Let’s talk about that awkward, uncomfortable space between “I’m doing all the things” and “None of it feels like enough.”
You know the one – Where your calendar is full, your checklist is ticked, your goals are clear, and your discipline is on point. You’re exercising daily, journaling and/or meditating each morning, drinking enough water… and still… something inside you just feels off.
You’re showing up in all the ways you were told would work. But deep down, you’re tired.
Not the kind of tired that a weekend lie-in can fix. The kind that is all-consuming and the kind of tired that speaks to you from the inside, that “this isn’t right,” even when everything on the outside says the opposite.
Here’s something I learned a few years ago: Burnout doesn’t always come from doing too much. Sometimes, it comes from doing the wrong things.
It comes from chasing a version of success you think you should want. It comes from trying to fix an internal void with external effort. From using hustle as a distraction. From staying busy because sitting still would mean facing the truth.
And the truth is: something feels off because something is off.
The Burnout You Can’t See
I call it soul-tired. It’s when everything you’re doing is technically “right” but it still feels wrong. You’re not necessarily overwhelmed by the volume of tasks, you’re overwhelmed by the lack of meaning behind them.
You’re exhausted from performing your worth. From constantly proving you’re valuable. From holding it all together when what you actually need is to let it fall apart.
That version of burnout is sneaky. It doesn’t come with flashing warning signs. It comes with quiet erosion, a slow disconnection from your intuition, your joy, your sense of self.
And if you’re anything like I was, you override it.
You dismiss the whispers of discomfort. You justify the tension in your body. You keep pushing because you’re used to pushing. Slowing down feels like weakness, and you have an identity built around being strong, capable, together, high-functioning, and “fine.”
But what if slowing down isn’t weakness? What if it’s wisdom?
What if that knot in your chest, that resistance to rest, that fatigue you can’t shake, is your body waving a red flag that something needs to change?
The Difference Between Momentum and Survival Mode
It took me a long time (and a few dramatic crashes) to see that there’s a huge difference between momentum and survival mode.
One is fuelled by aligned energy. The other is fuelled by fear.
And when you’re operating from fear – fear of falling behind, fear of being forgotten, fear of disappointing others, fear of not being enough – you override every signal your body gives you.
You ignore the nudges. You make everything urgent. You confuse motion with progress.
Busy becomes your badge of honour. Control becomes your coping mechanism.
And deep down, you suspect that if you pause, it might all unravel.
Don’t Burnout from The Fear of Stopping
Let’s be honest: stopping can feel scary.
Rest can feel like freefall when your self-worth is tied to your productivity.
If you’re used to being the one who holds everything and everyone together? The choosing rest can feel selfish.
But I want to ask you something: What if not stopping is the thing actually costing you the most?
What if you’re so afraid of everything falling apart that you’re missing the fact that something truer is waiting to fall into place?
That’s not flaky. That’s brave.
Let Go of the Hustle That’s Lost Its Heart
We live in a culture that glorifies grind, praises productivity, and applauds the highlight reels. But we rarely talk about the cost of that performance.
When you wake up to the fact that your hustle has lost its heart and although your days are packed your soul still feels empty, it’s time to ask different questions.
Not “How can I do more?” but “Why am I doing this?”
Not “How do I get back on track?” but “Is this still the right track for me?”
Sometimes we outgrow our goals. Sometimes we realise that the ladder we’re climbing is leaning against the wrong wall.
And there’s no shame in that.
You Don’t Have to Earn Rest
This is your reminder: You don’t have to earn rest. You don’t have to justify your peace.
You don’t have to prove your worth by being constantly available, endlessly productive, or perpetually “on.”
You are not a machine, or a brand, or your to-do list.
You’re a human being. One who is allowed to shift, pause, change their mind, grieve, dream, and start over.
If you’re soul-tired, it’s not a sign that you’re weak or lazy or not good enough. It’s a signal to avoid burnout. An invitation to rest. A turning point for you and your life.
From Doing More to Being More
So let me ask you something:
Where are you moving from alignment? And where are you moving from anxiety?
What would soften if you stopped trying to prove yourself and just chose to simply be?
What would you hear from within if you slowed down enough to listen?
Your next breakthrough might not come from doing more. It might come from being more you.
More present, more honest, and more in tune.
And that’s where the magic lives and fulfillment is.
Permission to Pause
If you’re reading this and you’re running on fumes, then I ask you to pause.
Stop trying to hold it all together when what you really need is to let it fall apart so you can rebuild more honestly.
Let go of the “shoulds.” Let go of the urgency that isn’t real. Let go of the guilt for craving ease.
Your peace doesn’t need an explanation, and your alignment doesn’t need permission either.
At some point today, take 30 minutes to check in with yourself and ask:
- What’s energising you lately?
- What’s draining you?
- What’s calling you to slow down?
- Where have you been ignoring your truth to play to others’ expectations?
Journal it. Voice note yourself. Cry if you need to. Talk to someone about it.
Turn autopilot off because you deserve to live your life in a way that is truest to you.
You are allowed to change. You are allowed to reset. You are allowed to choose a path that feels more true.
Slowing down isn’t failure. It’s clarity.
And that clarity? It might just be the breakthrough you’ve been waiting for and the thing that stops burnout in it’s tracks.
With love and presence,
Cam x
P.S. You can subscribe to my weekly thoughts HERE
