This is a classic sign of nervous system dysregulation. You’re emotionally and physically exhausted—but your system is stuck in high alert. This happens when chronic stress or trauma keeps your body in survival mode. In therapy, we focus on helping your nervous system settle and learn that it’s safe to rest.
Unprocessed trauma can leave the nervous system stuck in “fight, flight, or freeze.” That means even long after the event, your brain may still scan for danger—leading to chronic anxiety. Therapy, especially modalities like EMDR and somatic work, helps reprocess these stuck patterns so you can finally feel safe again.
Chronic anxiety often has roots in the nervous system. Even if there’s no clear trigger, your body may still be in a state of hypervigilance due to unresolved stress, trauma, or chronic overstimulation. In therapy, we work to calm the nervous system and explore the deeper layers of what your anxiety is trying to protect you from.
High-functioning anxiety is often rooted in early experiences that taught you your worth is tied to performance, achievement, or being “the strong one.” You might look calm and successful on the outside while feeling overwhelmed or panicked inside. Therapy helps you slow down, listen to your needs, and release the pressure to always be “on.”
Absolutely. Therapy helps you slow down, understand what’s driving the burnout, and rebuild from the inside out. We work on boundaries, nervous system regulation, perfectionism, self-worth, and unprocessed emotional weight. Healing burnout is possible—and therapy gives you the tools to do it sustainably.
Stress is short-term and often situation-specific. Burnout is long-term, chronic, and doesn’t go away with a weekend off. If you feel emotionally drained, disconnected, or like you’ve hit a wall no matter how much you rest, it’s likely burnout—not just stress.
Burnout and depression can look similar, but they’re not the same. Burnout is usually tied to specific stressors—like work, caregiving, or emotional overload—while depression tends to affect all areas of life. Burnout can lead to depression if untreated, which is why catching it early and getting support is key.
Yes—burnout lives in the body, not just the mind. You might experience headaches, muscle tension, fatigue, sleep issues, digestive problems, or increased illness due to a weakened immune system. When your nervous system stays in survival mode too long, your body starts to keep the score.
Burnout can sneak up on you, but some signs are major red flags: emotional exhaustion, brain fog, irritability, detachment, low motivation, and a feeling of numbness or disconnection. If your usual coping strategies aren’t working, or you find yourself dreading even small tasks, that’s a sign it’s more than just stress.
Not usually—and definitely not sustainably.
Burnout doesn’t magically disappear with a weekend off or a few days of rest. It’s the result of chronic emotional, physical, or mental overload, often paired with a lack of boundaries, unmet needs, or unprocessed stress.
While you might feel temporary relief after a break, true recovery from burnout requires deeper shifts: in how you relate to stress, how you prioritize yourself, and how your nervous system processes overload.
In therapy, we work together to uncover what’s fueling the burnout—whether it’s perfectionism, people-pleasing, past trauma, or systemic stress—and help you build tools and boundaries that lead to real, lasting change.
You don’t have to push through. There’s a better way, and healing is possible.