When the Body Says You’re Burned Out: What Our Organs Teach Us About Overload

Have you ever noticed how the body tells the truth long before our minds do? Lately, I’ve been reflecting on burnout. Not the sudden, dramatic kind, but the slow kind that sneaks in when you’re doing all the right things for everyone else. As a health coach, I’m used to helping others restore balance. But sometimes, it’s me who needs the reminder.

The body’s design as a mirror for life. Every system created to process, filter, and renew. And just like in life, when too much comes through, even the strongest systems get overwhelmed.

The Kidneys & Liver — Our Filters

The kidneys and liver quietly filter out what doesn’t serve us. They take in everything...nutrients, toxins, hormones and decide what stays and what goes. But when there’s too much coming through, they can’t keep up.

That’s what burnout feels like: taking in too many details, too many decisions, too many emotions from others until your inner filter gets clogged. Sometimes we need to step back and let God do the cleansing only He can do. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” — Psalm 51:10

The Heart — Giving Without Receiving

The heart constantly gives, but it must also receive blood to refill. In seasons of overextension, we often forget that part. We keep giving advice, energy, love, all without letting ourselves be refilled. We need reciprocation, rest, prayer, and joy. The heart reminds us that circulation requires return.

The Lungs — The Power of Release

Every breath is a rhythm of taking in and letting go. Burnout builds when we keep inhaling tasks, expectations and people’s energy, but forget to exhale. Breath is God’s design for release. Sometimes the most healing thing we can do is stop, exhale and breathe Him back in.

The Digestive System — Too Much to Process

When your digestion is sluggish, even the healthiest food can’t be absorbed. Likewise, when life is too full, you can’t digest your own experiences. We keep consuming podcasts, calls and commitments, without giving ourselves time to assimilate. Reflection and rest are how wisdom becomes nourishment.

The Nervous System — Always “On”

Our nervous system was designed to keep us safe in short bursts of stress. But when we never unplug, the system can’t tell the difference between danger and daily life. That’s when exhaustion, anxiety, or numbness creep in. God didn’t design our bodies for constant alert. Even creation rests.

The Adrenals — Running on Empty

These tiny glands fuel our stress response. They’re the emergency battery pack of the body meant for short-term use. Living from them long-term drains us. If you’ve ever said, “I’m fine,” when you’re clearly not, your adrenals might disagree.

The Immune System — When Boundaries Blur

The immune system protects us from what doesn’t belong. But when it’s overwhelmed, it can turn on itself. That’s what happens when our boundaries collapse; we start treating our own needs as intruders instead of priorities.

The Muscles — Always Contracted, Never Released

Muscles need contraction and relaxation to function. Chronic tension leads to pain and fatigue. When we stay in a “ready” or “defensive” posture too long (emotionally, spiritually, relationally), we lose flexibility. Rest is what allows strength to return.

The Spiritual Lesson

Every part of the body speaks a truth: we were not designed to carry everything. Burnout is not failure — it’s feedback. It’s your body’s way of saying, “Something holy needs space again.”

If you’re feeling stretched thin, take a cue from your body. Filter what comes in, release what’s not yours to hold, and return to the rhythm God built into you — inhale grace, exhale striving. And if your load is too much to filter, it's time to re-evaluate your priorities and boundaries.

Feeling out of rhythm? Let’s restore balance together. I help women reconnect to their bodies, calm their nervous systems, and rebuild their energy through faith-based, somatic healing.👉 Book a consultation with me and let’s begin your renewal from the inside out.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” — Ecclesiastes 3:1

Just as our organs have rhythms — inhale and exhale, give and receive, filter and release — so do our lives. When we try to live outside those God-given rhythms, we wear down. But when we honor His seasons, rest becomes as holy as work. The body and the soul both find peace in His perfect timing.