Burnout is When Your Body Speaks, Listen
- Brainz Magazine
- Jun 11
- 6 min read
La'Sha Wright is a well known Mindset Coach, Christian Author, Artist with over 20 years of writing experience. She empowers people to heal emotionally, grow spiritually, and transform their lives through faith based coaching, creative expression, and powerful personal insights.
Burnout doesn’t shout, it whispers through your body, your spirit, your dwindling joy. In this powerful reflection, discover how physical exhaustion, emotional fatigue, and spiritual depletion are not just signs of weakness, but sacred signals calling you back to rest, realignment, and renewal. If your body is the temple, then burnout is the alarm. Will you listen?
Understanding exhaustion and honoring the temple you live in
There comes a moment when coffee no longer helps, motivation fades, and even your dreams feel heavy. You keep pushing, keep showing up but something inside you begins to shut down. That something is burnout. It doesn’t knock politely. It invades quietly, first in your energy, then your clarity, then your joy. And too often, we ignore it.
Burnout isn’t just emotional; it’s spiritual. It’s not just physical fatigue, it’s a soul whisper, a divine alarm urging you to slow down, breathe, and realign. Your body is a messenger, and God is speaking through it.
Your body is the temple not a machine
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit…? Therefore honor God with your bodies.” - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)
You weren’t created to be in grind mode 24/7. The temple wasn’t built to operate on burnout; it was built for worship, stillness, and communion. If God values your body enough to dwell in it, you must value it enough to rest.
Rest is not lazy, it’s holy.
I used to work three jobs, going nowhere fast. Exhaustion kicked me down and burned out, depression wearing a mask.
Burnout begins with ignored boundaries
One of the earliest signs of burnout is when you stop saying no. You overcommit. You override your capacity. You sacrifice peace for productivity.
“Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’” - Matthew 5:37 (NKJV)
Every yes costs energy. Every no protects it. Your time is limited; your peace is sacred. Learn the power of limits before life enforces them through collapse.
Fatigue isn’t always physical sometimes it’s emotional
Have you ever slept all night but still woke up tired? That’s not just body exhaustion, it’s soul weariness.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick…” - Proverbs 13:12 (NIV)
Unmet expectations. Prolonged waiting. Carrying too many emotional loads. These drain you in ways sleep never can fix. To heal from burnout, you must address what’s breaking your heart, not just your schedule.
Rest is recovery, not rebellion
God Himself rested.
“And on the seventh day God ended His work… and He rested.” - Genesis 2:2 (NKJV)
Rest isn’t weakness. It’s worship. If God, who never tires, chose rest as a rhythm, so should you.
Burnout often grows in the soil of guilt. You feel bad for pausing, for canceling, for not being “on” all the time. But choosing rest is not disobedience to your calling, it’s obedience to your design.
Your nervous system is not the enemy
1. Panic attacks, constant fatigue, loss of focus – these aren’t defects. These are signals. Your nervous system is trying to protect you from chronic stress. It’s not sabotaging you, it’s saving you.
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”- Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)
When you ignore the voice of your body, it will scream louder through illness, anxiety, and emotional numbness. Listen early, respond wisely.
Renewal requires slowing down
Healing won’t be rushed. Just like broken bones need stillness, so do broken spirits.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.” - Psalm 23:2-3 (NIV)
You can’t be restored in chaos. Let stillness do its work. Let silence bring the truth to the surface. Let God meet you where everything else falls away.
Give yourself grace and treat yourself with kindness, especially during times of self-doubt. Always do positive self-talk to encourage yourself.
Signs you might be burnt out
You’re constantly tired, no matter how much you sleep
You feel detached or numb toward things you once loved
You’re easily irritable, anxious, or overwhelmed
You dread starting your day
You lack focus and motivation
You feel like you’re running on autopilot
You’ve lost your sense of purpose or joy
If you’re reading this and identifying with these signs, pause. Your healing starts with acknowledgment.
How to begin healing
Be still – Take a Sabbath. Disconnect from performance and reconnect to presence.
Re-evaluate your commitments – What’s draining you unnecessarily?
Sleep and nourish yourself – Basic needs are sacred, not optional.
Pray and process – Journaling, worship, therapy, or counsel. Let it out.
Say no – Protect your capacity with clarity.
Do one thing you love without guilt – Joy is medicine.
Final word: Listen before life forces you to
Burnout doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’ve been strong for too long without rest. And God didn’t design you to live burned out, broken, and bitter. He designed you to live well, love deeply, and lead from a place of overflow, not survival.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” - Matthew 11:28 (NKJV)
When your body speaks, don’t silence it. Listen. Because on the other side of rest is not just recovery, it’s revelation.
Stop glorifying overworking – it’s not god’s will
In a world that praises hustle, we often confuse exhaustion for success. But God never called us to burnout. He called us to fruitfulness, not fatigue.
“It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night… for God gives rest to his loved ones.” - Psalm 127:2 (NLT)
Rest isn’t laziness – it’s sacred obedience. If the world glorifies busyness, let heaven glorify balance.
Carrying what God didn’t assign will weigh you down
Burnout often happens when we take on loads God never told us to carry – whether emotional, spiritual, or relational.
“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” - Matthew 11:30 (NKJV)
If it feels unbearable, maybe it’s not yours to bear. Alignment with God’s will brings peace, not pressure.
You don’t have to earn the right to rest
You’re not only allowed to rest when the work is done, you are commanded to rest as part of the work.
“Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest…” - Exodus 34:21 (NIV)
Rest is not a reward for completing your to-do list. It’s a command for sustaining your purpose.
The spirit can be willing, but the body still needs renewal
Jesus knew this in Gethsemane when His disciples couldn’t stay awake. Even in spiritual warfare, the body has limits.
“The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” - Matthew 26:41 (ESV)
Don’t condemn your body for needing rest. Steward it with grace – it’s the vessel through which your calling flows.
You can’t pour from an empty spirit
You were never meant to give endlessly without returning to the well. Even Jesus withdrew.
“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” - Luke 5:16 (NIV)
Isolation isn’t abandonment, it’s protection. Step back so God can fill you up again.
Healing Sometimes Looks Like Slowing Down, Not Rushing Forward
We think pressing through pain is strength, but true strength is knowing when to pause and let God lead.
“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength.” - Isaiah 30:15 (ESV)
Your healing isn’t in the hustle, it’s in the stillness where God restores what was broken.
You don’t have to keep pushing when god says “be still”
There is a difference between being productive and being led. Some seasons call for movement; others for rest.
“Be still, and know that I am God…” - Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
Stillness is not stagnation, it’s strategy. Let God do what only He can while you rest in His sovereignty.
Take time to celebrate your achievements and milestones, no matter how big or small. Celebrating your successes can boost your confidence and motivate you to keep striving towards your goals. Don’t be prideful, always be willing to ask for help.
Burnout isn’t failure – it’s a divine invitation
When you hit a wall, it might not be the end – it might be God redirecting your energy, your focus, and your heart.
“He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.” - Psalm 23:2–3 (NIV)
Burnout can be the bridge between striving and surrender. Let it take you into deeper dependence, not despair.
Read more from La’Sha May Ola Wright
La’Sha May Ola Wright, Mindset Coach & Author
La'Sha Wright is a Christian Mindset Coach, author, and artist dedicated to transforming lives through emotional intelligence and spiritual growth. With over 20 years of experience in writing and 15 years as a visual artist, she uses her voice as a poet and influencer. She has a gift for helping others heal from anger, bitterness, and emotional pain. She is the creator of the Angry to Heal course, host of the Empowering You podcast, and founder of the YouTube channel La'Sha Wright. Her mission is to inspire, empower, uplift, and guide individuals toward peace, clarity, and purpose. La'Sha's journey of personal healing fuels her passion to help others walk in their God-given identity and destiny.
