^{Photo by Kinga Howard on Unsplash}

One woman’s story of burnout

When I started to unravel, I didn’t realize I was burning out. I thought I just needed to try harder.

So much of our life unfolds in transitions — puberty, building careers, relationships, choosing whether to have children (and the requisite challenges associated with pregnancy), perimenopause, and menopause. What no one tells you is how profoundly these chapters reshape your hormones, your brain, and your energy.

For months, I found myself saying what so many people say to their health providers: “I’m exhausted. I don’t feel like myself. But I can’t slow down.”

I tried pushing through. I tried being tougher, but nothing changed — until I took time to understand what was happening inside my body.

The cortisol connection: When stress stops feeling like ‘just stress’

Cortisol is supposed to rise in the morning and fall at night, but my body was no longer following that rhythm. Chronic pressure, multitasking, emotional caregiving, constant screens, late nights, and never-ending responsibilities had turned my stress response upside down.

When I finally sought help, the stages of burnout that my provider outlined felt like reading my own diary.

Stage 1: Wired. I was alert all day, irritable, overfunctioning, and sleeping fitfully and lightly.

Stage 2: Tired but Wired. My energy crashed mid-afternoon, but at 10pm I was suddenly ‘on’, tackling tasks I had no business doing at that hour.

Stage 3: Exhausted. Even after eight hours (or more) of sleep, I woke up depleted. It felt like someone had unplugged me from my own life.

Cortisol imbalance wasn’t just making me tired — it was throwing off nearly every other hormone that should have been making me feel grounded, stable, and alive.

The hormonal domino effect: Why burnout feels like you’re falling apart

The thing we all need to understand is that burnout isn’t ‘mental weakness’. It’s hormonal overload. It affects every system in the body, with compounding effects.

Thyroid: My metabolism slowed. I gained weight without changing a thing. My brain felt foggy.

Progesterone: My sleep got worse. Anxiety crept in. I snapped easily.

Estrogen: Fluctuations meant mood swings, hot flashes, and feeling mentally ‘off’.

DHEA and Testosterone: Hello, loss of spark, drive, libido, and muscle recovery!

Insulin and Blood Sugar: I thought my sweet cravings were emotional — turns out they were biochemical.

Melatonin: Late-night scrolling wasn’t just a bad habit; it was suppressing my sleep hormone.

What finally helped: The deeper healing work

Healing wasn’t just about slowing down a little, or taking a bit of time off. It was about rebuilding systems that had been running on fumes, and recognizing that it could take months or even years to fully recover. I needed to allow myself a lot of grace during this time, and learn how to quiet the voices always whispering that I wasn’t doing enough.

Repatterning my nervous system

My body needed to feel safe before it could feel energized. Small, consistent practices brought my body out of survival mode and allowed me to become more intentional about my interactions with the world.

Daily nervous system practices (5 – 10 minutes each):

• Cyclic sighing: Inhale 4 count, exhale 8 count
• Box breathing: Breathe in, hold, breathe out, hold (4, 4, 4, 4 count)
• Morning sunlight: At least 10 minutes of sunlight on your face before 11am (or use a ‘happy light’ if sunlight is not available)
• Cold exposure: 15 – 30 seconds of cool water at the end of a shower (if you can bear it!), or splashed on your face in the sink
• Legs up the wall: Best before bed to prepare your body for sleep

Building mitochondrial energy

Burnout affects the body on a cellular level. I had to feed my cells again. When I changed my habits, and started to include the nutrition my body craved, my energy came back. Not with a roar, but quietly, steadily — the way I needed it to, so I could move at a pace that worked for my recovery.

Daily dietary support for cell regeneration:

• 2 – 3 servings of leafy greens for natural magnesium
• Eggs, salmon, or sardines for B vitamins and CoQ10
• Electrolytes (without added sugar)
• Magnesium glycinate in the evening (recommended by my provider)
• A methylated B-complex for energy and mood support

Supporting my adrenal–thyroid–ovarian axis

The adrenal–thyroid–ovarian axis is the hormonal trifecta that determines everything from mood to metabolism. They are interconnected neuroendocrine systems that keep your body in balance.

Daily habits that changed everything:

• 20 – 30 grams of protein per meal: My cravings improved almost immediately
• No fasting longer than 12 hours during burnout recovery
• Stopping high-intensity workouts until my energy stabilized
• Adding adaptogens (with guidance from my provider): Ashwagandha for calming, Rhodiola for mental energy, and Holy basil for stress resilience

Movement that actually helps (and doesn’t drain you)

I used to think movement meant pushing myself as hard as I could, feeling the burn, and ending the workout sweaty and exhausted. During burnout, that backfires. Strenuous exercise can put the body into a high state of stress, which exacerbates the issues we discussed above, and leads to further degeneration and declining energy. With support from my providers, I was able to find a new way to exercise that satisfied my need for movement without draining my energy.

Movement in Stage 1: Wired

Goal: Release tension without overstimulating cortisol.

• 20 – 30 minutes of power walking
• Gentle yoga or stretching
• Light strength training (two full-body sessions weekly)

Movement in Stage 2: Tired but wired

Goal: Stabilize blood sugar and support muscle without spiking stress hormones.

• Short walks after meals (5 – 10 minutes)
• Pilates, barre, or mobility work
• Low-intensity strength training (20 – 30 minutes)

Movement in Stage 3: Exhausted

Goal: Gently rebuild mitochondria without draining the little energy available. This was the hardest to accept.

• Slow walks only — even 10 minutes counts!
• Restorative yoga
• Bodyweight strength training once weekly, if tolerated.

Movement when starting to recover

When my energy improved, strength training was the single biggest game changer for my metabolism and mood. At that time, I added the following to my routine:

• Two days of moderate strength training
• One day of short High-Intensity Interval Training (10 – 15 minutes)
• One long walk or hike weekly

Redefining rest

Rest stopped being something I had to earn or deserve, and became something that was my right as a human being. Deep rest became the foundation for healing, not a luxury.

Specific things that helped:

• Screens off by 9pm
• Reading fiction for 20 minutes before bed
• A consistent bedtime (yes, even on weekends!)
• A magnesium bath or Epsom salt soak twice weekly
• One evening per week with zero productivity — just pleasure or quiet

Reconnecting with my purpose

As my hormones stabilized, emotional clarity returned. Journaling, therapy, and short solo walks helped me find the woman I’d buried under responsibility.

I asked myself:

• What expectations am I carrying that aren’t mine?
• Where in my life am I outsourcing my worth?
• What small joys have I abandoned that I can reclaim?

The takeaway

Burnout isn’t who you are, and it’s not something wrong with you; it’s a symptom of what your body has been forced to survive.

People deserve to understand the biology behind their exhaustion, irritability, weight changes, cravings, anxiety, and loss of self. When we restore the hormonal and nervous system rhythms that burnout disrupts, we don’t just recover; we come home to ourselves.

Through every life transition, vitality is possible again. We invite you to join us for a one-hour movement experience, where movement specialist Leah Ross will lead you through yoga-inspired mindful movement designed to combat burnout. You will feel centered, refreshed, and energized. 

Harmony in Motion: Women's Wellness & Movement Series*

January 18, 1 – 2pm

Red Jasper Studios245 Torbett Street, Richland

Sign up at: https://www.redjasperstudios.com/events 

Harmony in Motion is a collaboration led by Leah Ross, Haley Scellick, and Erika Zink. 

Leah Ross (MBA) is a certified Pilates, Barre, and Yoga instructor with over ten years of teaching experience and a lifelong love of movement. She combines Pilates, barre, yoga, and dance into fun, dynamic classes that build strength, flexibility, and confidence. At Harmony in Motion, she’s excited to help you move better, feel stronger, and enjoy the journey.

Haley Scellick (ARNP) is a Women’s Integrative Health and Hormone Practitioner. AANP Board Certified, and Institute of Functional Medicine-trained, she specializes in hormone health, fatigue, and stress recovery at First Responder Health & Wellness. She helps women and first responders identify root causes of imbalance and rebuild energy using evidence-based, integrative care.

Erika Zink (NBC-HWC) is a Certified Health & Wellness Coach and founder of Phoenix Feather Coaching, where she helps people reconnect with their bodies, rebuild self-trust, and navigate life’s transitions through practical tools, compassionate support, and sustainable habit changes.

*This event is open to all genders, but the educational material is designed around health topics most commonly experienced by people with AFAB bodies.