Burnout has a familiar shape.

Too much work.

Too much demand.

For too long.

But some exhaustion looks different.

People rest.

They slow down.

They change circumstances.

And still feel depleted.

This exhaustion comes from internal effort.

Monitoring yourself.

Masking reactions.

Holding back responses.

The nervous system never fully powers down.

So rest doesn't restore.

Sleep doesn't refresh.

This can be deeply confusing.

People start blaming themselves for not recovering properly.

But this exhaustion isn't solved by rest alone.

It's solved by reducing the need for constant self-management.

If this feels familiar, it may help to look beyond workload and toward internal demand.

You might notice how often you're watching yourself, translating yourself, or holding yourself in check.

Reducing exhaustion often means reducing self-surveillance.

Energy returns when the system no longer has to stay on guard.