When Tired Becomes a Way of Life

Burnout doesn’t always announce itself dramatically..

It doesn’t always come with tears, or a spectacular unraveling. More often, it arrives quietly. It settles into the body like a slow fog—disguised as tiredness that sleep doesn’t fix, patience that wears thin, joy that feels harder to access.

Burnout, in its gentlest form, looks like functioning. Doing what needs to be done, showing up, ticking the boxes—but feeling a little more hollow each time.

The invisible cost of holding it all together

For those working in schools, this feeling is all too familiar. Teaching, leading, supporting—it’s not just a job, it’s a deeply human act. You give your energy, your focus, your care. You hold space for others, constantly, even when there’s no one doing the same for you.

There’s an unspoken belief in education that to care means to give endlessly. To always be available. To say yes, even when your body and heart are quietly asking for something else. And over time, that belief takes its toll.

The irony is that the people who care the most are often the ones closest to burnout. Because they carry on. They hold everything up—often without complaint.

But carrying on is not the same as being okay.

What is your tiredness trying to tell you?

Burnout isn’t just about being overworked. It’s often a sign that something deeper is out of alignment. Perhaps a value has been compromised. Perhaps you’re carrying too much responsibility alone. Perhaps you’ve been silencing your needs for so long, you’ve forgotten what they are.

Coaching offers a space to pause and listen. Not to fix you—because you’re not broken—but to help you reconnect with yourself. To understand what your exhaustion might be trying to say.

Sometimes, that conversation is the first act of self-care. The moment you stop carrying on, just for a while, and begin coming back to yourself.

If you're feeling the weight of it all right now, you're not alone.
Get in touch if you’d like to talk. It might just be the most important conversation you’ve had in a while.