Cognitive Overdrive: Paying back the debt of Burnout

By Hali Udenasuta

11/01/25

Burnout isn’t failure; it’s a balance sheet. For many high achievers, the cognitive debt has caught up. 

We’ve been taught to chase success and profit, to invest ourselves for the best result… But what happens when we can’t reach it? For a minority, it's to get up and grind, but for many, we come crashing down. 

What is burnout?

According to HelpGuide.org, burnout is constant stress that causes you to feel negative emotions. To be exact, “ Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. ” (Smith and Reid, 2025). Feel familiar? 

Burnout is just like a disease that slowly eats away at you. A predator stalking its prey, waiting for the right moment to pounce. For high achievers, it's a facade of productivity until the breakdown.

It isn’t just emotional fatigue, it's cognitive bankruptcy. Every deadline, every assignment, every moment you feel pressured is a withdrawal from your mental account. If you're constantly spending, the debt builds up just like when you push yourself, the pressure builds up until your mind explodes. You're not only losing your mind, you’re also losing your deadline. Then it happens. You can’t crawl back into the shell that you once thrived in. What's a bank if it has no money? What’s a mind without margin?

Burnout doesn’t just rob you of identity and energy; it deprives you. The person who once thrived under pressure is now someone who just procrastinates every task given to them. It takes you from an achiever to an avoider. 

I’ll let you in on a little secret: burnout isn’t permanent as long as you know how to solve it. Like every equation, there is a solution. It's an invoice; you can pay it back. 

Start with an Energy Audit.

What does that mean, Hali? Well… first of all, track what drains you. Find the spark that fuels you. Awareness is always your first deposit. For me, it's the fear of my worst version. Don’t try to trick yourself, be honest, because only you can fix this.

Create boundaries to protect your bandwidth.

You can’t swallow the food without chewing. Not every opportunity is worth mental credit. Learn how to say no without feeling guilty. I know it's hard, perfectly understandable. But You. Can. Learn. 

Start Investing in Micro-Recoveries.

Whether it's meditating or taking a nap, it's always beneficial to take a break from time to time. These aren’t indulgences –They’re investments. (Might I say one of the most important ones you're going to make in life).

Reinvest in JOY.

Want to know what real wealth is? It’s doing things that bring you happiness as an ROI. 

Burnout doesn’t mean you can’t piece your sanity back together. It’s never a failure, just pure feedback. You don’t owe work your exhaustion; you owe yourself your energy. 

Balance your books. Reclaim confidence and brilliance. The mind, like assets, excels when managed with care. Pay it back. Protect your energy. Define your own path. 

Citations

“Burnout: Symptoms, Treatment, and Coping Strategy Tips.” HelpGuide.org, 23 Oct. 2018, www.helpguide.org/mental-health/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.