This is Your Reset

As we begin a new year, many women arrive with the same quiet confession.

“I’m already exhausted.”

“I feel behind before the year has even started.”

“I want change, but my body feels braced for impact.”

If this resonates, I want to be clear from the start:

You are not broken. You are burned out.

Burnout is not a lack of motivation, discipline, or gratitude. It is not a personal failure. From a physiological standpoint, burnout is best understood as chronic nervous system overload resulting from prolonged activation of the stress response (Smith & Vale, 2006).

Burnout Is a Biological Response, Not a Personal Defect

The body adapts to stress through the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, a neuroendocrine system responsible for regulating cortisol release in response to perceived stressors (Smith & Vale, 2006). Cortisol supports alertness, energy mobilization, and short-term survival.

In short bursts, cortisol is protective and necessary.

In prolonged stress states, it becomes dysregulated.

When stress is constant—deadlines, caregiving, emotional labor, financial pressure, and the ongoing demand to “hold it together”—the nervous system does exactly what it is designed to do. It prioritizes survival.

Over time, chronic HPA axis activation can contribute to symptoms such as disrupted sleep, altered digestion, blood sugar instability, emotional reactivity, and mood changes (Smith & Vale, 2006).

These symptoms often emerge quietly and gradually. Many women do not recognize them as stress-related until they become disruptive to daily functioning.

Why Self-Blame Makes Burnout Worse

One of the most damaging patterns I see clinically is what happens next.

Women begin to internalize these symptoms as personal shortcomings.

“I should be more productive.”

“I should be more disciplined.”

“Other people handle this better than I do.”

But the body is not malfunctioning.

It is responding intelligently to prolonged demand.

Chronic stress alters neuroendocrine signaling and nervous system regulation; these changes are adaptive responses, not evidence of failure (Smith & Vale, 2006).

Your nervous system has been protecting you beyond its intended capacity.

This is why healing cannot begin with force, restriction, or extremes. It must begin by restoring a sense of safety at the physiological level.

Why This Year Must Be About Regulation, Not Optimization

This is not a year to demand more from your body.

This is a year to teach it that the emergency has passed.

Nervous system regulation is not passive. It is strategic. Research consistently shows that restoring balance requires reducing ongoing stress signals while supporting recovery systems through nutrition, sleep, and environmental cues (Fonken & Nelson, 2014).

One of the most foundational places to start is nutrient repletion—particularly magnesium.

Magnesium and the Stressed Nervous System

Magnesium is one of the first minerals depleted during chronic stress and plays a central role in nervous system and endocrine regulation (de Baaij et al., 2015).

Magnesium supports nervous system balance by:

• Downregulating cortisol activity

• Supporting gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the brain’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter

• Facilitating the shift from sympathetic (stress) activation to parasympathetic (rest) dominance

(de Baaij et al., 2015; Li et al., 2017)

In clinical terms, adequate magnesium availability supports the nervous system’s ability to stand down from constant vigilance.

Practical Application

Rather than approaching this with rigidity, I encourage a simple daily practice.

Aim for one to two cups daily of magnesium-rich leafy greens such as spinach, Swiss chard, or arugula. Lightly sautéing these greens or blending them into a smoothie can improve mineral absorption and digestive tolerance (de Baaij et al., 2015).

This practice is not about achieving perfection.

It is about reinforcing a daily message of support and nourishment to the body.

Clinical note: Individuals with kidney disease or those taking magnesium-containing medications should consult their healthcare provider before increasing intake.

Light, Sleep, and Cortisol: Why Evenings Matter

As the day comes to a close, one of the most effective yet overlooked tools for nervous system regulation is light exposure management.

Artificial light—particularly blue-spectrum light—directly influences cortisol and melatonin secretion by disrupting circadian signaling pathways (Fonken & Nelson, 2014). Continued bright light exposure in the evening signals the body to remain alert, even when it is physiologically exhausted.

I recommend dimming lights 60 minutes before bedtime.

This is not about ambiance or luxury.

It is about endocrine signaling.

Reducing evening light exposure helps communicate safety to the nervous system and supports melatonin production, which is essential for sleep quality and overnight nervous system recovery (Fonken & Nelson, 2014).

A Reframe to Carry With You

As you wind down this evening, I invite you to reflect on this statement:

“My body is not against me.

It is responding intelligently to what it has endured.”

Allow this to land not just cognitively, but physically.

Research in stress physiology consistently demonstrates that recovery begins when the nervous system no longer perceives ongoing threat (Smith & Vale, 2006).

Moving Forward

You do not need to change everything at once.

You do not need to earn rest.

You do not need to fix yourself.

Lasting calm is created through small, steady, consistent choices that restore safety to the nervous system over time (Fonken & Nelson, 2014).

This is how we stop normalizing chronic stress.

This is how we begin living rooted in calm.

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References and additional reads

de Baaij, J. H. F., Hoenderop, J. G. J., & Bindels, R. J. M. (2015). Magnesium in man: Implications for health and disease. Physiological Reviews, 95(1), 1–46. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00012.2014

Li, Z., Wang, W., Xin, X., Song, X., & Zhang, D. (2017). Association of total zinc, iron, copper and magnesium intakes with depression in U.S. adults. Nutrients, 10(1), 83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.12.004 

Smith, S. M., & Vale, W. W. (2006). The role of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis in neuroendocrine responses to stress. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 8(4), 383–395. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181830/

Fonken, L. K., & Nelson, R. J. (2014). The effects of light at night on circadian clocks and metabolism. Endocrine Reviews, 35(4), 648–670. https://doi.org/10.1210/er.2013-1051