Work & Burnout · pathway, not personality
Work & Burnout: A Pathway to finding a balance
Because pretending you're fine is not emotional regulation.
You’ve been running, hustling, delivering. You’ve been applauded. But your inside feels hollow. Meetings after meetings, tasks backed up, weekends collapsing into fatigue. You started this for purpose, but somewhere along the way, purpose got replaced by obligation.
Step 1
What This Really Feels Like
Step 1
What This Really Feels Like
You wake up dreading your phone. Coffee doesn’t help. Sharp pangs of guilt when you consider rest. On Zoom you’re smiling, but your energy is dissolved. Even small wins feel like someone else’s story. Weekends aren’t enough. You scroll through social media, comparing what people show vs what you feel.
Step 2
Why This Matters
Step 2
Why This Matters
Burnout steals your love for what you once did. It bleeds into your health—sleep, immunity, mood. It alters ambition into a burden. In India’s startup/opportunity culture, rest is still treated as a weakness. If burnout becomes “normal,” you adapt to depletion. But that costs your creativity, your relationships, your sense of self.
Step 3
Where To Begin
Step 3
Where To Begin
Notice what drains vs what restores. Insert micro‑breaks—not just weekends, but 5‑10 min pauses in your day. Re‑evaluate what success means for you—not what’s applauded, but what feels nourishing. Say no to something: a meeting, a message, a social expectation. Practise boundary‑work.
Step 4
What Therapy Does Differently
Step 4
What Therapy Does Differently
Therapy doesn’t just teach you to cope—it helps you unlearn toxic stories (“more=better,” “rest is laziness”). It helps you see what parts of your work life came from external pressure vs internal drive. You train your nervous system to value stillness. You get to rediscover what you love without sacrificing your wellbeing.
Step 5
Therapist Perspective
Step 5
Therapist Perspective
Burnout is a signal—not that you’re failing, but that you’ve been doing too much without being held. Therapy helps you reclaim your margins.
Step 6
Reflection Prompt
Step 6
Reflection Prompt
Think of one part of your week that felt joyful or energising. What made it feel that way? Also notice one thing that drained you. What could you reduce or shift tomorrow?
(Screenshots allowed. Overthinking optional.)
Step 7
Your Work & Burnout Companions
Step 7
Your Work & Burnout Companions
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