Burnout Isn’t Just for the Workplace: How Emotional Labour Impacts Women Daily

When we think of burnout, we usually imagine long hours at a demanding job, a full inbox, or never-ending meetings. But for many women, burnout doesn’t start or stop in the workplace. Sometimes it’s at home, in our relationships, and in the small, often invisible ways we care for others every single day.

This kind of exhaustion is rooted in emotional labour. It’s the mental and emotional effort involved in managing your own feelings while tending to the needs of those around you. It’s the emotional holding we do when we’re the first to notice tension in the room, when we smooth over disagreements, when we remember birthdays, plan family meals, comfort others in distress, and put on a calm face even when we feel overwhelmed ourselves.

While emotional labour can impact anyone, women are more likely to carry the bulk of this invisible load.  And we are often expected to do so with grace and without complaint. It's a form of care that often goes unnoticed, but it accumulates. Quietly. Relentlessly.

Over time, the impact is deep. You might start to feel emotionally drained, even if you haven’t done anything 'visible'.  You may feel more irritable, lose patience easily, or find yourself feeling numb. Some women experience physical symptoms like headaches or insomnia. Others begin to lose their sense of self entirely, always putting others first, and leaving little space to even ask: What do I need right now?

One of the hardest parts of emotional burnout is that it’s difficult to name. Because it's not tied to deadlines or job titles, women often dismiss their exhaustion or feel guilty for needing rest. But burnout from emotional labour is just as real and just as valid.

So how do we begin to recover?

First, we need to acknowledge the weight we’re carrying and naming it can be powerful. Recognising that emotional labour is real work helps us release any shame or self-blame we might feel for being tired or overwhelmed.

Then, we need to find our own restorative practices that replenish our energy and regulate our nervous system.  Rediscovering those things that refill your cup and bring you back to centre.

Returning to centre is a powerful act of self-care and a vital part of sustaining mental health and wellbeing. In a world that often pulls us in every direction—emotionally, mentally, and physically—taking time to come back to ourselves allows us to pause, breathe, and recalibrate. It’s the process of reconnecting with our inner calm, creating space for clarity and presence.

Whether it’s through stillness, solitude, movement, or time in nature, coming back to centre offers a gentle reset—one that empowers us to show up for ourselves and others with more compassion, resilience, and authenticity.

For you, it might look like quiet moments in the morning before anyone else wakes up, a short walk outside, a journal entry at the end of the day, or prayer or meditation if you’re spiritually inclined. Even small pockets of time, reclaimed just for you, can begin to restore what’s been depleted.

Support is also vital. Whether it's turning to friends or family, joining a women’s group, or speaking with a mental health professional, being heard and held can make a world of difference. You don’t need to carry this alone.

We live in a world that often praises women for how much they give. But you are more than what you do for others. You are allowed to rest. You are allowed to feel. And you are allowed

to put down the emotional load—even if just for a moment—while you tend to your own healing.

Someone once advised me to focus on pouring so much love, compassion and care into myself that my cup overflows, meaning that there is enough for those around me too. I really like that idea and I try to hold onto it, I hope it helps you too.