Burnout isn’t always dramatic. It doesn’t always arrive as a breakdown or a crisis.
For many ambitious women it shows up quietly in the form of micro-burnouts.
You’re not falling apart, you’re functioning, hell you are probably even achieving lots, but beneath the surface there’s a constant cycle of doing too much, recovering too little and repeating the pattern all over again.
Micro burnouts have been around a long time but right now we are seeing a rise in both how often they are happening and how deeply they are affecting women, especially women in business and women in leadership.
What is Micro-Burnout (and Why Does it Matter?)
Micro-burnout is that low level, ongoing depletion that never full knocks you down but never lets your thrive either.
It’s
- Being exhausted but still pushing through
- Taking breaks that don’t actually restore you
- Losing motivation for things that you used to love
- Feeling wired and tired, mentally overloaded and physically drained
Because it’s not as obvious or urgent as burnout, we think it’s just a normal part of work and we just push through. But our energy and confidence are fading in the background!
So Why are We Seeing a Rise in Micro-Burnout?
It’s the perfect storm of modern life, shifting expectations and deeper energetic awareness. Here’s what’s contributing to the rise:
1. The Pace of Life is Faster than Ever
We live in a hyper-connected world. The emails never stop, the notifications are constant, the pressure to keep up is overwhelming. Even when we do stop working, we don’t actually stop. We never truly unplug and that means our nervous system rarely gets the rest it needs to fully reset.
2. Ambitious Women are Doing More Than Ever (without the Support to Match)
We’re leading, building, raising families, managing households, mentoring teams and carrying the motherload of emotional labour. It’s powerful but it’s exhausting. Problem is we are deeply capable, we just keep going. We tell ourselves it’s just part of being a working mother or a woman in leadership. It’s the norm. And this is because we have normalised over-functioning!
3. We’ve Normalised Over-functioning
Somewhere along the way we started to believe that being busy equals being valuable. The more productive we are the more worthy we are. So we overdeliver, overthink, and constantly over extend ourselves. And instead of listening to our bodies we ignore them and fuel them with caffeine, sugar and a whole lot of self-discipline!
4. We’ve become more Energetically Aware
As more of us become more energetically aware of how our energy impacts our lives and our experience. We are more aware of how this low energy, high stress, constant pressure is affecting our experience. We know our behaviour is unsustainable that the things that keep us in low vibration need to shift but we often don’t know how to make that shift. This is one of the reasons I created The High Vibration Reset Podcast to help high achieving women to step out of the patterns standing in the way of their next level.
What is the High Vibration Alternative?
How do we break the cycle without burning it all down (a pattern of mine for years)? We shift into high vibrational leadership where we lead ourselves and others from a state of alignment and ease rather than a place of push, stress and fear.
Here’s a few examples of what that looks like:
Honour your energy as much as your calendar
You have to tune into your body more frequently, not just push through when you are tired. If you energy is always depleted its time for a reset not a new productivity hack!
Stop waiting for a breakdown or sickness to give yourself permission to change
So many women wait to get a diagnosis or wait to actually burnout before they make time for their own needs. They are so focused on what the family or the job needs from them that the fail to see the warning signs before the chose a different way.
Build in Micro Recovery Everyday
Breaks, breathing, water, yoga nidra, walks, all of these simple habits raise your vibration and help to nurture the nervous system.
Look for Micro Moments of Joy Everyday
When you feel good, you create better. These elevated emotions keep your vibration high and when you interact with other people they will notice. When you are in alignment and happy life will flow better.
If you have experienced burnout or if you feel micro burnout describes what’s been happening to you it’s not your faults. It’s a symptom of a culture that glorifies exhaustion and overworking.
But it’s time for us to collectively wake up, we are no longer available for a version of success that drains that life out of us. We want to lead with impact and integrity and that requires us to be well and not too busy to notice the birdsong or a flower bloom.
So please if you are feeling the signs of micro-burnout don’t wait, find a daily habit that nourishes you, resets your energy and your vibration. Because remember your energy is your edge!
If you want to learn more about stepping into High Vibration and flow, check out The High Vibration Reset Podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube
