Why 15-Minute “Resets” Actually Work When You’re Burned Out
Chloë Bean, LMFT is a licensed somatic trauma therapist based in Los Angeles, specializing in anxiety, burnout, trauma, and nervous system healing for high-achieving women. Her work integrates somatic therapy, EMDR, and IFS to support lasting regulation, resilience, and relational healing.
What to do when taking a break feels impossible
Burnout doesn’t usually come from one bad day. It builds slowly — through long stretches of pushing, over-functioning, and staying “on” even when your body is asking for rest.
That’s why many high-achieving women feel frustrated when they’re told to “just slow down” or “take a break.” Big lifestyle changes can feel impossible when your nervous system is already maxed out.
This is where 15-minute resets come in — not as a productivity hack, but as a nervous-system strategy.
I recently spoke about this in Real Simple, and clinically, I see why these short resets can be surprisingly effective when burnout has set in.
What a “Reset” Actually Does to the Nervous System
Burnout isn’t just mental exhaustion. It’s often a sign that your nervous system has been stuck in chronic high alert for too long.
When that happens:
Rest doesn’t feel restorative
You may feel wired but exhausted
Even small tasks feel overwhelming
A reset isn’t about fixing your life in 15 minutes. It’s about sending your nervous system a signal of safety.
“Burnout isn’t a time-management problem. It’s a nervous system that’s been under sustained pressure. Short resets work because they interrupt that pattern and remind the body it’s allowed to settle — even briefly.”
— Chloë Bean, LMFT
That brief interruption matters more than most people realize.
Why Burned-Out Women Don’t Have Capacity for Big Changes
Many of the women I work with are high-functioning, capable, and outwardly successful — yet internally exhausted.
When burnout is present:
The nervous system resists anything that feels demanding
Even “self-care” can feel like another task to perform
Long routines or rigid plans often backfire
This isn’t a mindset issue. It’s a capacity issue.
Small, time-bound resets work because they don’t overwhelm a depleted system.
Why 15 Minutes Is Often the Sweet Spot
Fifteen minutes is long enough to create a physiological shift — and short enough to feel doable.
From a somatic perspective, that window allows:
Breath to slow
Muscles to soften
Attention to move out of constant scanning
Examples of effective 15-minute resets include:
Stepping outside without your phone
Gentle stretching or slow movement
Sitting with a warm drink and no input
Listening to calming music while lying down
What matters most is how your body responds, not whether you’re doing it “right.”
When Quick Resets Don’t Work (And What That Tells Us)
Sometimes clients tell me:
“I tried taking breaks, and it didn’t help.”
That information is important.
If short resets feel agitating, empty, or ineffective, it often means:
Your nervous system is holding deeper unresolved stress
There may be trauma patterns keeping you in vigilance
Rest doesn’t feel safe yet
In those cases, burnout recovery usually requires guided nervous-system work, not just breaks.
How Somatic Therapy Supports Real Burnout Recovery
Somatic trauma therapy helps address burnout at its root by:
Working with the body’s stress responses directly
Increasing capacity for rest and regulation
Gently unwinding long-held survival patterns
Over time, this makes small resets more effective — and eventually allows for deeper, lasting relief.
Burnout doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong.
It often means your body has been carrying too much for too long.
Q&A: Frequently Asked Questions About 15-Minute Resets
Q: Do 15-minute resets really help with burnout?
Yes, especially for early or moderate burnout. They help interrupt prolonged stress responses and signal safety to the nervous system. They aren’t a cure-all, but they’re a powerful starting point.
Q: What if I don’t feel better after taking a break?
That doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It often suggests your nervous system needs more support than rest alone can provide, especially if trauma or chronic stress is involved.
Q: How often should I do nervous-system resets?
Consistency matters more than frequency. One or two intentional resets a day can be more helpful than occasional long breaks.
Q: Is burnout just stress, or something deeper?
Burnout is often the result of long-term nervous-system overload, not just situational stress. That’s why it doesn’t resolve simply by taking time off.
Q: Can somatic therapy help high-functioning burnout?
Absolutely. Somatic therapy is especially helpful for people who appear “fine” on the outside but feel depleted, anxious, or disconnected internally.
If You’re Experiencing Burnout, You’re Not Alone
If you’re feeling burned out despite doing “all the right things,” it’s not a personal failure — it’s often a sign that your nervous system has been under sustained pressure for too long.
Quick resets can help in the moment, but lasting relief usually comes from understanding why your body stays in high alert and what it needs to feel safe enough to rest.
Start With a Gentle First Step
A short, nervous-system–informed quiz to help you understand whether what you’re experiencing is stress, high-functioning burnout, or something deeper — and what kind of support may actually help.
Go Deeper If You’re Ready
If burnout feels chronic, confusing, or keeps returning no matter how much rest you take, deeper nervous-system work may be needed.
You can explore working together here:
More Burnout Resources
If you want to understand what’s happening beneath the surface — especially if burnout doesn’t look dramatic or obvious — these may be helpful:
Burnout Isn’t Laziness (And Why Everyday Tasks Feel So Hard)
If you feel exhausted by small, ordinary tasks and wonder why motivation feels so low, this article explains how burnout and nervous system overload can make even simple things feel overwhelming — without it meaning anything is “wrong” with you.
What to Try When Anxiety Spikes and You Need a Quick Reset
This simple, body-based breathing exercise is one tool you can use during short breaks to help settle anxiety and bring your nervous system out of high alert.
When Everything Looks Fine on the Outside, But You Feel Stuck Inside
If you’re productive, capable, and functioning — yet feel numb, shut down, or disconnected — this article explores functional freeze and why burnout sometimes shows up this way.