26/08/2026
The piece most burnout advice completely misses.
Burnout doesn’t always look like lying in bed unable to function.
Sometimes it’s…
Waking up tired no matter how much you sleep.
Overthinking decisions you used to make easily.
Feeling irritated when someone needs one more thing from you.
Doom scrolling at night because it’s the only time that feels like yours.
Buying things or booking another trip because you need something to look forward to.
Fantasizing about quitting a career you worked so hard to build
Saying yes…and immediately resenting it.
Canceling plans and avoiding calls
Or realizing you don’t even know what you want anymore.
And then we try to fix our symptoms …
More discipline.
More gratitude.
More productivity.
A new job.
A vacation.
Another wellness routine.
But what if you didn’t have to eliminate every symptom before you could get out of burnout?
Because the symptom isn’t always what’s keeping you stuck.
Your relationship with the symptom might be.
Where, “how do I get rid of this”
may sound like the right question
How do I stop ____?!
But it might actually be the question that’s keeping you stuck.
Because what if the symptoms you’ve been trying so hard to fix aren’t actually the problem?
What if it’s your relationship to those symptoms that’s keeping the burnout cycle alive?
That distinction changes everything.
Save this post if you recognize yourself in any of these symptoms.
And follow me, because in the next part I’m going to show you what to do instead!