This last couple of weeks I have been struggling with a pain flare up, and if I’m being honest with myself, it’s consuming me. My pain is at such a level that I am having a hard time drowning it out. It’s loud, and front and center dominating my brain, which is making it difficult to manage my days. It’s exhausting and makes me feel burnt out. The energy and motivation that it sucks from me means it can take weeks to get back to my “normal” after the flare up has subsided, despite my best efforts. So…yeah, this is where I’m at. Feeling blah and exhausted and searching for relief. This last week I decided to take a small social media break, and instead focused on myself by doing calming activities, like cuddling with the dogs while listening to an audiobook, working in my journals and workbooks, hanging out with my people, meditating and being creative. My hope is that it will do a sort of system restart in the hopes I can get back into the swing of things and back to my normal. To start, I decided to use my feeling burned out for my next blog post.
What Is Burnout in the Context of Chronic Pain?
Unlike acute pain, which signals a temporary problem and eventually fades, chronic pain lingers—sometimes for months, years, or like in my case, a lifetime. This unrelenting presence creates a unique breeding ground for burnout, one that intertwines physical suffering with psychological fatigue.
Burnout doesn’t appear out of nowhere. For those with chronic pain, it’s the result of a perfect storm of factors that compound over time. Here are some of the primary causes:
Persistent Physical Strain: Chronic pain taxes the body 24/7. Whether it’s fibromyalgia, arthritis, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), migraines, or neuropathy, the constant effort to push through pain depletes energy reserves. Sleep disturbances—common in chronic pain—only worsen this exhaustion, leaving little room for recovery.
Emotional Toll: Living with chronic pain often means grieving the life you once had or imagined. Feelings of frustration, hopelessness, and isolation can fester, especially when others don’t fully understand your experience. The emotional labor of masking pain or explaining it repeatedly adds another layer of stress and further trauma.
Medical System Fatigue: Navigating healthcare can feel like a full-time job. Endless appointments, dismissive doctors, trial-and-error treatments, and insurance battles drain both time and emotional bandwidth. When progress is slow or nonexistent, disillusionment sets in.
Overcompensation and Guilt: Many chronic pain sufferers push themselves beyond their limits to avoid feeling like a burden or to prove they’re “still capable.” This overextension, paired with guilt when they can’t meet expectations (their own or others’), accelerates burnout.
Unpredictability: Chronic pain is rarely consistent. Flare-ups can derail plans at a moment’s notice, making it hard to maintain routines or commitments. This lack of control breeds anxiety and exhaustion as sufferers brace for the next wave.
Why Does Burnout Happen?
Society’s emphasis on productivity doesn’t help. Chronic pain sufferers often internalize the idea that they must “keep up” despite their condition, leading to a vicious cycle of pushing too hard, crashing, and feeling defeated. Unlike a typical burnout scenario where someone might take a break from work, stepping away from chronic pain isn’t an option—it’s a constant companion. So how does one climb out of being burned out when there is no rest to be had?
How Burnout Shows Up in Day-to-Day Life
Physical Signs: Increased fatigue that sleep doesn’t fix, worsening pain during flare-ups, or a drop in physical stamina. Simple tasks like showering or cooking might feel insurmountable.
Mental Fog: Difficulty concentrating, forgetting appointments, or struggling to make decisions. This “brain fog” can make even small responsibilities overwhelming.
Emotional Volatility: Irritability, tearfulness, or a sense of detachment. You might snap at loved ones over trivial things or feel numb to activities you once enjoyed.
Avoidance Behaviors: Skipping self-care routines (like stretching or taking meds on time) because they feel pointless. Social invitations get declined more often, and hobbies gather dust.
Daily Disruptions: A trip to the grocery store might take all your energy, leaving no reserves for the rest of the day. Plans get canceled last-minute, and productivity plummets as pain and exhaustion dominate.
Existential Weariness: A creeping sense of “Why bother?” when facing yet another day of the same struggle. Motivation wanes, and even small victories lose their shine.
Ways to Manage Burnout
The good news? Burnout isn’t an inevitable endpoint. While chronic pain may not go away, there are strategies to reclaim some control and ease the burden. Here’s how:
Pace Yourself (Really): Break tasks into tiny, manageable chunks. If folding laundry feels daunting, do one shirt and rest. The “spoon theory” —a metaphor where each activity costs a spoon from your daily energy pool—can help you prioritize without overdoing it.
Set Boundaries: Learn to say “no” without guilt. If a social event will wipe you out, decline it. Communicate your limits to loved ones—they can’t support you if they don’t know what you need.
Build a Support Network: Connect with others who get it, whether through online chronic pain groups or local meetups. Sharing your experience with empathetic ears can lighten the emotional load.
Lean on Mindfulness: Techniques like deep breathing, meditation, or guided imagery can calm an overactive nervous system. Even five minutes of focusing on your breath can interrupt the stress-pain-burnout loop.
Celebrate Small Wins: Did you get out of bed today? Take your meds on time? That’s a victory. Acknowledging these moments builds resilience and counters despair.
Ask for Help: Delegate tasks when possible—let a partner cook dinner or a friend run an errand. Professional support, like a therapist specializing in chronic illness, can also offer coping tools tailored to you.
Adjust Expectations: Perfectionism is burnout’s fuel. Accept that some days will be less productive, and that’s okay. Progress, not perfection, is the goal.
Engage in Joy (Gently): Find low-energy activities that spark happiness—listening to music, watching a favorite show, or sketching. These don’t cure pain, but they replenish your spirit.
Work with Your Healthcare Team: If burnout feels unmanageable, talk to your doctor. Adjusting meds, exploring physical therapy, or addressing co-occurring issues like depression might ease the load.
Rest Without Guilt: Rest isn’t laziness—it’s a necessity. Nap, sit quietly, or lie down with a heating pad. Your body needs breaks to fight another day.
Final Thoughts: You’re Not Alone
If you’re reading this and nodding along, know this: Your struggle is valid, and there’s hope in the cracks. Managing burnout won’t erase chronic pain, but it can help you live alongside it with a little more grace. What’s one small thing you can do today to ease the weight? Start there.