When You’re Carrying Too Much: The Hidden Weight of Stress, Burnout and the Body’s Response
- Carole Randell
- Jun 5
- 4 min read
Let’s be honest - most of us are carrying way more than we let on.
Between work, family, relationships, health, and the pressure to hold it all together, it’s easy to feel like you’re constantly spinning plates. Even if the world doesn’t always notice, your body does. In fact, your body might be the very thing trying to get your attention:
“Why am I so exhausted… when I haven’t even done that much?”
I hear this a lot. You’re not lazy, and you’re definitely not weak. What you’re experiencing could be the result of prolonged stress - the kind of stress that builds up slowly and quietly, until it overflows and starts to leak out through your body.
Maybe you’re noticing:
Pain that shifts or won’t go away
Gut issues or a tight chest
Weird fatigue, like your limbs are made of lead
Brain fog or a racing heart
Skin breakouts, dizziness, headaches
Sometimes these symptoms feel random, or scary, or hard to talk about - especially when tests come back ‘fine.’ But there’s a reason for them, and it’s not in your imagination:
This is the mental load - and it’s heavy
Mental load isn’t just about being busy. It’s the nonstop, behind-the-scenes work of managing everything in your head. It’s anticipating other people’s needs, remembering all the things, keeping emotions in check, and trying to perform or stay ‘on’ all the time.
It’s running a constant internal to-do list… even when you’re lying in bed at 2am.
And it’s exhausting - so, your body steps in.
The thing is, our bodies are wise. When we override our needs for too long, or we’re stuck in people-pleasing, chasing perfectionism, or just in plain survival mode - the body finds other ways to say, “Hey… something’s not right.”
That back pain, that nausea, that tight throat or numbness in your hands? It might be your nervous system waving a red flag, asking for safety, a rest, or to process what’s being pushed down.
You’re not broken - you’re responding
I want you to know this - really know this:
You are not broken.
Your symptoms aren’t random. They’re a response. A really intelligent one – your body is carrying what your mind cannot say.
Burnout isn’t always about ‘doing too much’ - sometimes, it’s about holding too much, for too long. Emotionally, mentally, energetically.
What we often call ‘breakdown’ is actually your body’s way of saying, “You don’t have to live like this anymore.”
So, what can you do?
Start small. Start kind. Here’s where it often begins:
Giving yourself permission to slow down
Exploring the emotions behind your symptoms (without judgment)
Finding practices that regulate your nervous system
Saying no (even if it feels awkward)
Letting yourself receive support
This isn’t about fixing you - it’s about helping you feel safe, soft, and seen again. Inside your body. Inside your life.
Because healing doesn’t mean doing more. Sometimes it means letting go.
If this speaks to you, whether you’re nodding along or quietly tearing up - you’re not alone.
This is the work I do every day with clients: helping you reconnect to your body, unpack the weight you’ve been carrying, and move from survival mode to something softer.
And you deserve that. Truly.
Below is an example of the type of healing conversations the clinic can provide:
When Your Body Is Carrying What Your Mind Can’t Say
Hey… if you’ve been feeling tired, heavy, maybe even a little disconnected from yourself - I just want to say: I see you. And you’re not imagining it.
Because sometimes, it’s not just that ‘life is busy.’
It’s that your body is holding everything your mind hasn’t had space to process.
The mental load - the worrying, planning, anticipating, performing -
It doesn’t just live in your head.
It lives in your shoulders,
Your chest,
Your gut,
Your nervous system.
That back pain…
That tight throat…
The fatigue that doesn’t go away, no matter how much you rest?
They might be your body whispering:
“Please… slow down. I can’t keep carrying this alone.”
You’re not broken.
You’re not lazy.
You’re not failing.
This might actually be your nervous system doing what it was designed to do - protect you… after too much, for too long.
Burnout isn’t always about doing too much.
Sometimes, it’s about holding too much.
Feeling too much.
Being everything, for everyone… with no space left for you.
So, if your body’s been trying to get your attention -
This is your permission to stop.
To breathe.
To come back to yourself.
You don’t have to push through.
You’re allowed to rest.
You’re allowed to heal.
And if you need support - you don’t have to do it alone.
This is the work I do. And I’m here when you’re ready.
If this resonated with you, you’re not alone - this is the heart of my work. And there’s a softer way forward.
Please reach out and book a FREE 30-minute Explorer Call to see how we can help lighten the mental load and respond to the messages our bodies are trying to tell us.
Σχόλια