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.

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.

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.

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.