Breaking Free from Burnout: 5 Powerful Shifts for High Achievers to Heal and Reclaim Their Life

Burnout doesn’t always look like falling apart—it often looks like high achievement, perfectionism, and quietly running on empty.

In this special episode, I’m walking you through all five days of my Breaking Free from Burnout live series, where we explored:

• Why high achievers are especially vulnerable to burnout
• How to recognize early warning signs before it's too late
• The truth about boundaries and rest (without the guilt)
• Small but powerful shifts that create lasting impact
• How to create a personal burnout prevention plan that actually works

If you’re a professional, a caregiver, a helper—or simply someone who’s tired of surviving and ready to start thriving—this episode is for you.

You don’t need to prove your worth through exhaustion. You get to live and lead from a place of peace.

🎧 Tune in, take notes, and let’s start rewriting the story together.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Breaking Free from Burnout
• 1:13 My Personal Burnout Journey
• 5:24 Warning Signs of Burnout
• 8:31 Setting Boundaries Against Burnout
• 14:56 Small Changes for Big Impact
• 19:38 Creating Your Burnout Prevention Plan
• 27:41 Final Thoughts and Support Offerings

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Hello and welcome to the Bella Grace podcast. I'm your host, teresa Mitchell. I am a freedom, mindset and recovery coach, and today's episode is something I'm really excited to bring to you. It's a deep, deep dive into the five day series that I did on Facebook and it will soon be shared to YouTube as well. But I wanted to come here and have one concise place where you could come and get all the information in one place, because if you're a high achiever, you may have experienced burnout. You may be experiencing burnout, and this series is all about breaking free from burnout. Whether you're a high achieving professional, a helping heart like a veterinarian, or someone who just feels like they've been running on empty for too long, this one's for you. In this episode, we are going to walk through five powerful shifts you can make to recognize burnout, take back your energy and start living with grace, not grind. So in day one, we talked about why high achievers burn out and the cost of ignoring it. I started this series by talking about why high achievers burn out and the hidden costs of ignoring it, because all too many of us are ignoring it.

Speaker 1: 1:36

When I went back to school after I first got sober, I had such a fear of disappointing others. I'd let so many people down over the years that I was terrified to do it again. I did everything. I checked all the boxes. I did all the right things. I went to school, I got good grades, I got out, I got a good job. I did everything that I needed to to provide for my daughter. I did all that I needed to to provide for my daughter. I did all the things, but in the inside it was being driven by a fear of disappointing others, a fear of failure and a low self-worth. I didn't feel like I belonged in the rooms, in the places, at the tables where I was finding myself. I was finding myself in government buildings. I was finding myself at city council tables. I was finding myself presenting information to people who were further along in their careers than I ever thought I could be along in their careers than I ever thought I could be. So instead of giving myself grace and gratitude for being where I was, for doing the work and cleaning up my life and getting myself into a much better place, instead of doing that, I let the fear of disappointing others, the fear of failure and my low self-worth pushed me to grind every day, and every day it pushed me closer and closer to burnout.

Speaker 1: 3:12

And about 10 years into this adventure, I found myself in a job that I never even imagined I could get. I was making more money than I had ever made in my life. I was driving a fancy car, I had the house. I had the family, the husband, all the things. I could go to the grocery store without batting an eye at the prices. Like on the outside I had it all together, but on the inside I was dying.

Speaker 1: 3:47

During that time my daughter called me mom dragon. All the time I was angry, all the time I was irritable I was. I had no energy for anything, so it was like no amount of sleep could help me recover. Day in, day out, I was constantly exhausted. I was drinking multiple glasses of wine a night, while also working till midnight and then turning around and editing photos for my photography business from about midnight till about 4 am. Then I would fall asleep for a couple of hours, wake up and do it all over again. I was constantly hungover or drinking to deal with the hangover.

Speaker 1: 4:45

It was a vicious cycle and I was completely burned out. My joints were achy all the time. I had headaches all the time. My allergies and sinuses were at an all-time low. They were awful. I was killing myself from the inside out, and it was all because of a fear of disappointing others, a fear of failure and low self-worth.

Speaker 1: 5:14

So I don't want you to continue to ignore the signs and the symptoms of burnout because I don't want you to get where I was. No one needs to be there. There is freedom for burnout. You can still be a high achiever, but not be burnt out. So I want to tell you a little bit about some of the early warning signs of burnout, signs that I ignored when I was burnt out, because burnout doesn't start with a crash. A crash happens so easy to miss the signs until it is too late. So some of the signs of burnout are, like I said earlier, fatigue. That sleep doesn't fix irritability with people around you.

Speaker 1: 6:26

So this one was a huge one for me. I was so irritable. My daughter would ask me for something I'd bite her head off. My husband would ask me for something I'd bite his head off. I had no energy for anything extra and I got angry at everyone who asked me for anything At work. I was a shining employee, I was sweet, I was bubbly. They all thought I was just this nicest person ever. But outside of work I was snappy. I was so snappy.

Speaker 1: 6:58

Another subtle sign of burnout is apathy. You just don't really feel like doing anything, so instead you numb with behaviors like doom scrolling. Yeah, I know, I'm guilty of it. I have spent hours scrolling on TikTok and before I realized that half the day is gone and nothing that I wanted to get done has gotten done, because I just wanted to numb my brain. Another numbing agent is alcohol that I shared with you. That is one that I used.

Speaker 1: 7:32

But a lot of times when we are burned out, we turn to things like drugs and alcohol to deal with the burnout. We feel exhausted all the time, we feel angry all the time and society tells us that a drink is the way to fix that. But we have to be really careful, because what goes from one drink here and there can quickly become a problematic use of drugs and alcohol. So it's something to pay close attention to, because these are all signs that your system is maxed out. So we also uncovered the patterns that high achievers fall into, like people pleasing over committing and believing that high achievers worth is tied to our productivity. Worth is tied to our productivity. Once we name these patterns, we are able to break them. So for me, my burnout was rooted to fear of disappointing others, fear of failure and low self-worth. Other people it may be people pleasing, which that was one of mine for a long time over committing and believing that your productivity is tied to your net worth.

Speaker 1: 8:50

So really sit down and think about why you have a hard time setting boundaries. Why do you have a hard time saying no to your boss when they ask you to send an email as you're walking out the door and you know that email is going to take you two hours to cultivate, pull the resources and get sent out? Why do you struggle to say no to the things that are draining your energy If you dig down deep from beyond that? So I struggle to say no to my boss when she asked me to send an email as I'm walking out the door. Why don't I say no? Well, because I have a fear that I'm going to lose my job. She might fire me if I say no. Okay.

Speaker 1: 9:40

So what is below the surface of that? Why is losing your job so scary? Is it because you have a fear of not being able to provide for your family? Is it because you have a fear of the uncertainty of going back out on the job market? Is it because you don't want to disappoint her? Is it because you were taught not to ever say no to adults or authority figures? What is that the root cause of why you struggle to set boundaries around your time and energy? And then, once you name it, once you figure out and you name it, then you can start to work backwards and try and start trying to overcome that. So if your fear is rooted in the fact that you were never allowed to say no to authority figures, well now you are an authority figure, you are an adult, so you have the right to say no.

Speaker 1: 10:37

I always say no is a full answer. Hey, teresa, can you send out that email before you leave for the day? No, I can't. I'm sorry, but I can do it tomorrow. See how that sets a boundary around your time tonight. It gets you home in time to take five minutes to relax before you have to start dinner. All because you set one boundary, one boundary. So day three was all about setting boundaries and prioritizing rest, was all about setting boundaries and prioritizing rest, and so we talked about how these shifts don't need to be major, but we do need to set some boundaries and make some shifts.

Speaker 1: 11:29

So high achievers often believe that saying no is selfish and that rest is a reward that we have to earn, but here's the truth True, boundaries are an act of self-respect and rest is a requirement, not a luxury. So in my previous example of saying no to the request to send the email, you have set a clear boundary around your professional life and your personal life. That shows your boss that I have boundaries and I require them to be respected. It also shows yourself that you can be trusted to set boundaries for yourself, to protect your mental and physical well-being. So again, like that, one small shift of saying no, I can't change, I can't send that email before I leave, that is going to give you a few minutes to get home, maybe sit in the garage, breathe, reset for the day and then walk in and be mom, then walk in and be dad, instead of being at the office for two hours, then having to rush home because dinner is going to be two hours late and then rush through bedtime. Routines Like this allows you to set healthy boundaries around your time and your energy.

Speaker 1: 12:54

Rest is not a luxury, my friend, it is a necessity. All too many of us are running, running, running. Whether you're married, single, dating, whatever it is that you are doing, we are all pulled in different directions for different reasons. So if you're single, it might look like you have a very packed social calendar when you're not at work. For your family, it might mean that your kids have a million sports activities going on. When you're not at work, you're Uber to tiny humans, whatever it is. I know we all have packed calendars, but we need to find pockets of rest and it doesn't mean that you have to set out an hour to go take a nap or go to the spa or go get your nails done. Go take a nap or go to the spa or go get your nails done.

Speaker 1: 13:59

If you're a busy mom and you have a baseball tournament this weekend and your weekend is jam-packed with tournaments, with games at this tournament, maybe rest looks like instead of sitting in the stands between games. Maybe it looks like going to sit in the car, lay the seat back, turn on your favorite show on your phone and just zone out into something that makes you feel rested. Maybe it looks like going to the car and cracking open your favorite book, reading two pages and then going back and joining the rest of the team at the game. But it's all about implementing small changes for big impact, which was what we talked about in day number four. Day number four is a game changer because it is literally small changes, big impact.

Speaker 1: 14:56

All too often burnout feels so big that we think that recovery has to be big too, but healing is built on micro shifts, two-minute resets, saying no once a day, asking yourself what do I need to do to feel 10% more supported today? So this kind of goes back to the example that I used of the baseball tournament. If you have a baseball tournament and you don't feel comfortable leaving your kids out in the arena while you go relax in the car, maybe you ask one of the other moms to watch your kids. Hey, susie, I'm gonna go sit in the car for a few minutes. I really need a reset. Can you keep an eye on my kids for about 10 minutes? That can actually make you feel 50 times more supported. But all I'm asking you to do is consider what can you do right now that will make you feel 10% more supported.

Speaker 1: 15:53

For me, when I am very, very, very stretched, I have a friend who I can call and I can say hey, girl, I am like at my wits end, I need help. Can you please come over and help me organize my house? Can you please come over and mop and sweep my floor? Can you please come over and help me go buy decorations for this party? I'm having a party this weekend for my daughter and I have yet to be able to get to Hobby Lobby. Is there any way I can sell you and you can run to Hobby Lobby and look for black streamers, a gold backdrop and 12 silver balloons Whatever it is that can help you feel 10% more supported, and it is showing your brain that you can be trusted to take care of its mental health.

Speaker 1: 16:49

So, again, small, consistent choices build trust with yourself. They shift the nervous system from fight or flight mode and into safety and over time, they build the kind of life that you don't need to escape from. I started reading rachel r we Should All Be Millionaires book and she talks about this. She talks about making million-dollar decisions versus making broke-ass decisions, and a broke-ass decision is to spend an hour a night doing the dishes, when you could pay someone or ask someone to come over and do the dishes for you and get that hour back. It's going to make you feel like a million bucks, according to Rachel Rogers, and it is going to lessen some of the stress that you are feeling. It is going to get you out of fight or flight mode, out of chronic stress mode. It is going to give you some time back so that maybe you can go gather your thoughts and figure out your plan for tomorrow, so that you walk into the day prepared, calm and ready to conquer that work project.

Speaker 1: 18:11

So remember small changes, big impact. What are a few things? Micro shifts that you can do today that will impact how you feel, will give you back some more peace, give you some rest time and spark some joy in your life. And remember to give yourself grace Grace for not thinking of this before, grace for not doing this before, and grace to ask for help. We were not made to live in a bubble of isolation. We were made for community. So lean into your community to see how you can be 10% more supported. I promise you there is someone out there, whether you have to pay them 5, 10, 15 bucks to do it, or you have a friend who will do it for you for free. There are people out there who enjoy doing the things that you hate. My friend loves to clean. It is her stress reliever. I hate to clean. It increases my stress. I ask her to clean and I feel less stress, and so does she. It is a win-win. But I never would have known if I didn't just ask for help. So reach out to your network. Reach out to those gig job sites. See who is out there who can take something off of your plate. Small changes happen, big impact.

Speaker 1: 19:38

Okay, day five was all about creating your own burnout prevention plan, and so we went through some steps. We journaled five questions that I want you to think about today. Okay, so what are your warning signs that you are feeling burned out? Mine are irritability, exhaustion and anxiousness. So when I am starting to feel burned out, I feel very on edge all the time. I feel anxious about things, but I can't quite put my finger on it, and I am exhausted all the time. So what are your warning signs? How do you know that you are getting burned out? What boundaries need to be set? So we talked about saying no to the boss when she asks you to send out an email at the very last minute.

Speaker 1: 20:34

Another boundary that you could set is when someone asks you to do something past your bedtime. Hey, we want to go to happy hour and then we're going to go get dinner after and then we're probably going to run by this store and do some things. Go to Target, do a late night Target run. Do you want to come with us? You can set a boundary that says no, I need to get some rest tonight. But thank you, and please consider me for next time. I'd love to join y'all one day. Set boundaries that protect your rest, your peace, your time, your energy and your joy. If it takes away any of those things, it might be time to set a boundary around it. So what are boundaries that need to be set, rounded? So what are boundaries that need to be set?

Speaker 1: 21:28

What daily or weekly practices refill your cup? What daily or weekly practices refill your cup? For me, things like spending time with friends refill my cup. Going for a walk refills my cup. Going to the lake refills my cup, and I don't mean like getting in the boat and all that jazz, I just mean literally going to the lake and walking around, that refills my cup. Taking my camera outside and taking pictures of something pretty? That refills my cup. Writing refills my cup. Reading refills my cup. I feel better, I feel relaxed, I feel ready to come back and take on the day. Meditation fills my cup. Prayer, worship, laying on the living room floor in a silent house fills my cup. So what fills your cup? Can you work in some things daily or weekly that refill your cup?

Speaker 1: 22:31

Who is your support system? This may seem like a silly question. You may say my friends and my family. But no, dig deeper. Who is your true support system? Who do you call when shit hits the fan and you need help? Who do you call when you don't know what to do with your child? Who do you call when you need a toilet unclogged and you don't know how to do it? Who is your support system? For me, it is my friends and my family, especially my friends, because none of my family is central to Dallas. I have family in the Dallas area but none directly in Dallas. So for me, my support system is my friends. When I need to cry, I call my friend. When I need help buying supplies for a party, I call my friends. When I need help planning a party, I call my friends. When I want to celebrate something, I call my friends. I am so thankful that I have such a strong support system.

Speaker 1: 23:40

When I found out that my stepson's mother had passed away, I immediately had people who I could call and talk through that with and express how I was feeling, because it's a very complicated thing when you don't have the best relationship with somebody. You love them because you both love the same human and they suddenly pass away. That can be really confusing. It was confusing. I had so many emotions and I had three people that I was able to immediately call and talk through that and I was so grateful because they all listened in different ways. They all were there for me in different ways and by the end of the conversations I was so much better. I felt peace. I was still sad. It didn't magically make it go away. I was still heartbroken for this woman, but I felt better and I didn't. I wasn't sitting there shaking.

Speaker 1: 24:43

So when you think about the things in life that make you shake, that make you cry, that make you, that bring you to your knees, who is your support system? Who is it that you are going to pick up the phone and call? Why not lean on them when you are feeling burned out? On them when you are feeling burned out, because burnout is a real thing. It is a real issue. It is not a badge of honor, it is not something that we should wear and be proud of. We need to take a step back and see why we are burning out and what can we do to make it stop. Because you were made for thriving, not survival mode, and so these five questions are super powerful.

Speaker 1: 25:33

The last one is what belief do you need to release to heal? I shared that mine were the fear of disappointing others, the fear of failure and low self-worth. Once I was able to name those, once I was able to say, oh, I am doing all of these things because I don't feel worthy to have this job and I am terrified of letting people down. Once I was able to name that, I was able to see all the other things that I have accomplished in my life and know that I have a high value. I am a smart, capable, strong person. But I wasn't able to see that until I was able to identify the root cause of the behaviors that I was participating in. So again, burnout is not a badge of honor, my friend. It is a warning sign and you have the power to shift it.

Speaker 1: 26:43

Healing doesn't require that you quit your job, disappear from the world or become someone else. It starts with awareness being aware of what is going on, honestly and in tiny steps. Tiny steps in the right direction can have monumental change. You don't have to wait until you crash to change. Don't do that. You can start today, gracefully, imperfectly and in your own timing.

Speaker 1: 27:21

If this series has resonated with you, please tag someone, share it on your social DM. Me on Instagram, facebook, spotify, wherever you get your podcasts, youtube. You do not have to walk this journey alone, alone. I would be honored to come alongside you. I have one-on-one coaching. I have VIP days where we literally take eight hours and focus solely on a recovery plan for you recovery from burnout, recovery from substance use, recovery from burnout, recovery from substance use, recovery from people pleasing procrastination you name it. I can help you recover from it.

Speaker 1: 28:06

And so I just want to leave you with this. You were made for more than merely surviving. You were made for thriving. It is time to find freedom from the mindsets and the behaviors and the addictions that are holding you back, because you deserve to live in your full potential. Your full potential, my friend. What does that look like? What does your full potential look like? What does it taste like? What does it smell like? That's what you were made for. So until next week, may you be well kind, and may you find some joy this week. Bye.