By Tegan Marshall, Naturopath & Founder of Glowable

Let’s talk about a kind of burnout no one sees coming. Not the dramatic kind. Not the crying-on-the-floor kind. I’m talking about the silent burnout. The kind that happens to women who keep going... until they can’t.

What is silent burnout?

Silent burnout is when your body starts shutting down slowly, subtly, while your mind insists you're still coping just fine. You’re still working. Still parenting. Still saying “I’m good!” when people ask. But inside? You’re foggy. Frustrated. Done.

This isn’t the kind of burnout that gets you signed off work. It’s the kind that simmers until it affects everything - your hormones, your gut, your sleep, your mood, your immune system.

I saw it over and over again in clinical practice. High-performing women who didn’t look burnt out. They were functioning. But far from thriving.

And I’ve lived it too.

My experience with silent burnout

After I had my daughter, I did what most of us do: pushed through.
I was running a business and preparing to launch Glowable. Caring for a baby. Living on cortisol and caffeine. From the outside, I looked “fine.” But even when my daughter was sleeping through I was waking between midnight and 3am wired, feeling anxious over nothing, snapping at my partner, struggling to connect with my daughter, losing my appetite for anything other than sugar, forcing myself to eat anything at all because I felt constantly nauseous. My weight plummeted, but not in a good way. 

I knew the signs. I just didn’t want to admit I was heading straight into burnout, even as a naturopath who taught other women about stress.

That’s the thing about silent burnout. It’s sneaky. You don’t crash. You just... fade.

Common signs of silent burnout

If you’re reading this thinking this might be me, here’s what I want you to look for:

• Waking between 1–3am and struggling to fall back asleep

• Low motivation (but still forcing yourself to get stuff done)

• Brain fog, forgetfulness, poor focus

• Digestive issues (bloating, constipation, reflux)

• Feeling flat, numb, or emotionally “blah”

• Sugar, caffeine or alcohol cravings

• Getting sick more often

• Dreading small tasks or social interaction

• Feeling guilty for resting

You might not have all of these. But if more than a few hit home, it’s time to pause.

What’s actually going on?

Here’s the physiology (in plain English):

Your nervous system has two modes:

“Go” mode (sympathetic) and “Rest + Repair” mode (parasympathetic).

Most high-functioning women live in permanent “go” mode. Which means your body keeps pumping out cortisol to keep you alert and switched on.

But over time, this constant activation wears you down. Cortisol gets dysregulated.
Inflammation goes up. Your hormones get messy. Your gut lining weakens. Your brain fogs over. You feel off, but you can’t explain why.

This is silent burnout. A full-body stress response that no green smoothie or Sunday night face mask can fix.

So, what can you do?

1. Acknowledge it’s real
   Stop gaslighting yourself. If you feel depleted, there’s a reason. Your body isn’t lying.

2. Feed your body like it’s healing
   Ditch the skipping meals and caffeine-for-breakfast habit. Stabilise blood sugar. Eat warm, nourishing food.

3. Stop doing high-intensity everything
   Your workouts, your workdays, your mind... if it’s all intense, you’re not giving your body any recovery time.

4. Support your nervous system
   This is where targeted supplementation matters.
   As a naturopath, I formulated Adapt for exactly this state: high-functioning stress, without the crash. It’s not a band-aid. It’s clinical support for your HPA axis, neurotransmitters, cortisol regulation and more.

5. Sleep like your life depends on it
   Because it does. Deep, regular sleep is when your brain detoxes and repairs. Don’t skip it.

6. Rest without guilt
   You don’t have to earn rest. You need it to function. That’s biology, not weakness.

Final thoughts

If this feels painfully accurate, please know you’re not alone. I’ve seen this in hundreds of women. I’ve lived it myself. And I know how frustrating it is when your brain wants to push but your body is done.

Burnout doesn’t always scream. Sometimes it whispers. Until you finally listen.

Now’s a good time to listen.

If you’re ready to support your stress response — not fight it — I made something that can help.

👉 Explore Adapt by Glowable – Nervous system support for real life.