. You might be the sole provider, the parent caring for young kids or elderly parents, the one who holds everything together. You can’t just put life on pause with so many people relying on you. And I want you to know, this conversation isn’t about quitting or walking away. It’s about learning to create small spaces of restoration even within the heavy demands of your life. Because self-care isn’t about escape, it’s about sustainability, it’s about how you create these moments of self care so you can continue to help those that rely on you.

So how do we begin to protect ourselves from burnout before it takes over? The first step is awareness. You can’t shift what you don’t see. Start by checking in with yourself regularly. Ask, “What am I feeling in my body right now?” “What am I needing but not giving myself?” This kind of self-honesty can feel uncomfortable at first, but it’s where healing begins.

The second step is setting boundaries. I know that word can sound like a luxury, especially if people depend on you. But boundaries don’t have to be walls; they can be gentle agreements with yourself about what’s sustainable. Maybe it’s choosing not to check emails after a certain hour, or giving yourself 10 minutes of quiet before you dive into the day. Maybe it’s saying no to an extra commitment because you know it will stretch you too thin. Boundaries are a way of saying, “I respect my limits so I can keep showing up” and saying no on a more regular basis might be what you need right now. 

The third step is redefining what productivity means. True productivity isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing what matters most with the energy you have. Sometimes that means slowing down so your effort actually creates value instead of exhaustion. Think of it this way, rest is not a break from progress, it’s an important part of it.

There was a study by Stanford University that found productivity per hour sharply declines after about 50 hours of work per week, and beyond 55 hours, it drops so much that any extra time worked becomes almost useless. In other words, working more doesn’t always mean doing better. Sometimes working less, with intention and focus, brings greater results and more balance.

Another key step is building micro-rest into your day. Burnout prevention doesn’t always require long vacations or drastic changes. It’s often about the small pauses. A mindful breath between tasks. A moment to stretch, to drink water, to step outside and feel sunlight. We talked about resets last week and these tiny resets tell your nervous system that it’s safe to relax, even for a moment. And those moments add up. 

Now I think I’m pretty good at resets and balancing my personal needs with what I have to do but this topic came up for me this week because I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, having a hard time juggling all the balls in the air. I’m working a demanding full time job, working on this podcast weekly which comes with daily Instagram and Tiktok videos and I finally just had to stop for a minute. I made a list of only what I need to get done this past weekend, including reading and walking that are my self care resets. I broke it into days so that it was evenly spaced. Then I looked at the list again, crossed out some that really didn’t need to be done this weekend and the rest I knew I could handle. Then I put the list down and told myself to stop thinking of things I have to get done...I’ve written a plan so I can let it go from my mind and just relax, and stop the overwhelming thoughts.

So you see, even if you’re focused on your self care, you can still have those times when you slip backwards a bit just like I did. And if you’ve already slipped into burnout, if you’re listening to this feeling heavy, depleted, or even numb, I cannot stress enough that burnout is not a sign of weakness. It’s a signal of imbalance. It means you’ve been strong for too long without enough restoration. So what do you do from here? How do you start to recover, especially if stepping back feels impossible?

The first step is compassion. You can’t heal from burnout with self-criticism. The voice that says, “You should be doing more,” is the same one that pushed you into exhaustion. The voice that will lead you out is gentler. It says, “You’ve done enough for now. You deserve care, too.” That shift in tone is where healing begins.

If you’re caring for others, children, parents, loved ones, start by remembering that your well-being directly impacts how you can care for them. It’s not selfish to take care of yourself; it’s essential to yourself as well as to them. You can’t pour from an empty cup, and sometimes the most loving thing you can do for others is to refill your own.

If you’re the sole provider and stepping away isn’t possible, then focus on creating small, consistent practices that refill you. Maybe it’s waking up 10 minutes earlier for quiet before the noise begins. Maybe it’s turning off the radio during your commute and breathing deeply instead. Maybe it’s saying yes when someone offers help, even if your first instinct is to say, “I’ve got it.” Recovery from burnout doesn’t always happen in grand gestures, it happens in gentle, repeated choices to care for yourself.

You can also support your recovery physiologically. Burnout affects your body as much as your mind. Prioritize hydration, consistent meals, and movement that feels nourishing instead of punishing. Research shows that even light physical activity, like walking, helps regulate cortisol, your stress hormone, and supports emotional resilience. If your body has been in fight-or-flight mode for a long time, these small physical resets help signal safety again and they can be as small as you can allow. Walking outside in nature is wonderful but if you can’t do that, walk in place listening to some quiet music even for 10 minutes.

Sleep, of course, plays a huge role too. I know for many, sleep becomes one of the first things that slips during stress, but it’s the foundation of recovery. If full rest feels difficult, focus on what’s called “non-sleep rest”, those moments of stillness, quiet reflection, or even lying down and breathing deeply for five minutes. You’re teaching your nervous system that it’s allowed to rest.

Let’s talk about the emotional side of recovery too. Burnout often comes with guilt. Guilt for not being able to do more. Guilt for needing rest. Guilt for wanting something different. And that guilt keeps us trapped in the same cycle. But guilt is not truth, it’s conditioning. You are not lazy for needing rest. You are human. Your worth is not measured by your output.

We need to stop seeing exhaustion as a status symbol. And that’s really it, isn’t it? Burnout recovery takes courage, the courage to slow down, to prioritize differently, to say yes to your well-being in a world that celebrates busyness. So if you’re listening and realizing you’re already there, here are a 5 gentle ways to start coming back:

• Name where you are. Say it out loud: “I’m burned out.” It’s powerful to acknowledge it without shame. Naming it brings awareness, and awareness brings change.
• Identify your non-negotiables. What are the few things that genuinely keep you grounded? Maybe it’s sleep, a daily walk, a few minutes of quiet, or time with someone who makes you feel safe. Protect those at all costs. They’re your anchors to keep you afloat and stop you from moving into the sea of burnout.
• Simplify what you can. Burnout makes everything feel overwhelming. See if there’s one thing, just one that you can delegate, and if you can’t delegate, maybe you can delay it a bit, or really see if you can delete from your list. Maybe it’s really not that important compared to what you really have to do. Sometimes creating a little space like that helps everything else feel more manageable.
• Create moments of joy, even small ones. Joy is medicine. It reminds you that life is bigger than your to-do list. Listen to music that lifts you, step outside, connect with something beautiful each day, a flower, the sky, your pet’s face. These small moments help reawaken your energy.
• And finally, reach out. You don’t have to navigate burnout alone. Talk to a friend, a counselor, or even a community group just to air out your feelings so you’re not carrying them alone. Connection is healing. When we share how we feel, we start to dissolve the shame that keeps us stuck.

Remember, recovery doesn’t happen overnight. Burnout is like emotional jet lag, it takes time to recalibrate. But it is possible. And you’ll know you’re healing when you start to feel interest in life again, when your patience returns, when small things begin to feel meaningful once more. Healing happens little by little, not all at once and that’s what we’re all about here.

If you’re still working hard every day, if people rely on you and there’s no big pause button available here’s something to think about: burnout prevention doesn’t require perfection. It just asks for presence. Check in with yourself regularly. Breathe between tasks. Notice what’s draining you and what’s filling you, and make small adjustments. You don’t need to overhaul your life to find balance; you just need to keep listening to what your body and heart are telling you. Over time, those small acts of listening become habits of care. You begin to trust yourself again, to trust that you can do meaningful work and still have peace. You realize that rest isn’t the opposite of hard work; it’s what makes it possible.

Let’s take a deep breath together, wherever you are right now. Inhale through your nose, hold for a moment, and exhale slowly. Feel your shoulders drop just a little. Feel your body soften. This, yes this moment counts as rest as well.

As we wrap up today, I want to leave you with a gentle reminder. You are not meant to run on empty. You are not here just to push and produce. You are here to live, to feel, to love, to be. Your peace matters as much as your purpose. And your rest is not a reward for doing enough, it’s the foundation that allows you to keep showing up with strength, clarity, and compassion.

If this episode resonated with you, take a moment after listening to reflect on one thing you can do this week to restore your energy, something small, something doable. Maybe it’s setting a boundary, maybe it’s scheduling time for yourself, or maybe it’s simply giving yourself permission to rest without guilt. Let it be your small promise to yourself. And consider sharing this episode with someone who’s been doing too much for too long or share on your feeds. It could be the gentle reminder they need that it’s okay to pause, it’s okay to rest, it’s okay to care for themselves, too. You never know who might see it and realize they’re not alone in their exhaustion. Sometimes your honesty and vulnerability can be the doorway to someone else’s healing.

Thank you for spending this time with me today. Remember, you don’t have to earn your rest, and slowing down doesn’t mean you’re falling behind. It means you’re honoring your humanity. Until next time, take care of your energy, take care of your body, and take care of your heart. Because when you nurture yourself, you’re nurturing the world around you too, little by little and peace by peace.