Understanding Chronic Stress: Running on Empty

Chronic stress is the feeling of your body running a marathon without ever crossing the finish line. It is the persistent, low-grade overwhelm that drains your reserves, leaving you tired but wired, irritable, and constantly rushing to catch up. Unlike acute stress (which resolves quickly), chronic stress becomes your normal state, depleting your energy and capacity for joy over time.

Chronic stress is not as a personal failure. Instead, see this as a signal that your external demands have outpaced your internal resources.

The Many Faces of Chronic Stress

High-Functioning Overwhelm and Perfectionism

• The Experience: This is the most common manifestation: you are successful, competent, and often praised by others, but internally you are exhausted. This is fueled by perfectionism, difficulty saying no, and fear of letting others down (people-pleasing).

• The Impact: Burnout, chronic fatigue, frequent illness, and a loss of connection to personal needs or passions.

Mental Fatigue and Fog

• The Experience: The stress load is so high that your thinking becomes murky. You experience brain fog, trouble concentrating, difficulty making decisions, and irritability. Your nervous system is simply too flooded to process information clearly.

• The Impact: Increased anxiety, procrastination, and a deepening sense of self-criticism about your productivity.

Systemic and Relational Depletion

• The Experience: This type of stress is rooted in external, unresolvable factors like systemic racism, unsupportive work environments, or the constant need to manage unstable relationships. The "stressor" is always present.

• The Impact: A feeling of helplessness, a sense of being constantly drained by external demands, and exhaustion from navigating spaces that are not affirming of your identity.

Our Work Together

Let's focus on identifying the sources of depletion and restoring your internal reserves. We help you move from a state of constant depletion to grounded energy, clear focus, and sustainable wellbeing.

Burnout and Chronic Stress Therapy California.