"𝗜 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳...... 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗜’𝗺 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗵𝗮𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱."

Have you ever returned from a vacation or long weekend hoping to feel refreshed only to find yourself back at square one within days?

Somewhere along the way, "How have you been?" turned into:

• “Busy, but good”

• “Crazy busy”

• “Swamped, as usual”

• “Back-to-back meetings, you know how it is”

You get the idea.  And we nod in agreement, like this is the cost of being ambitious, successful, or valuable.  We don’t hear “Good” period……it always starts with busy, swamped, crazy……fill in the blank.

A different company, another team, a more empathetic boss, even a better title……these might offer temporary relief, but they rarely address the root cause.

I know this is a tough truth.
Especially when you're running on empty, fantasizing about quitting, or counting down the hours to the weekend……every week.

Burnout isn’t just about where you work……it’s about:

You can't be everything to everyone.

I’ve learned this the hard way.

For years, I prided myself on being the go-to person.  The responsible and dependable one.  The one who said yes……no matter what.

There was a time when my job was my identity.

My title, my team, my LinkedIn headline, they weren’t just what I did, they were who I thought I was.  When someone asked, “Tell me about yourself,” I’d immediately answer with my job title.  I didn’t talk about my interests, values, or the things that I enjoyed, just my role.  Have you done that? 

Ever notice how being the "fixer" at work means you’re constantly handed the toughest problems……while someone more senior (and better paid) gets the lighter lift?

You’re the one who “just gets it done.”

• The client’s angry?  Send it your way.

• The team’s behind on a critical deadline?  You’ll figure it out.

• A fire drill on a Friday at 5 PM?  Of course, you’re already on it.

Why?

You’ve had a great weekend, a chance to finally relax and before you know it, Sunday evening rolls around, so does the anxiety.  The thought of Monday morning hits…….an overwhelming workload, back-to-back meetings, deadlines to meet, presentations to prepare for, mandatory training to complete - the list feels endless.  

You try to push the thoughts aside, distracting yourself, but it’s only temporary.  It’s bedtime and you’re wide awake, feeling the weight of it all.  

You have a great job……it pays well, offers solid benefits, and provides for your family. On paper, it’s everything you’ve worked for.

So why does it feel... empty?

You know the type of person I’m talking about……always on top of things, reliable, detail-oriented, driven.

Then suddenly……they
- Are quiet in meetings
- Stop offering ideas 

- Miss deadlines

This isn’t a performance issue, it’s BURNOUT.

I’ve always prioritized living a healthy lifestyle, but I noticed something that concerned me……

I was getting sick more frequently.  At first, it was exhaustion - not the kind where a good night’s sleep would fix, but the kind where my body felt like it just didn’t want to move.  No amount of rest helped.   

I hear it all the time when people finally open up about their struggles……

"It’s not like I can talk about this at work."

Do you feel stuck, running on auto-pilot?  

You hit snooze several times every morning, as you struggle to get out of bed - trying to get every bit of sleep you can since you’re exhausted, feeling anxious as you drag yourself to work and rely on caffeine to power through the day.

A friend of mine recently reached out, completely frustrated.

He’d been following up diligently on a new client onboarding for months, a deal that involved customized development within a tight timeframe and it was dependent upon his colleague for the development work.  As the deadline approached and status updates were being provided, his colleague sent an email to leadership and the entire team saying this was the first time he was hearing of the request.

Total sabotage.

High performers don’t just work hard……they give it their all.  They are proactive, anticipate needs, go the extra mile, and solve problems before they arise.  But when their efforts go unrecognized, the impact runs deep.

Instead of questioning the system, many start questioning themselves: 

• Did I not do enough? 

• Did I miss something? 

• Did I meet the expectations?  

Return-to-office (RTO) mandates have been back in the spotlight, with leaders pushing for in-person work to boost collaboration. 

Here’s the real question:  Does it actually work when teams are distributed across the country and/or globe, while spending their days on virtual calls anyway?

For many professionals, the reality of RTO is far from the idealized vision of spontaneous hallway, water cooler conversations and whiteboard brainstorming. 

Have you ever found yourself being tapped on the shoulder for a promotion -  knowing you're more than qualified, but feeling zero desire to apply?  Yet, at the same time, the thought of reporting to one of the less qualified candidates makes your stomach turn?

This is the mental tug-of-war many high performers face in corporate environments. 

Your brain says, “If I don’t go for it, I’ll end up working for someone who might not be competent or the best person for the role.” 

But your gut says, “I don’t want this role.”

Corporate burnout is not just about exhaustion…

It’s also about losing your sense of self……when you don’t recognize who’s looking back at you in the mirror.

When we’re burned out, we lose confidence and our overall sense of self-worth.

In fast-paced industries, everything feels urgent. 

- The never-ending Slack/Teams pings

- The late night emails

- The “quick” meetings that eat up your day  

Here’s the truth: most things are NOT actually urgent (unless you work in the medical field and someone’s life is at risk)  

According to Harvard Business Review, the average person makes 35,000 decisions a day—beginning with what to wear, how to tackle work challenges, to the most difficult question of the day……what to cook for dinner?  All joking aside, we make many decisions a day. 

Multi-tasking is NOT the solution, it’s the fast track to stress and burnout.

We’ve been led to believe that multi-tasking is a strength…….a superpower.  What if I told you it’s actually working against you?