Burnout With The Caps Lock On

You close your laptop harder than you meant to.

You feel your chest tighten when one more request lands in your inbox.

You reread a Slack message from your boss and think, Why does that sound so passive-aggressive?

You’re overwhelmed, over-caffeinated, exhausted, and on edge.

You're hanging on to keep from falling apart. You just want someone to see how hard you’re working to keep it all together.

This is a Reactive Response to burnout.

It’s intense. It’s messy. Unlike the other two responses we explore in our Burnout to Balance program, this one doesn’t hide. It makes itself known.

This person isn’t suppressing their burnout. They’re expressing it. Loudly, emotionally, and sometimes unexpectedly. They may snap, sigh, cry, shut down, or speak up in ways that seem “too much.” But underneath the intensity, there’s often a deep need: to be seen, to be supported, to feel safe.

Some people in this response style are carrying emotional hurt and even trauma, and want acknowledgment. Others are angry and exhausted, craving autonomy or relief.  Some just want someone—anyone—to step in and help.

I’ll reach this breaking point once in a while, but I’m more likely to contain frustration than express it, since I tend to favor the Intellectualized Response. But we all know people who show up this way. 

And when I look closely, I can see the courage it takes to let those emotions out, even if they come out sideways. It’s not weakness. It’s not failure. But it can be overwhelming.

If you resonate with this, you don’t need to shut it down. You just need a way to hold it.

Here’s one practice I recommend to stabilize the nervous system when emotion is building—before it becomes too much to hold:

Anchor Breath

• Inhale through the nose for 4 seconds
• Pause at the top for 2–3 seconds
• Exhale through the nose or pursed lips for 4 seconds
• Pause at the bottom for 2–3 seconds
• Continue for 3-4 rounds

This isn’t a breath to shut emotions down. It’s a breath as a container and a rhythm. A steady anchor before the storm peaks. You’re not trying to fix the feeling. You’re just creating space to hold it without getting swept away.

Across this series, we’ve looked at three burnout responses: rationalizing your way through, glossing over with positivity, and letting it all show.

Each one makes sense. Each one tells a story.

But none of them have to be the only way.

So, what do you do when burnout surfaces?