Check In Before You Burnout
This is your nervous system checkpoint - the pause-before-you-break moment. A place to stop, breathe, and align before you spiral into “just one more thing” mode.
The Subtle Signs Of Burnout
Burnout doesn’t suddenly hit like a truck. Instead it creeps in slowly… just like one of those pesky raccoons at 3 AM 🦝. Silent. Persistent. And before you know it, BOOM! It’s trashing your nervous system and chewing through your peace.
The real question is: how does it start?
Usually in those moments when you say, “I just need to get through one more thing, then I’ll rest.” Has that day come yet?
More and more we’re watching friends, family - maybe even ourselves - quietly struggle. The truth is, you can’t help anyone else until you check in with yourself. So what should you be looking for? Here are some subtle clues that burnout is brewing before it takes over:
– Saying “yes” when you meant “no”
– Feeling tired but calling it “fine”
– Living on autopilot to get through the week
– Getting the everyday things done, but feeling nothing while doing them
– Doing things out of obligation but not being fully present
These are micro-hints from your body. Your nervous system doesn’t shout at first - it whispers. And if you ignore the whispers, they grow louder… until they break you down.
Stress Vs. Burnout
The pickle we often get stuck in is mixing up stress with burnout. Here’s the easiest way to think about it:
Stress = the short-term storm: pressure, deadlines, hyper-focus, big feelings.
Burnout = the emotional hangover: numb, flat, tired of trying, done pretending.
Stress is the emotional storm. Burnout is the aftermath.
Stress Burnout
Feels urgent Feels empty
Over-engaged Disengaged
Loss of energy Loss of hope
Emotions feel intense Emotions feel flat
Too much to do Nothing feels worth doing
Burnout is what happens when the stress cycle never completes. You don’t need more hacks - you just need a nervous system reset.
Why We Ignore The Whispers
Because we’ve been trained by society, maybe even conditioned, to earn rest. Somehow thinking we can “out-run” it, just slap a productivity bandage 🩹 on the wound and keep truckin’. All the while telling ourselves: “It’s not that bad.”
But every time you override those signals, you teach your system that presence is unsafe - that the only way forward is through hustle, distraction, or collapse. That unfortunately is not resilience. That’s survival mode dressed as strength.
The Nervous System Checkpoint
This is where you pause. Check in - somatic style.
Ask yourself:
– What do I actually feel right now? Think… exhausted pigeon…
– Where do I notice it in my body? Head, neck, shoulders - clenched jaw maybe?
– Is this tiredness, or is this depletion? Need a good night's rest or running on solid fumes?
– Am I acting from alignment, or from autopilot? Am I doing what I want to do or what the script tells me to do?
It’s not about “fixing it.” It’s about acknowledging it. Your system calms the moment it feels seen.
Align, Don’t Override
So here’s the thing - this check-in point isn’t to add another task to your list. I want you to take it as an invitation to come back into alignment.
Sometimes alignment looks like:
– Taking the nap 💤 (yes, the world will survive)
– Saying “not today” without writing an essay
– Letting one ball drop so your sanity doesn’t
– Journaling that looping thought before it spirals
– Naming the feeling before it becomes a breakdown
When you stop overriding your own signals, you stop burning yourself out in the first place.
Want To Go Deeper?
The Everyday Journal Prompts are designed to give you a nervous system check-in for daily life - without overthinking or adding pressure.
Inside you’ll find:
– Emotional reset prompts for high-stress days
– Energy alignment tools you can do in five minutes
– Self-awareness questions to catch burnout before it starts
🖤 Remember:
You don’t need to wait until burnout to pause. Your clarity starts in the check-ins.