Burnout Isn’t Laziness — It’s a Signal

Shift Ahead: Burnout isn’t a flaw or failure—it’s your body’s way of communicating that it’s time to pause, reset, and care for yourself in a deeper way.

In Practice: I didn’t realize I was burning out—I just thought I was failing. I forgot words mid-sentence. Loud noises made me cry. I spent hours in bed, not sleeping, just unable to move.

I masked through video calls with a smile and then shut down the moment the screen went dark. People said I was “just sensitive” or “not managing stress well,” but I wasn’t stressed—I was fried. My brain couldn’t process one more thing. It wasn’t until I stopped trying to be “okay” that I understood: my nervous system had been screaming for years. Rest wasn’t optional. It was survival.

Burnout doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means your body, mind, and soul have been working overtime—likely for years—without true rest.

For neurodivergent people, burnout is often chronic. It’s not just “a bad week” or “needing a day off.” It’s the result of constantly masking, over-functioning, and pushing through environments that aren’t designed for you.

If you're feeling exhausted but guilty for needing rest, you're not alone. You've been trained to believe that rest must be earned, that productivity is proof of worth. But what if that’s not true? What if burnout isn’t something to fight—but a message to finally listen to?

Rest isn’t weakness. It’s wisdom.

Shift Question: What if your exhaustion isn’t failure—but wisdom from your body?

Shift Notes:

• Burnout is your nervous system trying to protect you.

• You’ve likely been in survival mode for longer than you realize.

• You’re not alone. Many neurodivergent people live in cycles of quiet burnout.

  
  

Try This: Write down three moments from the past month when you felt deeply tired, unmotivated, or overstimulated. What might those moments be trying to tell you?