Burnout Says Go Faster, Healing Says Slow Down

Jessica Colarco (: 00:05

to Healing Is My Hobby, the podcast where we explore the tools, practices, and curiosities that support mental wellness and personal growth. I'm Jessica Colarco, a licensed clinical social worker, and just like you, I'm on a healing journey of my own. If you've ever thought, I should be further along by now, or push yourself to heal faster just so you don't feel behind, is that healthy motivation, or could it be a trauma response?

Welcome back to the segment I like to call, This Might Be a Trauma Response, where we gently unpack the patterns that feel automatic and explore what they might be trying to protect. We break down the behaviors, triggers, and coping strategies that once kept us safe, but might be holding us back now. We're building awareness with compassion, not criticism. No shame, no judgment, just awareness. Because when we understand our reactions,

we can start to heal them. If you've ever wondered, why do I do that? Let's unpack it together. This week, we're answering listener questions about burnout and the frustrating reality that healing isn't always fast or linear. We'll talk about why rushing recovery can sometimes be another form of self-pressure and how to recognize when impatience might actually be your nervous system.

replaying old survival patterns. We're gonna talk about how we often look at burnout through a stress lens, when really what we're experiencing is a trauma response lens. And once you see the difference, everything changes, including the pressure you put on yourself.

When you're looking through a stress lens, you tend to think something like, I'm tired, I wanna feel better quickly, I just need to push through and check the next thing off the list. This makes sense, especially if you're someone who's used to being high functioning, high achieving, and very capable. Stress tells us, this is temporary, power through. But burnout isn't the same as stress. And when healing isn't happening fast enough,

We assume something is wrong with us. But the trauma response lens sounds very different. It

tells us,

I don't feel safe if I'm not producing progress. I need to get better quickly so no one is disappointed. Rest feels like laziness. Slowing down equals danger.

And those reactions are not character flaws. They're protection strategies. They're the ways your nervous system learned to survive environments where slowing down wasn't an option, where disappointing someone had consequences, or where your worth was tied to performance. So if you're in burnout and feeling panicked that your healing isn't happening fast enough, this might be a trauma response.

Why burnout makes healing feel so hard. Burnout isn't just about being tired. It's a state of physical and emotional depletion. Your system is genuinely running on empty. And here's why that matters. Burnout slows everything down. Your nervous system is already dysregulated. Your cortisol is probably elevated or crashing. Your brain is foggy. Your motivation is inconsistent.

Healing naturally takes longer because your body doesn't have the reserves. Burnout is often fueled by old trauma patterns that include perfectionism, people pleasing, hyper independence, never wanting to be a burden, always needing to prove your worth. These patterns are brilliant survival strategies until they run you into burnout.

So the same patterns that contributed to burnout often activate again during healing, which makes the whole journey feel harder, slower, and more frustrating. Here's the reframe.

You're not failing at healing. Your healing patterns you've had for decades. That takes time and a lot of self-compassion. Let's talk about some grounding, gentle tools that help shift from a trauma response pace to a healing pace. Let's start with permission to pace.

Healing is not a straight line, and it's not supposed to be fast. You can tell yourself slow progress is still progress. Every tiny nervous system reset counts. You can practice micro rest practices. These are little five minute pockets that help retrain your system to feel safe, slowing down. You can try five minutes with your eyes closed, five minutes without your phone.

Five minutes with your hand on your heart. Five minutes of staring out the window. Small doses of intentional rest are incredibly powerful. They give your nervous system evidence that slowing down does not equal danger.

you can explore self-compassion by journaling. Here is a journaling prompt to try this week. What would I say to a friend who felt like they were healing too slowly? And then, this is important, say it to yourself.

You can use a mantra to anchor yourself. Try repeating, my worth is not measured by my speed. Let that land. Really let it settle into your system. As you go through your week, ask yourself, if I'm frustrated with my healing pace, is this impatience or is this a trauma response rooted in old pressure and performance patterns? Just bringing awareness to the question is so incredibly powerful.

And if you are burnout, please remember this, burnout takes time to heal. Your nervous system is not a machine. It needs slowness, softness, and safety. Healing is not a race, it's a recalibration.

Here is my call to action for you. I want to give you one small assignment for the week ahead. Try one micro rest practice, just five minutes, that's it. Notice what shifts in your body, your breath, your energy or your mindset, because tiny habits add up and your healing deserves to be sustainable. Before we wrap up today, I wanna give you a little sneak peek of what's coming next.

month. Because December on healing is my hobby is going to be a big one. We're diving into something that touches every single one of us, social media and mental wellness. From comparison spirals to burnout, dopamine overload to digital boundaries, we're peeling back the curtain on how our online lives shape our emotional lives. I'll be bringing you an expert insight episode on the actual science of scrolling and why our brains get hooked.

Therapy is my cardio. We're gonna be talking about digital boundaries that protect our peace. In the healing lab, I will be testing out a social media reset to see what really happens to my mood and my nervous system. and this might be a trauma response, we're gonna deep dive into why platforms can trigger old wounds, insecurities, and survival responses. If you've ever felt drained, overwhelmed, or less than after being online,

this series is for you. December is all about helping you create a healthier, calmer, more intentional

world. I can't wait to explore this with you. Thank you so much for listening. If you wanna find out more about me, go to healingismyhobby.com. You can follow me on social media, Instagram at healingismyhobby.

on YouTube at Healing Is My Hobby. And if you wanna know more about my clinical practice, you can go to jessicacolarcolcsw.com. You can find me on Instagram at jessicacolarcolcsw. Thank you for listening.