Recognising and preventing burnout before it happens

June 18, 2025•3 min read

Recognising and preventing burnout before it happens

Are you feeling more tired, stressed, or disconnected than usual?

You’re not alone—and you may be closer to burnout than you realise.

Burnout rarely arrives overnight. It’s a slow creep, often disguised as “just being busy” or “a rough week,” until suddenly you’re running on empty, snapping at loved ones, or wondering where your spark went.

But here’s the good news: when you know what to look for, you can stop burnout before it takes hold.

In this article, we’ll explore:

The early warning signs of burnout
What really causes it (it’s more than a busy schedule)
Practical strategies to protect your energy and reclaim your joy

Let’s dive in.

The subtle signs you might be burning out

Burnout isn’t just physical exhaustion. It affects your emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being, too. Some early red flags include:

Constant fatigue, even after a full night’s sleep
Irritability or emotional outbursts over small things
Loss of motivation or joy in things you used to enjoy
Difficulty focusing or feeling mentally foggy
Withdrawal from loved ones or social interactions
Feeling like you’re always behind, no matter how much you do

These signs are your body and mind waving a red flag. They're telling you: Pause. Reset. Rebalance.

What causes burnout? (Hint: It's not just a busy calendar)

For many busy women, burnout isn’t caused by laziness or lack of ability—it’s often the opposite. It stems from:

Unrealistic expectations (at work and at home)
Chronic over giving—to your team, your family, your community
Lack of boundaries around time, energy, and emotional labour
Neglecting self-care, often because it feels selfish or “there’s no time”
Living out of alignment with your values and needs

It’s important to know: burnout doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means you’ve been operating like a high-performance machine without ever stopping for fuel.

My top three strategies

You don’t need a complete life overhaul to shift things. Small, intentional changes can create big results.

Here are five ways to start protecting your energy today:

1. Check in with yourself daily

Take five minutes each morning to ask:
How am I feeling—physically, mentally, emotionally?
This simple check-in helps you notice when something’s off before it spirals.

2. Create micro-moments of rest

You don’t need a spa day to rest. Pause for 90 seconds between meetings to stretch, breathe, or step outside. These small resets help regulate your nervous system.

3. Say no without guilt

If it’s not a full-body yes, give yourself permission to say no—or not now. Boundaries are not barriers; they’re bridges back to your well-being.

You deserve to thrive - not just survive

Burnout isn’t a badge of honour, and slowing down doesn’t mean you’re falling behind.
It means you’re choosing a life where you feel present, energised, and connected—with yourself, your loved ones, and what truly matters.

You have permission to rest. You have the right to say no. And you absolutely have the power to live your life in a way that fuels you instead of draining you.