BTW - If you didn't already know, I'm Sarah - Drink Less; Live Better founder, best-selling author, expert speaker, life coach and, as you already know, podcast host!
We don't have to hit rock bottom, we're allowed to want something different and we can CHOOSE to improve our lives from this point onwards.
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Transcripts
Hello and welcome to this episode of the Drink Less, Live Better podcast. If you're new around here, hi, I'm your host, Sarah Williamson. We are 251 episodes into this podcast. I've been developing, writing, recording, editing, and getting a message out into the world every week for nearly five years now. I thought I'd probably run out of ideas after about six months, but that hasn't happened yet.
If you haven't listened to the back catalogue, please make that your New Year's resolution. Ha, just kidding. Don't, don't do it. No such thing as a New Year resolution around here, and well, you know it. Be sure to follow me on Instagram at drinklesslivebetter and head to the website drinklesslivebetter.com, where you can sign up for the five-day Drink Less experiment, download my free habit tracker, and join my email club for regular inspiration, ideas, and resources to help you live better. Let's get to it.
Burnout. And one thing I'd like to point out before we go any further is the New Year, new you resolution thing. I just jokingly made a suggestion about a New Year resolution, and I've been thinking quite a lot this week about how much New Year goals focus around doing more or being more. And as we are talking about burnout today, I want you to listen very carefully about my message of doing less.
Okay, news flash first. Life isn't about slow down anytime soon. Expectations aren't shrinking, and many people are entering this year already tired, already stretched, already wondering why they don't feel any better after a rest from work or change of regular routine. Don't worry, I've got answers. But first, let's talk about what burnout actually is, what causes it, and most importantly, how to avoid it in a way that's realistic, sustainable, and kind.
Burnout isn't just being busy. It's not having a full diary or a demanding job or a family or a packed social calendar. Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion that comes from prolonged stress, especially when effort and reward feel out of balance. Note that bit down. We're coming back to it later. Does effort and reward feel out of balance for youright now?
It's when rest stops working, when weekends don't touch the tiredness, when motivation disappears, patience shortens, and even small tasks feel strangely heavy. You might feel detached from work you once really cared about, numb instead of stressed, or quietly resentful of demands that used to feel manageable. Burnout sometimes shows up as irritability, brain fog, disrupted sleep, low mood, and that constant feeling of being on edge. Many people don't notice it because they're still functioning. They're still doing all the things, but inside the battery is flashing red.
So what causes burnout then? One of the biggest contributors is chronic overgiving or overdoing, saying yes too often, carrying emotional responsibility for others, feeling indispensable at work or at home. When you're always the reliable one, burnout can feel like the price of competence. Sayings that were drilled into me from a young age. If you want something doing, ask a busy person. You can sleep when you're dead. No rest for the wicked. Yes, busyness was a badge of honor, proof that you were valuable, and evidence that you were capable and therefore worthy. Hmm.
Another cause is blurred boundaries, working longer hours than intended, checking emails at night, mentally rehearsing tomorrow while trying to rest today. When there's no clear line between effort and recovery, your nervous system never gets the signal that it's safe to switch off. Burnout is also fueled by internal pressure, perfectionism, people pleasing, the belief that rest must be earned or that slowing down means falling behind. Even meaningful work can lead to burnout if your worth feels tied to your output.
we going to avoid burnout in:
The first strategy might be redefining rest. Rest isn't only sleep or time off. It's anything that gives your nervous system a break from performance. That might be quiet walks, creative hobbies, unstructured time, or simply doing less without filling the space. Real rest often feels unfamiliar at first, especially if you're used to being busy. I'd go so far as to say it might feel uncomfortable.
The second strategy is building boundaries you can actually keep. This doesn't mean rigid rules. It means honest ones. What time does work really end for you? What are you no longer available for? Boundaries are not about controlling others. They don't have to be hard or fast, but they are about protecting your energy so you don't end up run into the ground.
Another key piece of learning is to notice your early warning signals. Burnout rarely arrives overnight. For you, it might look like snapping more easily, withdrawing socially, or constantly fantasizing about an escape. When you treat these signs as information rather than failure, you can respond earlier and more gently. Long-term burnout prevention also means loosening the grip of productivity as identity.
You are not your output. You are not your inbox. You are not how useful you are to other people. Can you create space for play and for rest that serves no purpose other than pleasure? It's not indulgent. It's protective. Finally, connection matters. Burnout is a system-wide failing, not an individual resilience failing. I'm saying that again louder for the people at the back. It is system-wide.
ything alone. As we move into:
It's about doing less of what drains you and more of what sustains you. It's about designing a life that doesn't require you to constantly recover from it. You don't need to wait until you're exhausted to make changes. You are allowed to choose a slower, steadier, kinder way forward now. Do not burn out. Do not set yourself on fire to keep other people warm. You matter. Put you first. You got it? Okay, great.
Drop me an email, sarah@drinklesslivebetter.com, if you want to tell me if any of this sounded vaguely useful or wildly out of kilter for you.
Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Drink Less, Live Better podcast. Check out the show notes for useful links, and don't forget to follow me on Instagram at Drink Less, Live Better. Oh, and PS. I believe in you.
