Burnout doesn't happen all at once. It tends to creep up gradually until the things that used to energize you barely register. If you're in a caregiving or high-demand role, compassion fatigue can compound this, leaving you feeling hollowed out and detached in ways that are hard to explain to people who haven't been there.
Working with a therapist around burnout or compassion fatigue means slowing down enough to understand what depleted you, and figuring out what genuine recovery actually looks like for you. The conversation tends to include how you relate to rest, what drives you to keep going past your limits, and how to start reconnecting with purpose and with yourself without defaulting to pushing through again.