let's Talk About The Thought Burnout
It's real.
You’re in the middle of something.
Maybe you’re rebuilding. Starting over. Trying again. Reframing every stumble so it doesn’t feel like failure, while life keeps moving around you with all its responsibilities, demands, and expectations.
I know this because I’m living it right now.
Reviving my coaching business. Finding my way through the overwhelming reality of showing up online every day, creating content, promoting my work, all while trying not to call every trial and error a failure. All while life is still happening around me, with everything it carries.
And sometimes, if I’m being completely honest, the weight of it makes me want to shut it all down.
Just stop. Walk away. Question everything I’m doing and why.
Thought burnout doesn’t just exhaust you, it makes you doubt yourself. Whatever it is you’re trying to build, the decision, the whole thing. And when you’re that tired, the doubt feels very convincing.
But here’s what I’ve learned to hold onto in those moments, that thought, the one that says “maybe I should just stop” isn’t the truth. It’s exhaustion speaking. And exhaustion lies.
It’s okay to have those thoughts. What matters is knowing how to find your way back.
The ideas you need to have. The decisions you need to make. The uncertainty you need to sit with. The energy you need to find. All while showing up, trying to hold it all together. This is all part of the change process taking its course.
We talk a lot about burnout from overwork. But there’s another kind. The kind that comes from carrying the mental and emotional weight of change itself. It doesn’t come from doing too much, but from holding too much. Alone.
One Step Forward
You don’t have to carry all of this by yourself.
1. Name it
What you’re feeling isn’t just tiredness. Say it out loud “I am burned out from holding all this alone.” Naming it is the first act of releasing it.
2. Feel it
The exhaustion, the frustration and the doubt, all of it is valid. You are not failing. You are a human inside it.
3. Speak it
Talk to someone about the real weight of what you’re carrying. NOT the edited version. Spit out words, to a loved one, a community member or a therapist.
4. Act on it
Seek the people who are already walking a similar path. Not everyone will understand your journey and that’s okay. But somewhere, someone is carrying exactly what you’re carrying. Find them. Together, you’re not alone.
Sometimes the most healing thing is knowing someone else has been here too.
Everyone Goes Through This
Ordinary people burn out, so are the ones we think are too privileged to experience it.
Adele, the singer and performer, has spoken about this.
Sometime during her career, she announced she was taking a big break with no plans for new music, describing herself as “angry” and “grumpy” and wanting to explore other creative things for a while, feeling emotionally empty and drained from giving more than she could.
Two books that we all can relate to, “Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle” by Emily and Amelia Nagoski
A groundbreaking book about the stress cycle, what it is, why it gets stuck, and how to actually complete it. If you’ve ever felt exhausted in a way you can’t quite explain, this book will name it for you.
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less - by Greg McKeown.
Not about burnout, but about how to prevent it, by doing less, but better, so your contributions are meaningful.
For The People Around You
If someone you love is in the middle of a transition/change right now, here’s what they might not be telling you:
They’re not just tired from doing. They’re tired from thinking. From holding. From reframing. From showing up when they have nothing left. The exhaustion goes deeper.
Check in differently.
Don’t ask “how’s it going?” Ask “What are you carrying right now that nobody knows about?” That question opens a door that most people are waiting for someone to open.
You don’t have to fix anything, even if what they’re seeking is something you wouldn’t pursue yourself, just be there. Sometimes going through the process is the only way to know if it’s worth it. You just have to make them feel less alone inside it.
A Reminder
Not all vulnerabilities are good to share. But if it helps others, it’s not selfish — it’s human. Share your journey.
Until next time…
Doaa
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