When Work Starts to Feel Like Too Much: Finding Your Way Back From Burnout

The Silent Weight of Modern Work

You know that feeling – the tight chest on Sunday evening, the subtle but constant sense of unease. You wake up already tired, and no matter how much sleep you get, it doesn’t seem to fix the issue. The thought of Monday makes your stomach clench. You might tell yourself it’s just a tough season, but deep down, you suspect there’s more going on.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. And more importantly, you’re not imagining it.

What does stress burnout look like?

For many people, burnout doesn’t arrive suddenly. It creeps in, disguised as productivity, dedication, or perfectionism. What begins as “pushing through” slowly turns into complete depletion.

You might notice:

• Your sleep is disrupted – either fitful or excessively deep, but never refreshing.
• You’re more reactive – small things trigger big emotions.
• Your interests fade – hobbies, friends, and even weekends feel like chores.
• Your energy is unpredictable – one day, you’re productive, and the next, you’re foggy and flat.
• You have more physical complaints, including headaches, digestive issues, and low immunity.

These are not random symptoms. They’re messages. Your body is trying to say something important: you’re running on empty.

Burnout Targets the Most Dedicated

Ironically, burnout often affects the most committed people. The ones who care deeply, who go the extra mile, who want to do well – those are usually the first to burn out.

If you’ve found yourself thinking, “I should be able to handle this,” it’s time to turn that thought on its head. Burnout isn’t a personal failing. It’s a physiological and emotional response to prolonged, unrelenting stress.

The Ripple Effect: How Work Stress Seeps Into Everything

Work stress doesn’t stay neatly confined to the office or your inbox. It follows you home, into your relationships, your rest, and your inner world.

• Depression may not look like sadness – it can look like numbness, disconnection, or simply going through the motions.
• Anxiety becomes ever-present – not just about work, but about life. What if this is just how things are now?
• Relationships suffer – there’s less of you to go around, and you feel guilt even when you’re too tired to show up.
• Your identity blurs – work becomes the defining factor in how you see yourself, and everything else starts to fade.

The most heartbreaking part? Many people going through this don’t realise what’s happening until they’re already deeply involved.

Your Brain on Chronic Stress

Understanding what’s happening in your brain can help you make sense of your emotions.

When stress is constant, your amygdala – the part of your brain responsible for detecting danger – becomes overactive. It starts ringing alarm bells even in safe situations. This is called amygdala hijack, and it’s why it can feel like you’re overreacting or unable to think clearly.

Meanwhile, the prefrontal cortex – your rational, logical brain – gets quiet. You can’t “just calm down“ because your brain is acting like you’re in danger.

Add to that the stress bucket effect: each stressor fills the bucket. When there’s no release – no sleep, joy, connection, movement – even minor things tip it over.

How do I Recover from Burnout?

There is a gentle approach to contemplating burnout recovery; it doesn’t mean quitting everything or making massive changes overnight. Trying to overhaul your life when you’re already exhausted can backfire.

That’s where Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can help. This therapeutic approach addresses both the mental and physiological effects of burnout, gently facilitating positive and acceptable change in the fight-or-flight response system. Here’s how:

Focus on What’s Working

Rather than analysing what’s wrong, we begin by identifying what’s already going well – no matter how small. Noticing these moments shifts your brain from survival mode into possibility mode.

Small Steps Over Big Fixes

You don’t need to fix your whole life this week. The question becomes: what could help you move up a happiness scale by one increment? That might be protecting your lunch break, leaving work on time once a week, or simply noticing when your shoulders are up near your ears.

Work With Your Subconscious

The hypnotherapy component creates a relaxed and focused state, allowing your subconscious to absorb new patterns. This isn’t mind control – it’s about giving your body and brain the chance to reset and recalibrate.

During hypnosis, your brain shifts into slower waves (alpha and theta), associated with calm, creativity, and healing. This gives your nervous system a chance to experience real rest – not just physical stillness, but psychological ease.

The Neuroscience of Feeling Better

Healing from burnout doesn’t just feel good – it is good, biochemically.

• Serotonin increases when you feel connected, purposeful, or recognised.
• Dopamine gives you energy when you anticipate progress or reach a small goal.
• Endorphins help relieve stress and pain – and are released through movement, laughter, and relaxation.

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy helps you activate these systems regularly, gently retraining your mind and body to experience more moments of calm and satisfaction.

Physical Stress Release: The Somatic Side

Burnout also resides in the body. Tight jaw, shallow breath, clenched muscles – they all become so familiar you stop noticing. Hypnotherapy helps unwind these patterns.

• Progressive muscle relaxation teaches you how to spot and soften tension.
• Breathwork shifts your system out of “the “fight or flight” response into “a state of “rest and repair.”
• Over time, your baseline stress level drops, and your body remembers how to feel safe again.

Reclaiming Control: Boundaries That Protect You

Burnout recovery also involves practical action – particularly around boundaries.

• Consider not responding to emails after hours unless the matter is urgent.
• Eat away from your screen, even just for 15 minutes.
• Communicate clearly about when you’re available – and stick to it.
• If you work from home, physically “leave“ work when you’re done.

These may seem small, but each one sends a powerful message to your nervous system: I’m safe, and I’m allowed to stop.

It’s Not Too Late to Feel Better

You don’t have to live like this. The overwhelm, the exhaustion, the anxiety – none of it is your fault. And none of it has to be permanent.

Change can begin with the smallest of decisions:

• Taking a slow breath.
• Saying no without guilt.
• Remembering what you used to enjoy before work took over everything.

You don’t need to be fixed – you need support, space, and restoration.

Burnout recovery isn’t about going back to who you were before. It’s about becoming someone more attuned to what you actually need.

If this resonates with you, know you’re not alone – and you don’t have to navigate this alone. Burnout isn’t the end of your story. It might just be the beginning of something better.