WHY WE ARE BURNING OUT FROM CONSTANT ACCESSIBILITY (THE COST OF ALWAYS BEING ‘ON’)
By Nicole Fuge
There’s a new kind of burnout on the rise, one that doesn’t come from physical exhaustion alone, but from emotional availability. From the pressure to be constantly reachable, responsive, and responsible.
Women, in particular, are feeling it. We’re not just doing the work, we’re fielding the messages, reading between the lines, replying in the group chat, remembering the birthday, and returning the call. We’re always on, and we’re running out of battery.
The Age of Constant Accessibility
Technology promised freedom. But phones don’t just follow us, they tether us. We’re accessible at all times. There is no escape. And it’s not just the volume, it’s the expectation. The sense that if we don’t respond, if we don’t show up, if we don’t stay on top of it all, we’re failing.
And this is more than just modern life; it’s gendered. Women have long been the default point of contact. We remember the appointments. We reply to the RSVP. We hold the emotional temperature of our relationships. In many homes and workplaces, women are still carrying the lion’s share of invisible labour: organising, coordinating, caring.
Now, that mental load follows us into our pockets. There are no physical boundaries anymore. We don’t leave the office or walk away from a conversation. We take it with us on school runs, into the supermarket, through our weekend downtime.
It’s not that we’re incapable. It’s that we’re overloaded.
When the World Expects You to Be Available
There’s a cost to being constantly accessible. Not just in time, but in energy.
It’s the decision fatigue from a hundred tiny choices a day. It’s the guilt of an unread message. It’s the low-level anxiety of wondering who you’ve forgotten to get back to. It’s never fully switching off, even when you're supposed to be relaxing.
For many women, this isn’t a full-blown collapse, it’s a slow, steady depletion. A background hum of tiredness that never quite lifts. A feeling that you’re always behind. Always catching up. Always reachable, but never truly present.
The Myth of Being “Good at Juggling”
Society still celebrates women who “do it all.” Who can balance work, family, relationships, health, and somehow maintain a group chat and a skincare routine. We wear our responsiveness like a badge of honour. But underneath, many of us are fraying.
Because being good at juggling doesn’t mean the balls aren’t heavy. And just because we can keep them in the air doesn’t mean we should have to.
We don’t talk enough about the toll of managing everyone else’s needs while downplaying our own. Of answering to people all day, then wondering why we feel like we’ve lost ourselves.
So How Do We Switch Off?
First: by remembering that we’re allowed to. That being a good friend, partner, parent, or colleague doesn’t mean being constantly available.
Create clearer boundaries around your time and your energy. Turn off notifications when you’re not working. Let a message wait. Give yourself permission to be unavailable.
That doesn’t mean disappearing. It means remembering that you don’t owe constant access to anyone, not even the people you love. Especially if it’s costing you peace.
Rest Is Not a Luxury
Rest isn’t something you earn once you’ve ticked off the list. It’s something you need to function, to feel, to be.
That might look like taking longer to respond. Saying no to something that doesn’t feel aligned. Not picking up the phone straight away. Not apologising for needing space.
There’s no gold medal for burnout. There’s no prize for the woman who answered the fastest or pushed through the longest.
But there is strength in stopping. In slowing down. In not being constantly reachable.
MUSE PAPER
ISSUE 05
Disclaimer: The content provided on Muse Paper is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing severe burnout or mental health concerns, please seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional.