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You’re Constantly Restless
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You know the feeling: one moment you’re sipping your coffee, the next you’re bouncing your leg uncontrollably or fidgeting with whatever's in your hand and can’t sit still. That burst of energy coffee provides can sometimes tip into overdrive, leaving you feeling jittery instead of focused. This is a common sign that your caffeine intake is too high and it’s overwhelming your nervous system. If this sounds familiar, try easing off gradually. Relying more on caffeine-free drinks is a great way to reduce your caffeine intake without giving up your coffee entirely. Over time, you’ll still enjoy it but with fewer of the nervous side effects.
Your Heartbeat Is Running Away from You
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Caffeine is a stimulant, and one of its immediate effects is an increased heart rate. In excess, caffeine sends your heart racing, which can feel very similar to a panic attack. It’s a physical reaction, but it can be mentally unsettling, especially if you’re prone to anxiety. To keep your heart rate steady, start keeping a caffeine diary. Logging your consumption can help you identify patterns and understand how much is too much for your body. Awareness is the first step toward a calmer, steadier coffee experience.
Your Digestion Isn’t Great
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Coffee is known for waking you up, but it can also wake up your stomach in ways you might not appreciate. Excessive caffeine can lead to nausea, cramping, or general discomfort, which can feel like anxiety if you’re already on edge. If your stomach gives you trouble when you enjoy a brew, consider switching to green or herbal tea for most of your caffeine needs. These types of tea are gentler on the digestive system while still providing a warm pick-me-up.
You Have Concentration Issues
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While coffee is famous for improving focus, too much of it can actually have the opposite effect. Instead of sharpening your mind, excessive caffeine can make your thoughts scatter, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and unable to concentrate, thus leading to anxiety. This is especially true when your energy levels spike and crash in quick succession. To prevent this, set a caffeine curfew for yourself. For example, you can stop drinking coffee after 2 PM and stick to caffeine-free alternatives after that point. This can help you avoid late-day crashes and also ensure your brain has time to stabilize before bedtime.
Your Sleep Quality Is Poor
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Caffeine can stay in your system for hours, and if you’re sipping late in the afternoon, it might still be buzzing around when you’re trying to sleep. Poor sleep doesn’t just make you tired, it contributes to your anxiety, creating a vicious cycle. The solution? Prioritize a good night’s rest by limiting coffee to the morning hours. To give yourself the best possible chance, establish a relaxing bedtime routine that will help you get a restful sleep.
You Have a Sensitive Stress Response
Photo by Michael Heise on UnsplashEver feel like every little thing stresses you out? That could be because caffeine can amplify your body’s natural reaction to stress. If you consume it in excess, it can make minor challenges feel overwhelming. It’s not just in your head—caffeine stimulates the release of stress hormones like cortisol, which can leave you on edge. Combat this by incorporating regular exercise into your routine. Physical activity naturally lowers stress levels and boosts your energy, reducing your dependence on caffeine to stay alert.
Your Muscles Feel Tense
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If your shoulders feel like they’re permanently hunched or your jaw is tight, your coffee habit could be partly to blame. Too much caffeine can cause your muscles to tense up, leading to discomfort that you can easily mistake for anxiety. To avoid this tension without giving up on coffee, balance your caffeine consumption with decaf. This easy swap allows you to enjoy your coffee routine without overwhelming your body with caffeine’s stimulating effects.
Coffee doesn’t have to be the enemy, but it’s worth paying attention to how much of it you consume and how it’s affecting you. If any of these signs resonate with you, making small adjustments can make a big difference. You don’t have to quit coffee altogether; you just need to find the balance that works for you.
The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.
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It Can Provide Emotional Healing and Clarity
Photo by William Farlow on UnsplashOne of the most immediate benefits of going no-contact is the emotional space it provides. When you’re no longer exposed to constant unrest or someone else’s influence, you can process your feelings on your own. The distance allows you to reflect on the relationship dynamics and understand your emotions on a deeper level. This clarity can help you break free from trauma bonds and see the situation for what it truly was, not what you hoped it could be.
It Helps Break Unhealthy Patterns
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Relationships, especially toxic ones, often fall into repetitive, harmful cycles. Maybe you’ve found yourself in the break-up-and-make-up loop or compromising your values just to keep the peace with someone. Going no-contact interrupts these patterns. It creates a barrier that prevents you from slipping back into old habits and gives you the opportunity to re-evaluate the relationship. This pause isn’t just about ending one unhealthy connection, it’s about preparing yourself to cultivate healthier ones in the future.
It Sets You Up to Reclaim Your Independence and Self-Sufficiency
Photo by Matthew Hamilton on UnsplashIn long-term or emotionally intense relationships, it’s easy to lose a sense of who you are outside of the partnership, whether romantic or otherwise. No contact helps you rediscover your independence and rebuild your sense of self. Without the weight of someone else’s influence, you can reconnect with your interests, values, and goals. It’s an empowering process that reminds you of your resilience and ability to stand on your own.
It Can Help You Develop Your Self-Confidence
Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on UnsplashChoosing to go no-contact is a declaration of self-worth. It’s you saying: “I deserve better than this.” By prioritizing your mental health and setting firm boundaries, you reinforce the belief that your well-being matters. This shift in mindset can do wonders for your self-confidence. As you see the benefits of maintaining those boundaries—less stress, more peace—you’ll feel more empowered to carry that energy into other areas of your life.
It Can Lead to Personal Growth and Self-Reflection
Photo by Francesco Gallarotti on UnsplashWithout the distractions of a toxic relationship, you have the freedom to focus on yourself. This time can be a period of deep self-reflection, where you identify what you truly need and want in life. It’s an opportunity to dive into personal growth, whether that’s through new hobbies, therapy, or setting goals you’ve been putting off. The absence of negativity allows for positivity to take root, helping you build a stronger sense of purpose.
It Helps Reduce Stress in Your Life
Photo by Jernej Graj on UnsplashToxic relationships often come with manipulation such as gaslighting, guilt trips, or constant drama. It’s an exhausting experience, to say the least. Going no-contact removes you from that dynamic. Without the stress of navigating someone else’s emotional games, you can focus on cultivating inner peace and make room for stability, and a more centered emotional state.
It Can Make You Better at Making Decisions
Photo by Jon Tyson on UnsplashWhen you’re in the trenches of a difficult relationship, it can feel impossible to think clearly. Going no-contact offers the distance you need to reassess the situation objectively. With the other person no longer clouding your judgment, you can make decisions that align with your best interests. Whether it’s deciding how to move forward or what kind of relationships you want in the future, the clarity that comes from no contact is invaluable.
You Can Start Processing Core Healing Emotions
Photo by Bogdan Todoran on UnsplashTrue healing requires time and uninterrupted space to feel and process emotions. Going no-contact creates a safe environment for this work. You can confront feelings of grief, anger, or betrayal without the added pressure of someone else’s presence. By giving yourself this emotional breathing room, you open the door to genuine healing. The goal shouldn’t be forgetting what happened, but understanding it, learning from it, and moving forward without the baggage.
If you’re considering going no-contact, remember: it’s not about punishing the other person. It’s about protecting yourself and that can be the first step toward a healthier, happier life.
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We’re often told that working hard should be a priority, a sentiment deeply ingrained in many Latino households. For immigrants and children of immigrants, hard work often represents the path to breaking generational cycles of economic instability. However, Daisy Auger-Domínguez’s book “Burnt Out to Lit Up: How to Reignite the Joy of Leading People” reminds us that the relentless pursuit of success can come at a steep cost: our health, identity, and sense of fulfillment.
Dominican-Puerto Rican Auger-Domínguez is a seasoned executive and workplace strategist known for leading transformative change in organizations across industries. With a career spanning roles at global giants like Google, Disney, Time Warner, and VICE Media, she has established herself as a thought leader in inclusion, leadership, and workforce well-being.
In her book, “Burnt Out to Lit Up,” she addresses the critical challenge of burnout. Written for managers and leaders (and those aspiring to leadership positions) navigating the complexities of modern workplaces, it provides a roadmap to overcome complacency, set boundaries, improve communication, and foster trust-filled environments. The intention behind the book is clear: to promote sustainable practices and self-care, and empower leaders to create positive, productive workplaces where both individuals and organizations can thrive.
No matter the circumstances, if you don’t prioritize yourself, any success achieved will likely feel hollow. The following signs might indicate burnout and signal that it’s time to reassess your goals and embrace self-care:
Your Body is Telling You
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Mental exhaustion often manifests physically. Stress-related illnesses—headaches, insomnia, and chronic fatigue—are all red flags. They’re your body’s way of telling you that your stress levels are off the charts. As Auger-Domínguez explains in the first chapter of her book:
“Sustained stress, or chronic stress, is when your mind and body are in a never-ending tug-of-war, stretched to their limits. According to the American Psychological Association, it’s the kind of tension that just won’t quit, thanks to ongoing stressors like work dramas, financial troubles, relationship rollercoasters, health upheavals, or even environmental shenanigans. And guess what? Chronic stress isn’t just a minor inconvenience; it’s the sneakily harmful troublemaker that messes with your mental and physical well-being.”
Chronic stress depletes not only your physical energy but also your emotional reserves. When left unchecked, it can lead to a variety of physical and mental health issues. Listening to your body and making rest a priority isn’t just advisable, it’s essential to your well-being.
You've Lost Passion for your Work
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Not everyone has the privilege of doing work they’re passionate about, but for those who do, burnout can be easier to detect. If something you once loved feels like an unbearable chore, it’s time to reconsider your path. Auger-Domínguez emphasizes that leaders, in particular, must reconnect with their purpose to reignite their passion. She also advocates for a reframing of inner narratives, which is about questioning preconceptions and replacing disempowering thoughts with empowering ones. Auger-Domínguez explains this in an interview with Thrive Global:
“One transformative practice is about reframing our inner narratives. So often, our reactions and decisions are guided by scripts written in our earlier life chapters—scripts that no longer serve us. By stepping back and questioning these preconceptions; we can begin to dismantle the barriers they create. It’s about transforming our internal dialogue, recognizing our past’s influence, and consciously choosing a narrative that empowers and enriches our interactions, particularly in leadership.”
The practice of reframing inner narratives is a central part of her approach, which is why she shares a script at the end of every chapter in her book to help readers integrate the lessons in a way that serves them.
Your Work-Life Balance is Becoming Non-Existent
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A job shouldn't be your whole life; it should only be a part of it. If you find yourself completely consumed by your work, to the point where your personal life is affected, there's something wrong. Burnout is unavoidable without a work-life balance and is essential to a healthy work environment.
Auger-Domínguez is intimately familiar with this. In Chapter 1 of her book, she discusses her own experience with burnout and explains that her inability to establish healthy boundaries due to a history of prioritizing the needs of others was a big factor. Understanding this, you should prioritize having free time that’s genuinely free to spend however you like. Whether that’s spending time with friends and family to recharge or dedicating time to your hobbies.
You Feel Undervalued or Unfulfilled
Photo by Max Ovcharenko on UnsplashIf you often ask yourself, what am I even doing this for? And if you can't find an answer, it's probably time to reconsider your goals. Working hard will get you nowhere if you've lost sense of what your end goal is, and the thing is, it is normal for our end goals to change constantly. Just because you desperately wanted something before doesn't mean you can't change your mind.
Once that mindset shift happens, we often try to convince ourselves to just power through it and keep going, but we could also use those feelings to ask ourselves, is this really what I want to be doing? Furthermore, you might feel like it isn't you that's the problem, but how those around you perceive your work, being upset because you feel undervalued, is perfectly reasonable and also calls for a goal realignment.
You're Not Yourself Anymore
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And living your best life is what you deserve. If the path to your goals has become a burden instead of a hard road, losing track of who you are and what you want to achieve is easy. But at the end of the day, your life is yours only, and if you don't make yourself a priority, who will?
Burnout doesn’t happen overnight, and reversing it takes time and intentionality. While Auger-Domínguez writes about leadership, this book is aimed not only at people in positions of leadership but also at those who aspire to those positions. In an interview with The Epic Mentor Newsletter, she shared:
“I often get asked, your books are about leadership, but what about those who aren't leading yet? I feel like this book is a blueprint for those who aspire to lead someday. For this younger generation, and I speak about it in the book, burnout doesn't just start at work. For most of us, it starts in our childhood.”
By taking care of yourself, you’re not just improving your life, you’re paving the way for others to do the same. At the end of the day, hard work is essential, but it will never outweigh the importance of your mental health, stability, and personal life. For more resources on self-care and overcoming burnout, visit our mental health and resources guide. Remember, you’re never alone, and it’s okay to prioritize yourself.
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