The Truth About Overfunctioning and Burnout

The Truth About Overfunctioning and Burnout

From The Best of You by Dr. Alison Cook

April 27, 2026 · 9 min

About this episode

Dr. Alison Cook explores the concepts of overfunctioning and burnout through the lens of Psalm 127, offering insights on how to release over-responsibility and rediscover rest.

Today's Scripture: Psalm 127:1–2If you feel constantly exhausted, it may not be about doing too much—but about carrying what was never yours to carry. In this episode, Dr. Alison explores Psalm 127 and the concept of “anxious toil,” integrating attachment theory and nervous system insight to help you release over-responsibility and rediscover rest. We explore:*Overfunctioning and burnout*Hypervigilance and the nervous system*How we start to build the wrong thingGo Deeper:Episode 138: Breaking Free from Overfunctioning—Discover the Hidden Costs of Always Being 'The Responsible One’Check out our new webpage here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Alison Cook

Topics covered

  • overfunctioning
  • burnout
  • anxious toil
  • attachment theory
  • nervous system
  • rest

Keywords

  • overfunctioning
  • burnout
  • anxious toil
  • attachment theory
  • nervous system
  • hypervigilance
  • rest

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Psalm 127

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