"Burnout rarely pours itself a cup of tea and airs its exhaustion. Sometimes it leaves no visible trace-no missed deadlines, tardy call times, or sloppy emails. Instead, it hides behind accolades and packed calendars. It lives in the shadowed corners of those who lead fundraisers, run meetings, and inspire audiences-only to collapse in private. It shows up in the sobs muffled by the shower, the forehead pressed to a steering wheel, the restless swirl of bedcovers at 3 a.m."
"Because this part of them-this ache, this depletion-only feels safe enough to stretch out when the lights are low and few eyes, if any, are granted admission. Behind the burnout is often a quiet, persistent depression that nests in the corners of their self-worth and drives their compulsion to achieve. "If only people really knew who I am..." one client said in a session, blinking back tears."
"Those with high-functioning depression describe lives that appear enviable from the outside, but feel cold and untouched on the inside-like inhabiting a beautifully staged home that's never felt like their own. As a trauma-focused therapist, I see it in the zipped-tight poise of those who became strong because they had to be. Simply being wasn't enough, so they performed. They became impressive. Useful. Dazzling. And"
High-functioning burnout often looks like success externally while causing private collapse, exhaustion, and a quiet, persistent depression. People who learned to survive by performing develop a compulsion to achieve and eroded self-worth. Symptoms include muffled sobs, restless nights, and a hollow sense despite accolades and busy lives. Attempts to fix the problem with more grit, productivity, or clever masking deepen depletion because the nervous system is being asked to sustain ongoing threat-response activation. Recovery centers on nervous-system-informed care: safety, connection, presence, play, and relearning how to be rather than continually perform.
Read at Psychology Today
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