We live in a culture that celebrates busyness, productivity, and external success, often at the expense of inner peace. We know that more money, more things, and more ‘doing’ don’t bring deep happiness. And yet, the pressure to push through and perform still dominates – until our mind and bodies say “enough.” That’s when anxiety creeps in. That’s when burnout takes hold, says Jessica Baccanello, a wellbeing and life coach.

What Burnout Feels Like

Burnout is more than just tiredness. It’s a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. You might feel:

 

1. Exhausted, even after a full night of sleep
2. Drained of energy and motivation
3. "Wired-tired” and unable to switch off

As a mother of two running two businesses, I know exactly how this feels. During a particularly intense period in my life, my nervous system was in constant overdrive. Learning how to actively support it became essential. The good news? You don’t need expensive tools or complicated routines to find balance. The simplest practices are often the most effective.

 

What Does Burnout Do To The Body? 

At the heart of burnout lies your nervous system - particularly your adrenal glands, which produce cortisol and adrenaline in response to stress. When you're constantly in “go” mode, your adrenals can become dysregulated, keeping your body stuck in sympathetic overdrive (the 'fight or flight' response).

 

It’s important to note that stress isn’t the enemy. In fact, stress is a healthy, necessary response that helps us rise to challenges. The issue arises when we lose the ability to shift back into parasympathetic mode, the state of rest, repair, and recovery. When this balance is lost, we become more vulnerable to burnout, anxiety, chronic fatigue, and long-term health issues.

Two Pathways to Prevent Burnout

To truly shift how we feel, we need to look at both the body and the mind. Stress is inevitable, but how we relate to it - and to ourselves - can change everything. With small, intentional lifestyle shifts, you can build resilience. You can learn to process emotions instead of suppressing them. That’s where empowerment begins.

Part 1: The Body - Tools to Rewire Your Stress Response

Healing from (and preventing) burnout means retraining your nervous system to move fluidly between stress and calm. A key player here is the vagus nerve, the main communicator of your parasympathetic nervous system. A strong vagal tone means you can bounce back more quickly after stress. You feel more grounded, more adaptable, and less reactive.

Seven Simple Practices to Support Your Nervous System:

These are gentle, accessible ways to calm your system and build resilience from the inside out:

1. Magnesium-rich warm baths (especially in the evening)
A soothing soak activates the parasympathetic helping to regulate the nervous system, supports better sleep, and relaxes tense muscles.

2. Breathwork
Slow, deep breathing through the nose stimulates the diaphragm, which stimulate the vagus nerve increasing vagal tone. It also signals safety to the brain which reduces cortisol.

3. Singing or humming
Whether it’s in the shower, the car, or while cooking - vocal vibration stimulates the vagus nerve and lifts your mood.

4. Relaxing massage or self-touch
Book in a massage once or twice a month if you can, or take five minutes to self-massage shoulders, hands, or feet. It grounds the body and soothes the stress response.

5. Yoga or mindful movement
Yoga is a breath-based practice and it’s the breath that helps stimulate vagal tone. Being present in your movement calms the amygdala (the brain’s “alarm bell”), which is easily triggered when we’re anxious or overwhelmed.

6. Mindfulness or meditation
Stillness and presence help focus the mind, calm racing thoughts, and create spaciousness in your day.

7. Switch your first coffee for lemon water
You’ve heard this before for a reason, it really works. Try to save coffee for post 9am and make your first drink of the day hot water with lemon.

 

These aren’t just feel-good habits, they’re science-backed ways to build stress resilience. Practiced consistently, they can shift how you feel at a foundational level.

 

Part 2: The Mind - Shifting Your Internal Dialogue

Your thoughts shape your emotional state. And your emotional state drives your actions. This is the mind-body loop—and learning to work with it is powerful. Sometimes a thought sparks a feeling. Sometimes a feeling sparks a thought. With awareness, you gain the power to choose differently—to respond, not react. Notice the negative, heavy and restrictive feelings you get from the following thoughts:

• “I can’t do this”
• “I’m not good enough”
• “I have no time”
• “Everything is going wrong”

Now, feel how these empowering thoughts shift your mental state:

• “I’m capable”
• “I’m courageous”
• “I’ll do the best I can with the time I have”
• “I get to support my family”

We can start to harness the energy of those words and thoughts. Notice how the first lot of phrases create stress in the mind and body and how the second lot builds more trust and optimism. These shifts might seem subtle, but the stories we repeat shape our beliefs about ourselves and about life.

Four Simple Practices to Elevate Your Thinking

Support your mental resilience by becoming more intentional with how you relate to your thoughts:

1. Talk to yourself like a best friend
Speak with the same kindness and encouragement you’d offer someone you love.

2. Thought monitoring
Start noticing the thoughts that repeat throughout your day, especially the ones that drain or empower you. Say STOP to the thoughts that do not serve you. Don’t entertain them.

3. Reframing thoughts
Shift limiting beliefs into more supportive ones. Instead of “I can’t handle this,” try “I’m learning to navigate challenge.”

4. Explore the story
Use these four powerful questions to check in with your mind and shift your perspective:

• What is the story I’m telling myself?
• How much of it is actually true?
• What am I catastrophising or adding on?
• What story would I rather tell myself?

Language matters. Let your words work for you, not against you.

 

A New Relationship With Stress

Stress and anxiety aren’t weaknesses. They’re messages - your body’s way of saying “please listen". You can’t eliminate stress, but you can support your nervous system, shift your mindset, and build emotional strength.

What’s Helping Me Right Now

I’ve been exploring natural ways to support my stress levels, immunity, and nervous system and Leapfrog FOCUS has become a favourite in my self-care routine. The blend of Lactium, L-Theanine, Lactoferrin and Vitamin B12 helps reduce stress and anxiety while giving a natural sustained energy boost. It’s a great alternative to coffee and I’ve found it to be a really nourishing addition to my weekly rituals. Add a bath, a breathwork session, or a moment of self-reflection and you’re creating the conditions for healing.

Your Invitation: Try This Today

1. Run a warm bath with magnesium salts, play this music  and light a candle 
2. Breathe deeply into your belly for 2 minutes  
3. Visualise to uplift your mind and feeling within 
4. Journal these questions:  

 - What am I finding challenging right now?

 - What story am I telling myself about it?

 -  Is that story helpful or harmful?

 - What would I rather believe and how would that belief change how I feel?

 

Positive change lies within you. So take charge of how you feel in mind and body, and build your resilience each day. 

 

To learn more about how to overcome stress, self doubt and overwhelm, book a free discovery call with Jessica; visit www.jessicabaccanello.com and sign up to her newsletter to receive a Positivity Booster.