Can Burnout Affect Your Sex Drive? The Effect of Chronic Stress on Desire

When you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and constantly running on empty, desire is often one of the first things to fade. But that doesn’t mean something is wrong with you or your relationship.

In this episode of Burnout-Free Me, Dr. Amy Grimm explores how burnout and chronic stress affect the nervous system—and why that directly impacts libido, intimacy, and pleasure. This isn’t a conversation about fixing desire or forcing intimacy. It’s about understanding what your body is doing when it’s been in survival mode for too long.

Amy breaks down how the fight, flight, and freeze response can turn inward, leading to self-criticism, avoidance, and overthinking around intimacy. You’ll learn how burnout quietly reduces capacity for pleasure, why desire often goes offline as a protective response, and what to pay attention to if you suspect burnout may be affecting your sex drive.

If you’ve ever thought, “Everything is fine, so why don’t I want this?”—this episode will help you make sense of what’s happening with compassion, clarity, and a nervous-system-informed lens.

Burnout & Wellbeing Coaching With Amy:

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Meet Amy:

Dr. Amy Grimm is a success and well-being coach, speaker, and veterinarian who helps high-performing professionals lead with clarity, energy, and purpose without sacrificing their well-being.

A former medical director who experienced burnout firsthand, Amy now coaches leaders across industries to recognize the hidden costs of hustle culture and create sustainable success through strategic prioritization and people-first leadership.

She also hosts the Burnout-Free Me Podcast (previously Daring DVM Podcast), a free resource for high-achievers and career professionals who want to live with less stress and create a life of balance, fulfillment, and joy.

Outside of work, Amy and her partner enjoy travel and all things outdoors. You’ll most likely find them on top of a mountain, in the middle of a desert, somewhere underwater, or 100 miles into a ride on their tandem mountain bicycle.