How are you?
No, really … how are you?
I don’t want that polite “fine thanks” you give at work, or the “just tired” you mumble while reheating your cup of tea for the fourth time.
I mean deep down. Inside your brain.
Does it feel like there’s a hum in the background you can’t turn off?
Because if you’re like me – you might not be burned out.
You might just be chronically overstimulated.
There’s a difference.
Burnout is when the tank’s empty. What I’ve got is a tank that’s full – of noise. Notifications, conversations, responsibilities, family dramas, work deadlines, unsolicited parenting advice, and Instagram Reels I didn’t ask for but now can’t unsee.
I’m not tired because I’ve been doing too much.
I’m tired because I’ve been absorbing too much.
Too many tabs open. In my browser and my brain.
Too many decisions to make, even if they’re small:
- What’s for dinner?
- Is this activewear passable for a video call?
- Why is there sawdust on the dog?
It’s not even the big stuff that sends me over the edge anymore. It’s the sound of someone chewing (seriously, make it stop). Or being asked a question mid-task. Or an unexpected phone call when I’ve finally sat down to do nothing for five blessed minutes.
That’s not burnout.
That’s chronic overstimulation.
Chronically overstimulated ≠ burned out
If you’ve been wondering why everything feels like “too much,” why you’re zoning out mid-conversation, or why your fuse feels unreasonably short — it might not be that you’re lazy, broken, or failing. It might be that your brain’s just fried from constant input.
Welcome to the club. Stick with me, because it’s a big club. You’re not alone — especially if you’re juggling work, home, relationships, and everyone else’s drama.
Being chronically overstimulated looks like:
- Reacting to small things like they’re emergencies.
- Feeling panicked over calendar invites.
- Needing to escape your own house just to think clearly.
- Forgetting basic words mid-sentence because your brain is just DONE.
We talk a lot about burnout – but we don’t talk enough about the kind of invisible pressure that builds when you’re constantly absorbing everyone else’s needs and noise.
What helps?
For me:
- Noise-cancelling headphones — I know it’s counterintuitive, but if I can drown out those life noises with some calming RÜFÜS DU SOL, my soul appreciates it.
- A soak in the bath (with aforementioned headphones).
- Ignoring everyone for a bit and refusing to feel bad about it (maybe while you tune out with your headphones).
- Letting myself not answer the message, finish the thing, or solve the problem right now (again, headphones – are you picking up what I’m putting down here?).
Basically, anything that turns the volume of the world down a bit.
Sometimes I don’t need to sleep. I don’t need a spa day.
I just need everyone and everything to shut the f*ck up for a minute.
Quiet is wildly underrated.
And maybe, just maybe, the way back to feeling like yourself isn’t about pushing harder – it’s about finally giving your nervous system a moment to exhale.
What about you?
Are you burned out – or just chronically overstimulated?
What’s the one thing that tips you over the edge lately?
Still figuring midlife out? Same here.
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