7 Warning Signs You’re Headed for Burnout

So here's a fun one for today ...
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I used to think burnout was like lightning – sudden, shocking, impossible to predict.

But after two spectacular crashes, I realized burnout doesn’t just “strike.”

It brews.

The storm clouds gather long before the lightning hits.

Most of us miss the whispers until they’re screams.

Here are the 7 sneaky warning signs I ignored (and a tiny bit of the science-y 'why' behind them):

1. Your “good” stress starts feeling heavy

At first, pressure feels energizing, thanks to cortisol and adrenaline. But chronic activation of the HPA axis (hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal) turns “good stress” toxic, leaving you wired but depleted. Instead of motivation, you feel heaviness in your chest.

2. Sunday Scaries turn into Everyday Scaries

Anticipatory anxiety is normal before a big Monday. But when dread creeps into every day, it’s your nervous system stuck in chronic dysregulation. Studies show that prolonged anticipatory stress can actually reshape your amygdala (the fear center in your brain) and impair emotional regulation.

3. Your jaw becomes your stress storage unit

Jaw clenching and teeth grinding aren’t quirks. They’re somatic signs of unresolved tension. The TMJ (temporomandibular joint — the hinge that connects your jawbone to your skull) is highly sensitive to stress; research links chronic jaw tension to cortisol spikes, migraines, and even digestive issues (via the vagus nerve, the main communication highway between your brain and gut).

4. Coffee stops working

When your third cup does nothing but make you jittery and exhausted, you’re running on empty reserves.

Your brain naturally builds up a chemical called adenosine throughout the day. Think of adenosine as your body’s “sleep pressure” — the more it builds up, the more tired you feel. Caffeine works by blocking the receptors that adenosine would normally attach to, tricking your brain into feeling alert.

But here’s the catch: caffeine doesn’t remove adenosine, it just keeps it from docking. The longer you push, the more adenosine piles up in the background. That’s why after a certain point, coffee stops giving you focus and instead makes you feel both wired and bone-tired. Your body’s debt has come due.

5. You fantasize about getting sick

If you’ve ever secretly wished for the flu just to get a break, you’re not alone. Psychologists call this “sickness behavior,” when the brain craves forced downtime because voluntary rest feels impossible. It’s a red flag that your body is begging for a reset. And you might even make yourself sick as part of a self-fulfilling prophecy! (I definitely did.)

6. You give fewer f*cks

And not in a healthy boundaries kinda way. There’s healthy detachment. And then there’s apathy. Burnout blunts dopamine pathways, making everything feel meaningless. That passion project? Flat. That promotion? Who cares. When nothing lights you up, your brain is in self-preservation mode.

7. Your body starts keeping score in weird ways

Eye twitches. Forgetting words mid-sentence. Random back pain. These “mystery symptoms” are often your nervous system expressing what your conscious mind refuses to acknowledge. Chronic stress alters neural pathways and suppresses immune function, so the body literally “keeps score.”

Why This Matters Now

October through December is the perfect storm for burnout:

• End-of-year deadlines.
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• Budget and performance reviews.
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• Holiday stress layered on top of already maxed-out schedules.
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This is the season when most high-achievers push harder … just when their systems are crying out for a pause. Ignore the whispers now, and the crash will come in January.

What To Do Instead

Burnout prevention isn’t about working less. It’s about listening sooner.

Here’s one powerful tool: breathwork.

On Thursday, October 9th, we’re gathering inside the Fuck the Hustle community for an intensive live breathwork practice designed to:

✓ Reset your nervous system from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest
✓ Release stored tension (yes, even in that jaw of yours)
✓ Boost dopamine and serotonin naturally (no coffee required)
✓ Rewire your brain to process stress more effectively

Because when you learn to work with your body instead of against it, you don’t just prevent burnout, you reclaim energy, clarity, and joy.

Your body whispers first. Then it yells. Then it smacks you over the head with a 2x4.

Track these signals like you track KPIs — because they’re not weakness. They’re wisdom.

Join us on Oct 9th to learn how to decode them in real time and stop burnout before it starts.​

P.S. If you're a coach or business owner who has offers online, I'm working on a project to help us all get more visibility. I'd love to hear your perspective on some of the challenges you're facing. Would you be open to a 15-min conversation? Hit reply and let me know!