Are you stuck or just tired? How to tell the difference

Feeling exhausted by your creative business but can’t quite explain why? It may not be burnout. It may be something more subtle, and more fixable.

You are talented. You have built something meaningful. From the outside, things may even look “fine”.

And yet, you reach the end of each day completely drained, questioning whether you are really cut out for this after all.

If that sounds familiar, you are not alone.

The challenge is this: it is surprisingly hard to tell the difference between being genuinely burnt out and being stuck. Both feel exhausting. Both sap motivation. But they are not the same thing, and they require very different responses.

Burnout versus being stuck

Burnout is primarily physical and emotional depletion. It shows up as persistent fatigue, disrupted sleep, irritability, and a loss of enjoyment in work that once mattered to you.

Being stuck feels different. It feels like friction.

Are you stuck or just tired? You have the energy to work, but something keeps getting in the way of meaningful progress. You know what needs doing, yet hesitate, stall, or distract yourself. No amount of rest quite resolves it.

You may be stuck if you recognise yourself in any of the following:

• Revising the same proposal again because it is “not quite right”

• Saying yes to work that drains you because it feels safer than saying no

• Turning down exciting opportunities because you doubt you are ready

• Staying busy with low-risk tasks to avoid the work that really matters

• Charging less than you know you should, just to avoid discomfort

If you are nodding along, the tiredness you feel is not simply physical. It is the emotional cost of constantly negotiating with your own self-doubt.

Are you stuck or just tired – What is really going on?

In my work with creative professionals, getting stuck usually comes down to one of two things.

A lack of clarity – You are capable and motivated, but you are unclear on what you are aiming for or why it matters. Without a clear direction, every decision feels heavy and progress stalls.

A lack of courage – You know exactly what you want, but fear, perfectionism or imposter syndrome keeps you from acting. You wait until you feel more confident, more ready, more certain.

Often, it is a combination of both. That internal push and pull is exhausting in its own right.

So what should you do?

First, an important caveat. If you are experiencing ongoing fatigue, anxiety, or a loss of enjoyment that does not lift with rest, please speak to your GP or reach out to organisations such as Mind or NHS mental health services. Your wellbeing comes first.

But if what you are experiencing feels more like hesitation, second-guessing, or a sense of getting in your own way, then this is not burnout. It is a mindset problem. And mindset problems are workable.

Find out what is holding you back

The Business Bravery Quiz takes around four minutes to complete. It helps you identify whether your main challenge is clarity or courage, and shows you how that is currently playing out in your business.

You will receive a personalised report with practical, grounded steps you can start using straight away.

Because this matters. You are not broken. You are not lazy. You are not failing. You are simply stuck.

And being stuck is something you can do something about.

Take the Business Bravery Quiz

Mark Franklin is a mindset coach helping creative professionals overcome imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and self-doubt. Based in Oxfordshire, working with clients throughout the UK.