Is This Burnout or Am I Just Over It?

We’ve all had that morning.

You wake up with the best intentions, today’s the day you start the diet, submit the proposal, launch the website. Coffee in hand, you sit down to tackle your to-do list… and suddenly, motivation leaves the chat.

Ten minutes later, you look up from a doom scroll, push the list aside, and opt to clean the fridge, go for a walk, or dive straight back into TikTok, to do anything else but the thing you planned to do, with something inside you saying “I just can’t do this today.”

In isolation, it wouldn’t be a big deal. We all have days where we need to go off-piste and see where the wind takes us, but this is the third time this week… and it’s only Wednesday.

So what’s going on?

Before you blame Mercury for being in retrograde again, or worse, spiral into shame about being lazy, turn inward, because when this kind of fog rolls in on repeat, it’s rarely about willpower alone. The inability to “just get on with it” is almost never laziness, and more often it’s the symptom of something deeper, that of; depletion, disconnection, or misalignment.

Maybe your overstimulated and under-supported, maybe your energy’s been spread too thin, or maybe you’re forcing yourself to show up for a version of success that you no longer actually want, but how do you know which one it is, when to rest, when to push through, and when to let go?

If we gave up at the first sign of a motivational slump, we’d never get anywhere, but if we keep pouring energy into something that no longer aligns with who we are, we end up drained, frustrated, and no closer to what we actually want.

There is a fine line between self-discipline and self-abandonment, between staying the course and recognising when the course no longer leads where you want to go.

Even if you have already poured a lot of time into it, you need to learn when the train you are on is taking you to a destination you no longer want to end up at, because the sooner you realise you are on the wrong train, the quicker you can get off and instead head towards where you really want to be.

Burnout or Misalignment? Why We Get It Confused

Here’s where it gets tricky, burnout and misalignment can feel incredibly similar on the surface. You're disinterested, unmotivated and disconnected, even the smallest task feels like dragging yourself through wet concrete, but figuring out the why behind that resistance matters. If you don’t know what’s really going on underneath, you risk making the wrong move. Pushing through when you're actually misaligned is self-abandonment, and walking away when you're just burnt out could mean giving up on something you really want, and could have easily acheived with the right support in place.

Burnout and misalignment often overlap because they trigger the same withdrawal response; procrastination, numbness, disconnection and shutdown, but the cause and the cure for each are completley different. Learning to discern the difference isn’t just helpful, it’s self-preservation.

So, What Is Burnout?

Burnout is a state of chronic emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion, often caused by prolonged stress, overworking, or constantly operating in a dysregulated nervous system state.

Burnout is defined by three core symptoms:

1. Exhaustion – You feel drained before the day even begins.

2. Cynicism or Detachment – You feel numb, disconnected, or emotionally flat.

3. Reduced Efficacy – You start to believe you’re not good at what you do, no matter how hard you try.

It’s not just about workload. You can burn out emotionally in relationships, personal goals, even identities that once felt aligned, especially if you’re the kind of woman who holds it all together — until you can’t.

Burnout often shows up in the body before the brain catches on, constant tiredness, even after rest, anxiety, brain fog, irritability and a sense that everything is too much are very common when burnout is present.

Burnout triggers include; lack of time or support, when you’re doing too much, with not enough time to recoup. Perfectionism masked as high standards, the constant self inflicted pressure to get everything right can keep your nervous system in a chronic state of tension which is a fast-track to burnout. Fear of failure (and the shame that comes with it), when fear overrides intuition, you overwork, overthink, and eventually burn out trying to outrun self-doubt.

And What About Misalignment?

Misalignment, on the other hand, happens when the goal you're working towards no longer matches who you’ve become. It’s not always dramatic, sometimes it’s a slow realisation that what once felt exciting now feels, off.

Misalignment signs include:

1. Feeling flat or uninspired, even after rest

2. Dreading tasks that once excited you

3. Fantasising about doing something completely different

4. Resisting progress, not from fear but from disinterest

   
   

Misalignment means you’ve outgrown something, and continuing to pursue it out of obligation will only lead to, you guessed it, burnout.

Clues of misalignment can be; over-identification with outdated goals, when you're chasing a goal that no longer reflects who you are, your energy naturally resists. Feeling too far behind to start again, this is often a mindset block, not a reflection of your actual capacity. You’re staying committed to something simply because you fear starting from scratch, not because it’s still right for you. Comparison spirals, misalignment shows up when you're measuring your life against someone else’s timeline. You lose sight of your values, your voice, and your version of success.

Burnout or Misalignment? How to Tell the Difference

Use this mini Self-Coaching Audit to check in with yourself and find out...

🧠 Step 1: Emotional Check-In

Ask yourself:

• When did I start feeling this way?

• Have I actually been resting, or just numbing?

• Do I feel empty or uninspired?

If you’ve had rest and still feel raw its likely burnout.

If you’ve had rest and feel meh its likely misalignment.

💡 Step 2: Purpose Pulse Check

Ask:

• Do I still want the outcome that achieving this goal will bring?

• Would I feel proud if I stuck with this for another 6 months?

• If I could start over with no pressure, no lost time, would I choose to do this again?

If the answer is no, you might be clinging to an outdated version of you, not because it’s still right, but because you’ve already invested time into it, but here’s the truth if it’s not for you, it’s not for you, and it won’t suddenly become aligned just because you force yourself to stick it out for another month. All that does is delay the inevitable and drain more of your energy.

Instead, pat yourself on the back for having the courage to try. Then honour yourself by accepting that your path is changing, even if that means starting again.

Letting go isn’t failure. It’s redirection.

🔍 Step 3: Nervous System Inventory

This one matters more than you think.

If your body feels hypervigilant, anxious and snappy that’s often burnout.

If you feel flat, zoned out, or emotionally detached that’s more likely disconnection, boredom, or misalignment.

Either way, your nervous system is trying to tell you something, and if you don’t listen it’ll just keep getting louder; through overwhelm, shutdown, or eventually, full-on burnout. Your body always speaks first. It’s your job to start listening.

The Coaching Reframe: Don’t Quit, Clarify

This isn’t about throwing everything in the bin the minute things get tough. Its about learning the difference between persistence and self-abandonment.

Sometimes we confuse consistency with martyrdom, telling ourselves,“If I just keep going, maybe it’ll feel good again…” And sure, there are moments when sticking it out builds resilience, but if the version of success you’re working toward no longer feels like yours, you don’t need more grit, you need more truth.

Quitting isn’t always failure, it’s a brave, radical act of self-trust. Letting go of something that’s no longer aligned doesn’t mean you’ve given up, it means you’ve grown. You’ve outlived a goal, a vision, or a season that once made sense. The win isn’t in clinging to it. The win is in knowing when it’s no longer meant for you, and giving yourself permission to pivot.

When to Let Go (Without Feeling Like a Quitter)

It might be time to walk away if:

• The only reason you’re doing it is because you feel you “should”

• You’ve outgrown the version of you who wanted it

• You’re consistently compromising your health, joy, or core values to maintain it

• You’re no longer willing to become a watered-down version of yourself just to keep going

When to Stay and Commit

It might be time to double down if:

• You still believe in the vision, but your energy’s scattered

• You’ve been in a comparison spiral or motivation drought

• You’re avoiding the next step because it feels vulnerable or risky

• You haven’t actually given yourself the structure or support you need

Burnout, boredom, and misalignment don’t just drain your energy, they cloud your vision. The more exhausted or disconnected you feel, the harder it becomes to trust your instincts, spot your truth, or decide what’s worth holding onto. That’s why regular self-check-ins are your secret weapon to help you make decisions from clarity, not chaos.

You’re allowed to change direction without apology. You’re allowed to quit the goal and keep the lesson. You’re allowed to come back to yourself, even if that means starting fresh.

So whether you’re facing burnout, questioning your alignment, or just feeling stuck — use this moment as your reset.

Its not a breakdown, but a breakthrough.