What Burnout Looked Like for Me — and How I Found My Way Back

I didn’t even know I was burnt out at first.

I thought I was just tired, overwhelmed, maybe a little dramatic. I chalked it up to stress. Work stress. Life stress. Trying-to-be-who-everyone-wants-you-to-be stress.

But the truth was: I was running on empty. My body and mind had been sending me warnings for years. I just didn’t know how to listen.

I was doing everything "right"... and still felt wrong.

I had a career in social work, something that “fit” on paper. I was helpful. Productive. Nodding and smiling at the right times. But underneath? I felt disconnected — from my work, my body, and especially myself.

I was exhausted from pretending. From people-pleasing. From being the high-functioning, get-it-done version of myself that looked good on the outside but was crumbling inside.

Then I got sick.

Crohn’s disease was the loudest wake-up call I couldn’t ignore. It forced me to slow down — and finally ask some hard questions:

Is this how I want to live? Who am I actually doing this for?

What burnout looked like for me:

• Feeling like I was living a life that wasn’t mine

• Smiling on the outside, but constantly anxious or numb on the inside

• Saying yes when I wanted to say no — then resenting it

• Swinging between being super “on it” and then crashing completely

• Feeling like I had to hide the real me to be accepted

• Ignoring my own needs until my body (literally) forced me to stop

It didn’t change overnight. But it started with small shifts.

What helped me heal:

Letting go of the all-or-nothing mindset
I used to think I had to either “do it all” or give up entirely. Learning to take small steps — messy, imperfect ones — was revolutionary.

Getting grounded in my nervous system
Meditation, breathwork, and therapy didn’t fix everything. But they helped me feel again. To notice what I needed. To stop abandoning myself.

Choosing authenticity over approval
Every time I let myself be a little more me, things got easier. Not perfect — but real.

If you’re burnt out, you’re not broken.

You’re likely just tired of pretending. Tired of holding it all together. And maybe you’ve never had the space to ask what you really want.

You’re allowed to come back to yourself — slowly, gently, and on your own terms.

And if you need support, that’s what Grounding with Ruth is here for.

Thanks for reading. Want to go deeper?
🔸 Check out my podcast Inspired Questions
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