When Stress Becomes Burnout, Learning to Listen to the Signs
In this short and powerful episode of Healing Is My Hobby, licensed clinical social worker Jessica Colarco explores the fine line between stress and burnout — and how to recognize the moment when “too much” becomes “not enough.” Through gentle reflection and grounding affirmations, Jessica reminds listeners that healing starts with awareness and self-compassion.
This mindful mini-episode invites you to pause, breathe, and check in with your body’s signals before they become shouts for help.
🧠 What You’ll Learn
- The key differences between stress and burnout
- Early signs that your nervous system is overwhelmed
- How to recognize your body’s signals before you crash
- Gentle affirmations to help you pause without guilt
- Why healing is about pausing to recharge, not doing less forever
Visit healingismyhobby.com to join the newsletter and access upcoming resources on burnout recovery.
Follow Jessica on Instagram and YouTube for guided practices and healing conversations.
Transcript
Hi friends and welcome back to Healing Is My Hobby. If you've been following along this month, you know that we've been exploring what it really means to heal our stress, not to erase it, but to tend to it with awareness and care.
This episode is called, When Stress Becomes Burnout, Learning to Listen to the Signs.
Today we're talking about what happens when that everyday stress starts to build up, when the tension, fatigue, and overthinking don't go away.
Stress and burnout often get lumped together, but they're actually very different experiences. Stress feels like too much. Too many demands, too many thoughts, too much to do. Burnout, on the other hand, feels like not enough. Not enough energy, not enough motivation.
Not enough joy. In stress, you still care.
pushing through. In burnout, you feel detached, numb, or even resentful. Your nervous system can only stay in go mode for so long before it starts to shut down to protect you. Your body always gives you clues before burnout fully hits. You might notice trouble falling asleep, even when you're exhausted.
Feeling easily irritated or emotionally Flat, getting sick more often. Struggling to concentrate or find motivation for things you used to enjoy. Take a moment to check in with yourself right now. What's your body trying to tell you?
Let's slow down together. Wherever you are, take a deep breath in through your nose.
and exhale through your mouth.
Now place a hand on your chest and one on your stomach. Feel your breath move through your body. Repeat after me quietly or in your mind. I am allowed to rest before I break. My worth is not measured by my productivity. I can listen to my body's needs without guilt. Breathe that in.
and let it settle.
Burnout doesn't happen overnight. It's the accumulation of all the moments we told ourselves just one more thing instead of I need a break. The good news is awareness is the first step toward healing. When you notice your body's cues early, tension, fatigue, irritability, you can intervene with compassion instead of waiting until you crash.
Healing isn't about doing less forever. It's about learning to pause long enough so that you can recharge. As we move to the end of October, let this be your gentle reminder. Stress is your body whispering. Burnout is when it starts to shout. Next month, we'll explore burnout more deeply. What causes it, how to recover, and how to rebuild from a place of rest.
Until then, be kind to yourself. Even one intentional pause a day can shift your entire week.
you want to know more about me or what's going on, go to healingismyhobby.com and sign up for our newsletter. You can also go to Instagram or YouTube, healingismyhobby.com. Thank you so much for listening.
