The Hidden Faces of Burnout: When Life Dims Your Inner Light

Ever wake up exhausted after a full night's sleep? Find yourself going through the motions of life with a smile while feeling empty inside? You're experiencing a form of burnout that defies traditional explanations—and you're not alone.

Unlike burnout from 80-hour workweeks or obvious stressors, this deeper depletion sneaks up silently. It's the exhaustion that comes from emotional suppression—constantly saying "I'm fine" when you're crumbling inside. It's the fatigue of disconnection from purpose, where daily activities feel hollow and meaningless. It's the drain of perfectionism, where you're tired not just from doing too much, but from the pressure to do it all flawlessly.

I've been struggling with this unexplainable burnout for years, questioning my energy levels, my memory, and my purpose. Through this journey, I've identified five hidden causes that may be silently depleting you: emotional repression, purpose disconnection, perfectionism, self-betrayal through ignoring your own needs, and energetic misalignment—living a life that no longer matches who you've become.

For everyone nodding along, recognizing themselves in these words—you're not broken or lazy. Your light hasn't disappeared; it's simply dimmed by these invisible energy drains. Let's acknowledge what's happening beneath the surface and begin the journey back to vitality together. If you're feeling seen by this episode, please share it with someone else who needs this validation, leave a review, and join our community of souls reigniting their inner radiance.

Chapters

• 0:57 Welcome to Unexplainable Burnout
• 1:37 The Hidden Emotional Toll
• 6:43 Five Hidden Causes of Burnout
• 12:42 You're Not Alone in This

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:29

Hey, radiant Souls, welcome back to another episode of Unleash your Inner Radiance. I'm Lisa, your Catalyst, life, Wellness and Transformation Coach, and today we are going to go deep. I mean, and I'm talking about really deep, because this is something that I've been struggling with for probably four years and I have no idea why I'm struggling with it, why I'm struggling with it. So this one is going to go to the ones who have been running on empty, smiling when they're crumbling, pushing through when every part of them is whispering to stop. Can we talk about burnout? Not the kind that comes from working 80 hours a week chasing toddlers though those are real too but the unexplainable burnout. The unexplainable not having your purpose, not knowing what your purpose is, the unexplainable just being tired all the time. You know the kind of burnout where you wake up tired even after sleeping eight hours. Or the kind where your favorite things feel like chores or they're just not your favorite things anymore and it just seems weird. The kind where your purpose and your desires seem so distant, like you misplaced them somewhere but can't remember where. And when I say that this has been my life for the last four years, I'm not kidding it, just it seems like so many things have changed. It seems like I'm always tired and have no energy and I try to get things done, but then I don't, or things take longer to finish than I thought they would, right, and there's just no explanation for it. Am I misjudging the time or just I don't know. I don't know what it is, but that's the kind of burnout that just. It just seems like everyone is experienced, and I have had several people reach out to me and say talk about this, because I'm always tired and I just don't know what to do. Way, whether you're a mom, a dad, a caregiver, an entrepreneur, you work nine to five, or you're just a beautifully complex human being, you're not broken, you're not lazy and you are definitely not alone. So let's talk about five hidden causes, and I'm going to say hidden because they're things that we don't think about or our mind just doesn't go to them, right, it's just I don't have a purpose anymore. I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know why I'm doing this and I'm just always tired. So, number one Well, first of all, I'm All. These things are draining you and you don't realize that they're actually draining you.

Speaker 1: 4:38

So one emotional repression, also known as pretending you're fine. We're really all really good at, you know, putting that. I've got it together. Look on my face. It's a mask, but we all use it Pushing our emotions down, holding back our tears, saying I'm fine when you really are, anything. But Because over time this emotional suppression becomes emotional suffocation, and I don't wonder if a lot of us aren't just struggling with that, because when we don't let ourselves feel, because when we don't let ourselves feel, we burn out from the weight of those unspoken emotions. So let's do a check-in. When was the last time you let yourself cry, scream or even just admit? This is hard Because the emotional release is self-care too. So we talked about that self-care a few episodes ago. Go back and listen to that.

Speaker 1: 6:15

Two disconnection from purpose, or also known as the what's the point fatigue. You know there's so many things that I'm gonna do something and I'm like what's the point? What's the point in doing that right now? What's the point in doing that right now? And it's almost like you're procrastinating in a weird way, but it's like you're just going through the motions, like parenting and working and volunteering, doing all the things, but it feels hollow. That's a sign when your purpose isn't rooted in your daily actions. It drains your soul quietly. It's not dramatic, it's just exhausting. So here's a reminder. You are here for more than just checking the boxes. So here's a reminder you are here for more than just checking the boxes. So let's discover your why, or let's rediscover your why.

Speaker 1: 7:32

Number three Perfectionism masquerading as productivity. Now, I hugely struggle with perfectionism, and that is not a good thing by any means, and I also did an episode on that. You're not just tired from doing too much, you try tired from doing too much. You're tired from trying to do it all perfectly. And that is exactly how I am. But here's the kicker you never feel like it's enough. So even when you finish something, the pressure doesn't lift the hamster wheel which goes round and round and round and round and round. Yeah, it's emotional. So let's do a reframe. Done is better than perfect, loved is better than flawless and alive is better than impressive.

Speaker 1: 8:50

Number four Low-key self-betrayal, also known as micro-no's to your own needs as micro-no's to your own needs. So saying yes when you meant no which I know a lot of us do or skipping the rest because everybody else needs you. Canceling joy to handle one more obligation, these betrayals to yourself. I need a break. I need a break. So reclaim your hell, yes, and fiercely protect your sacred no.

Speaker 1: 10:08

Five, oh, yes, energetic misalignment. You kind of feel like you're living someone else's life. Maybe you're living a life that was expected of you, or the one that made sense five years ago, but your spirit has evolved and your life hasn't caught up. That's a mismatch. It's silently draining you. Here's the truth. You can love the people around you and still grow the version of life you built for a former self, for a former self.

Speaker 1: 11:08

Burnout Isn't always loud. Burnout isn't always obvious. Sometimes it whispers. Sometimes it looks like a perfect life on the outside and a storm on the inside. I felt it especially these last three years, four years, five years. I don't know when it started. If you're nodding in your head, if you feel this is in your bones, you're not crazy and you're not weak. You're just burned out in a way that's deep and sneaky and human.

Speaker 1: 12:07

I know I've talked to a lot of people who say they just got this brain fog, that they just don't know why they feel this way. They don't know why they're tired, they don't know why they can't remember things. They just don't understand what's going on. The turmoil inside is what's draining you. So if any of this hits home with you guys and I know I'm not the only person, and I know the people who asked me to record this are feeling it please leave a comment, please give me a review, tell me where you're at and share this with someone who needs to hear. It needs to hear that they are seen and that they are not alone. And remember your light isn't gone, it's just dimmed. Let's reignite it together. Until next time, keep shining, keep healing and keep growing. Lisa.