40 Overwhelmed Quotes About Being Burned Out To Help Cheer You Up
Stress doesn't mean success.
Isn’t it sad that we live in a society, that praises working so hard till the point you’re exhausted and have no social life? I mean isn’t the point of working hard to have the freedom to live a life you’re passionate about? Or at the very least to have a balanced life that allows you to work and play as equally hard?
It’s just not healthy long-term to only work — we need to spend time relaxing, building relationships, pursuing passions, and working on our health. These aspects of our lives are just as important as working.
We all need a little me time when we're feeling burned out, so we can recharge and forget the stress of everyday life.
Feeling stressed or burnt out can be a signifier that you are not living a balanced life. Yes, you may be meeting your career and financial goals, but your emotional needs are suffering. Too much of a good thing can quickly turn into a bad thing. We have to find a way to meet as many of our needs as we can.
Just to be clear, I’m not saying by any means you need to quit your job or to put less effort into your work. What I’m saying is you need to invest more time into having a personal life. Find the time to chat with friends, go on mini adventures, and to care for yourself.
When you are giving yourself the freedom to live your life to the fullest and taking breaks as needed, your work-life will improve. I think we do our best at work when we care for ourselves and make time to fulfill our needs.
If you're thriving in your personal life, your career will reflect that too.
Trying to find a balance between your work and personal life can definitely be difficult. It’s a process filled with trial and error, but don’t give up. Finding your perfect balance is worth it.
Even when you have life all figured out, you might still have a few stressful moments — and that’s ok. Look at these relatable quotes about feeling overwhelmed when you're burned out for a source of encouragement to help you get through the stress.
1. Don’t beat yourself up.
“No beating yourself up. That’s not allowed. Be patient with yourself. It took you years to form the bad habits of thought that you no longer want. It will take a little time to form new and better ones. But I promise you this: Even a slight move in this direction will bring you some peace. The more effort you apply to it, the faster you’ll find your bliss, but you’ll experience rewards immediately.” ― Holly Mosier
2. Make Time for Laughter
“My body needs laughter as much as it needs tears. Both are cleansers of stress.” ― Mahogany SilverRain
3. Set realistic expectations for yourself.
“Being overwhelmed means that your life or work is overpowering you. Regain control by clarifying your intentions, setting realistic expectations and focusing on your next step.”― Daphne Michaels
4. Get rid of your stress the right way.
“Stress is the trash of modern life-we all generate it but if you don't dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life.” ― Danzae Pace
5. Live a life free of stress and worry.
“Live a good life. More smiling, less worrying. More compassion, less judgment. More blessed, less stressed. More love, less hate.”― Roy Bennett
6. Tune into your peace.
“One channel is the Stress Channel and the other is the Peace Channel. We really do have a choice about what we listen to. The Peace Channel can only be heard when we are present in the moment, when we are in the now. To tune in to the Peace Channel, all we have to do is be, experience, notice, and naturally respond to what is arising in the moment. “― Gina Lake
7. Invest in yourself.
“Burnout is the result of too much energy output and not enough energy self-invested. In other words, it's burning too much fuel than you’ve put in your tank.” ― Melissa Steginus,
8. It’s okay to say no.
“The most important reason for your “no” is that you need your downtime so you won’t behave like a jerk because you’re depleted. And you don’t want to battle an appetite spiked by the stress of overcommitment.” ― Holly Mosier
9. Don’t allow stress to break you.
“The more stress you accumulate, the heavier it becomes. If you accumulate too much, the weight of carrying it can break you.”― Oscar Auliq-Ice
10. Overworking is the key to stress, not a success.
“Overworking is the Black Plague of the 21st Century.”― Richie Norton
11. Find the balance between stress and rest.
“When we train, our performance improves as we adapt to stress. Over time, however, if the stresses are too great or we don't incorporate sufficient recovery time, gains begin to diminish. To grow and adapt, we require stress, but equally, we need periods of rest and recovery. This is a delicate balance to strike." ― Chris Duffin
12. Enjoy an anti-stress day.
“Take a break from the stresses of life and use that time to rediscover the important things that matter to you most. We all deserve an anti-stress day to recharge our batteries.”― Dee Waldeck
13. Stop stressing.
“You can’t de-stress by stressing some more.”― Tiisetso Maloma,
14. Break up with stress.
“Dear Stress, I would like a divorce. Please understand it is not you, it is me."―Thomas E. Rojo Aubrey
15. Nothing is worth being stress out about.
“Nothing is worth your health. Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear.”― Steve Maraboli
16. Be aware of your mental and emotional state.
“Take a quick inventory: “How do I feel? Is my energy level low; am I sleep deprived or worried about a few things in particular? What is on my mind (job, kids, health, finances, politics)? Am I hungry, hangry (low blood sugar levels), or did I just get up on the wrong side of the bed?” All these things, though seemingly inconsequential, really can influence how you feel physically, mentally, and emotionally, and how you react to what’s to come.” ― Randy Taran
17. Use gratitude to cope with stress.
“When life gets hectic and you feel overwhelmed, take a moment to focus on the people and things you are most grateful for. When you have an attitude of gratitude, frustrating troubles will fall by the wayside.”― Dana Arcuri
18. Feel free to take a break
“When I take a break, even just a brief one, the creative energy flows in. Only then do I have anything of value to share with others. Once I recognized this, I stopped feeling guilty about taking time for myself.” ― Holly Mosier
19. Don’t stress and obsess.
“One who possesses, stresses and obsesses; and never progresses. One who surrenders, wonders and ventures; and never falters.”― L.A. Golding
20. Focus on the positive.
“Eliminating stress is just a matter of tuning out the negative and tuning in the positive and just being, experiencing, and dancing to that music instead of the mind's chatter.” ― Gina Lake
21. Make sure your goals are oriented around your happiness.
“If a goal is only success-oriented and not happiness oriented, then it will fill your life with stress, anxiety, and frustration.”― Debasish Mridha
22. Remember that your job isn’t your entire life.
"Another technique I use when my job seems overwhelming is to keep it all in perspective by saying to myself: 'My job is important but it only forms part of my life - it is not my entire life.” ― Catherine Pulsifer
23. Learn the difference between challenging and overwhelming yourself.
“There is a fine line between challenging yourself and overwhelming yourself.” ― Brittany Burgunder
24. Make time for your friends.
“Don't miss out on opportunities to spend time with friends you value most... Good friends are stress relief!”― Judy Dippel
25. Put things into perspective.
"When I feel overwhelmed and my stress levels rise, I stop and step back from the situation and put the even in perspective. I always ask myself - what difference will this make in five years time?" ― Catherine Pulsifer
26. Saying no lowers stress.
“Oftentimes we feel like we can't say no, but YOU'LL LOWER YOUR STRESS BY NOT SAYING YES all of the time.”― Laurie Buchanan
27. Accept that you can only manage stress.
As the first sentence in M. Scott Peck’s The Road Less Travelled famously said: “Life is difficult.” Learning to deal effectively with life’s difficulties, learning to manage the inevitable stress of life is attainable while eliminating stress is not.” ― Gudjon Bergmann
28. Don’t make money your purpose.
“When money becomes your purpose, stress and depression becomes your path.” ― Prabakaran Thirumalai
29. Success is worthwhile when it doesn’t stress you out.
“Success becomes worthwhile if it fills your heart with happiness and not with stress.” ― Debasish Mridha
30. Invest in your spirituality and wellness.
“The stressful life leads to neglect of spirituality and wellness.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita
31. Release your tension.
“Life is a constant build-up and release of tension. If we go too far in either direction bad things happen.”― Chris Matakas
32. Find the root of your stress.
“Release the stress you are holding. Feel the tension leave your body. Now, look at the root of your stress. Find your solution in a moment of calm, not anxiety.” ― Avina Celeste
33. Celebrate all your accomplishments along the way.
When facing a large job, don't be overwhelmed. Motivate yourself by breaking the job into smaller chunks and celebrate the completion of each one." ― Catherine Pulsifer
34. Slow down.
“Stress often comes from speed. So slow down, be simple, enjoy the profound beauty of the little flowers.”― Debasish Mridha
35. Don’t let your schedule take precedence over your soul.
“A woman who lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule will often ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul. “ ― Lysa Terkeurst
36. Delegate your time.
“Burnout occurs when your body and mind can no longer keep up with the tasks you demand of them. Don’t try to force yourself to do the impossible. Delegate time for important tasks, but always be sure to leave time for relaxation and reflection.”― Del Suggs
37. Balance helps keep you from feeling overwhelmed.
“Health is wholeness and balance, an inner resilience that allows you to meet the demands of living without being overwhelmed.” ― Andrew Weil
38. Keep your soul present.
“Burnout is nature's way of telling you, you've been going through the motions your soul has departed.” ― Sam Keen
39. Rest just as much as you work.
“The wise rest at least as hard as they work.”― Mokokoma Mokhonoana
40. Know when it’s time to take a break.
“Even the loveliest shoulders can bear but so much.”― Jill Alexander Essbaum
Tamara Sanon is a writer who covers pop culture, astrology, and relationship topics.