The Biology of Burnout: How Chronic Stress Hijacks Your Brain, Body, and Boundaries

By Nakita Jangra, Psychotherapist

www.nakitacounselling.com

Burnout is no longer confined to corporate boardrooms or frontline medical settings. It's showing up in therapy rooms with increasing frequency—across professions, age groups, and even among those who “love what they do.” As a psychotherapist, I see the deeper toll it takes: not just exhaustion, but a slow erosion of identity, boundaries, and physiological balance.What we often call burnout is, in fact, a multi-system breakdown—of the nervous system, the immune response, and often our relational and emotional foundations. To treat it effectively, we must go beyond surface-level fixes and understand the biology underneath.

Burnout Isn’t Just in Your Head—It’s in Your Body

The body responds to chronic stress through a cascade of neurochemical and immune system shifts. When someone is in a prolonged state of “go,” their sympathetic nervous system—the part responsible for fight/flight—remains activated. Over time, cortisol and adrenaline become dysregulated. The immune system, in turn, either goes into overdrive (inflammatory conditions, autoimmunity) or shuts down (leaving us prone to illness).In this state, cognitive function declines: memory, decision-making, and emotional regulation become compromised. Many clients describe it as feeling “foggy,” numb, or emotionally volatile. These are not signs of weakness—they are signs of an overwhelmed nervous system and an exhausted mind.

The Brain on Burnout

Neurologically, chronic stress shrinks the prefrontal cortex (responsible for rational thought) and activates the amygdala (our fear and threat detector). This can make individuals feel hyper-vigilant, irritable, or withdrawn. Even when external demands reduce, the internal stress signal stays on—like a smoke alarm that won’t stop beeping.This is where talk therapy alone may hit a limit. Clients can know they need rest or boundaries, but their nervous systems may be locked in a chronic state of activation. This is why an integrative approach is crucial.

An Eclectic Therapeutic Approach to Burnout

Polyvagal-Informed Work

We explore the client’s nervous system states—fight, flight, freeze, and fawn—and build awareness of what triggers shifts between them. Through breathwork, grounding, and co-regulation in the therapeutic relationship, we help the body feel safe enough to downshift.

Psychodynamic and Parts Work

Burnout often relates to internal conflicts and unconscious drivers—like perfectionism, people-pleasing, or internalized worth tied to productivity. Techniques like Internal Family Systems (IFS) or Jungian-informed dialogue can help clients understand the parts of themselves that drive over-functioning.

Mindfulness and Somatic Practices

Mindfulness isn’t just meditation—it’s embodied awareness. Helping clients notice tension patterns, learn self-regulation tools, and track bodily sensations allows for a shift from dissociation to presence. This can support recovery at a neurobiological level.

Attachment and Relational Repair

Burnout is often relational. When clients feel chronically unseen, over-relied on, or disconnected from support, their internal system reflects this isolation. Exploring early attachment patterns and building new relational models can restore a sense of trust and capacity.

Psychoeducation and Lifestyle Support

Understanding the biological underpinnings of burnout empowers clients. I often incorporate basic psychoneuroimmunology concepts, sleep hygiene strategies, boundary-setting tools, and pacing techniques to support nervous system recovery.

Why Rest Alone Isn’t Enough

We often prescribe “take a break” as a cure for burnout. But if the break doesn’t include nervous system recalibration, people return to the same stressors just as depleted. Recovery isn’t just about stopping; it’s about resetting—on emotional, cognitive, and physiological levels.This may require:- Unlearning toxic productivity norms- Rebuilding internal permission for rest and joy- Reconnecting with purpose that isn’t solely performance-based

For Fellow Clinicians: A Call for Integration

As therapists, we’re not immune to burnout ourselves. And we’re often trained in one modality while burnout recovery requires many. I encourage colleagues to think eclectically: consider combining insight-oriented work with somatic and neurobiological awareness. Learn from disciplines like functional medicine, trauma therapy, or even movement-based modalities.Our clients live in systems—biological, social, and psychological. Let’s meet them there, with frameworks that reflect the complexity of their lived experience.

Final Thoughts

Burnout is not just a matter of doing too much—it’s often about being too alone in our doing. Whether you’re a professional feeling the slow creep of depletion, or a clinician supporting others through it, know this: recovery is possible. But it requires listening not just to our thoughts, but to the language of the body and the story of the whole system.If this resonates, I’d love to hear your thoughts—or explore how this approach might support you or your clients.