Burnout In Midlife: Why Your Body Is Pushing Back
You can listen to the full podcast episode using the embedded player above, where I sit down with functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner Dori Martin, for a deeply honest conversation about burnout, nervous system safety, and what your body may really be asking for in midlife.
Burnout Isn’t Just in Your Head. Your Body Has Been Trying to Tell You Something.
There’s a certain kind of exhaustion I see in women all the time. Not just tired, and not just “I need a weekend off,” but the kind of exhaustion where your body starts pushing back. You forget words mid-sentence, your patience is thinner than it used to be, you wake up tired even after sleeping, and you’re doing everything you can think of to feel better, yet somehow you still feel off. And maybe the most confusing part is that from the outside, your life might look completely fine. You’re functioning, showing up, handling responsibilities, taking care of everyone around you, but internally something feels stretched too thin.
That’s why I was so excited to sit down with Dori Martin on the podcast this week. We are incredibly aligned in how we think about healing, especially for women in midlife who have spent years carrying emotional loads, pushing through stress, and trying to hold everything together.
One of the things we talked about that I loved was this idea that burnout is not simply emotional exhaustion. It’s physiological. Your body keeps score of how you’ve been living, and for many women, the symptoms showing up in midlife are not random. They’re the accumulated response to years of stress, over-functioning, caregiving, perfectionism, rushing, emotional suppression, chronic pressure, and never fully recovering.
The Symptoms Are Real, But They’re Often Connected
So many women come to me thinking they have ten separate problems. The migraines, digestive issues, mood swings, exhaustion, brain fog, sleep problems, anxiety, and weight changes all feel disconnected at first. But when we slow down and really look at the full picture, there’s often a deeper pattern underneath all of it.
I see this constantly when I review someone’s timeline with them. We start connecting the dots and asking deeper questions. What was happening in your life when your symptoms began? What season were you walking through? What stressors were present? What were you carrying emotionally? And so often there’s this huge lightbulb moment because women begin to realize their body hasn’t been betraying them. Their body has been responding.
Dori shared her own story during the episode, and I know so many women will see themselves in parts of it.
She walked through divorce while raising very young children. Then she helped care for her father during end of life. Later, her husband received a terminal diagnosis. Throughout all of it, she kept going. She kept helping. She kept carrying the load.
And eventually her body began speaking louder, not because she was weak or failing, but because no human being is meant to function in a constant state of survival indefinitely.
Midlife Is Often the Moment the Body Stops Letting You Override It
This is one of the biggest things I wish more women understood. Perimenopause doesn’t create all your problems out of nowhere. What it often does is reduce your margin. The coping mechanisms that worked before stop working, the pushing through catches up, and the chronic stress becomes harder to compensate for. Suddenly the strategies that used to help don’t seem to touch the symptoms anymore.
I see women taking stacks of supplements, trying new diets, ordering expensive labs, starting hormone therapy, lifting heavier, adding more routines, more tracking, more optimization. Yet underneath all of it, their nervous system still feels unsafe. And your body cannot fully heal while it believes it’s constantly in danger.
What Nervous System Safety Actually Means
When people hear “fight or flight,” they often think of major trauma or physical danger.
But during this conversation, Dori gave so many practical examples of what can signal stress to the body. Rushing constantly, never pausing, breathing shallowly, being slightly dehydrated, having unrealistic expectations, living with endless open loops, feeling emotionally unsupported, and ignoring your own needs for years all communicate something to the nervous system. These things matter because your body is always interpreting the environment around you.
And if your nervous system believes everything is urgent all the time, your body will prioritize survival over repair. That’s one reason why women can feel exhausted and wired at the same time. Their body is working overtime trying to protect them.
Dori said:
“Your body is not conditioned to heal. It’s conditioned to fight and keep you safe.”
That’s such an important distinction. Because many women are trying harder and harder to heal while still living in a state of constant internal pressure. And while the body can absolutely heal, it needs to feel safe to do so.
The Conversation Around Burnout Needs to Get Simpler
One of my favorite parts of this episode was how practical and grounded the conversation became. We didn’t spend the entire time talking about complicated protocols. We talked about sunlight, water, breathing, slowing down, and nervous system regulation. Not because supplements and testing never matter, because they absolutely can, but because many women have skipped over the foundational things their body has been asking for all along.
Dori talked about mitochondria, which are essentially the energy-producing parts of your cells. And one of the things she explained so beautifully is that when your body perceives long-term stress or danger, it can begin slowing energy production down. Your body starts conserving, protecting, and bracing, which means exhaustion isn’t always a motivation problem. Sometimes your body simply does not have the capacity it once had. That realization alone can bring so much relief. Because many women have spent years blaming themselves for being tired.
Three Surprisingly Powerful Things We Discussed
There were so many practical takeaways in this conversation, but these stood out.
1. Morning sunlight matters more than most people realize
Getting outside shortly after waking helps signal safety and rhythm to the body.
It helps regulate cortisol patterns, sleep-wake cycles, energy production, and nervous system balance.
And no, it doesn’t need to be complicated.
Even five minutes matters.
Roll the windows down. Stand outside with your coffee. Walk to the mailbox. Let your eyes and body register the fact that it’s morning.
Sometimes the smallest shifts really are the biggest needle movers.
2. Slight dehydration can increase stress on the body
Dori talked about how even mild dehydration can contribute to exhaustion, brain fog, and anxiety.
And honestly, I think many women underestimate how depleted they are.
A simple habit like drinking enough water consistently, especially with minerals or a pinch of sea salt when appropriate, can support energy in ways people don’t expect.
Not because it’s trendy.
Because your cells literally need proper hydration to function.
3. Your expectations may be exhausting you
This part of the conversation hit me personally.
I shared how one of the biggest changes I’ve made over the past year is becoming more realistic about what actually fits into a day.
I used to look at a packed schedule and still expect myself to create content, record podcasts, answer messages, support clients, build programs, finish projects, and somehow do it all perfectly.
And what I realized was that my nervous system never felt finished. There was always another tab open mentally, another unfinished task, another pressure, another expectation. So now I intentionally look at what is realistically supportive and sustainable, not what’s theoretically possible.
That shift alone has helped my body exhale.
Your Body May Be Asking for Less Force and More Listening
One of the most powerful moments in the conversation was when we talked about learning to actually listen to the body.
I shared a personal experience with migraines where, instead of immediately pushing through, I finally sat quietly and asked myself: “What do you need right now?”
And the answer that came was simple: slow down. Another time it was: go outside and put your feet on the grass. Not because those things magically cured everything overnight, but because for the first time, I stopped overriding what my body was trying to communicate.
That relationship matters. Your body is talking to you constantly. The symptoms are not random interruptions. They’re information.
You Don’t Need to Revamp Your Entire Life Overnight
If you’re already exhausted, the answer is not creating another overwhelming wellness routine. It’s beginning to build small moments of safety and support into your day.
A deeper breath, a pause between activities, a realistic schedule, a glass of water, morning light, relaxing your shoulders, walking outside, closing the laptop, or letting something wait until tomorrow may seem incredibly small, but your nervous system experiences those moments very differently than constant urgency.
These moments may seem small. But your nervous system experiences them differently than constant urgency. And over time, those small shifts begin changing the entire environment your body is living in.
“Your body hasn’t been betraying you. It’s been responding,” Dori said.
Maybe This Is the Real Work of Midlife
Maybe the real work of midlife is not becoming more productive, squeezing more into already full days, or becoming perfect at healing. Maybe the work is learning how to stop abandoning yourself in the process of trying to hold everything together. Maybe it’s learning how to notice what your body has been whispering for years and remembering that your worth was never supposed to depend on how much you can carry.
And maybe healing begins the moment you stop treating your body like something to battle and start treating it like something to listen to.
If this conversation resonated with you, I really encourage you to listen to the full episode with Dori. There is so much wisdom, honesty, and practical encouragement woven throughout it.
And if you’ve been feeling like your symptoms are all connected, like your body has been trying to get your attention for a while now, you do not have to sort through this alone.
You can learn more about working with me at RachelCartaRN.com.
Lots of love,
Rachel
Resources Mentioned
Learn more about Dori Martin: https://dorimartin.com
Follow Rachel on Instagram: https://instagram.com/peaceinperimenopause
Learn more about working with Rachel: https://RachelCartaRN.com
Living Inspired Podcast Episode 7: Meditation for Stress Relief
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