The quiet signs of burnout

Burnout looks different than most people imagine. It looks different from all other feelings, because in that moment we almost stop feeling them at all.

A sunset that once brought calm is now just a sunset. The neighbour's dog barking at five in the morning no longer stirs even a flicker of anger. Inside, there is silence. You simply get up and do the same thing every day, like a hamster on a wheel. You just don't feel anything anymore.

Love disappears. Joy disappears, desire disappears. Even as you try to pretend everything is fine, you are deceiving yourself. It feels as though two different people live inside you.

If you are reading this and it resonates, then you know that feeling. That strange emptiness inside, when there is nothing left but the constant repetition, to yourself or to others: "I'm fine."

You've forgotten the sound of waves at the sea. You've forgotten the birds singing. You've forgotten how to stop. Because you are tired. Simply tired of being everything all at once.

Maybe you are a mother who rushes, works, and takes care of everyone but herself. Or a sister who carries other people's problems on her shoulders and has forgotten how to live her own life. Or simply a person who is lost right now and needs help to become themselves again, instead of just being stuck in time.

My advice to everyone who recognises themselves in these lines - reach out for help. That feeling is heavy. And most of the time, it doesn't pass on its own.

Sometimes emotions take over everything. When they do, try a very simple exercise. Name three things:

What do I see right now?

What am I touching right now?

What can I smell right now?

Perhaps, at least for a moment, it will help you come back to reality. Sometimes we run from it. But left alone with our burnout, we understand just how much we've been missing it.