This is the first story in my new collection, and it begins with a man on the other side of a screen, his life consumed by burnout.
Jay’s Burnout Story
I almost didn’t recognize him. On my Zoom screen was a stranger with dark circles and a forced smile. The last time I saw Jay (name changed), he was teaching his toddler to walk and jump around our neighborhood park in Bengaluru, their laughter echoing after every sprint. He lived for the weekend, for the feel of the ball at his feet during a pickup football game with his friends. He was a leader on the field and in his life.
The man who sat across from me now had a weariness in the slump of his shoulders. As a director in a large corporation, he has a promising career. During our scheduled call, his phone was his constant companion, buzzing with emails from different time zones. He told me he had become a nomad for his company but a stranger in his own home. He had missed his milestone anniversary for a last-minute flight. Most days, be comes home after his family is already asleep.
He spoke of his new friends: hypertension and diabetes.
“I can’t take a step back,” he said, the words heavy with the pressure of a director’s job and the fear of an uncertain economy. He plans to earn as much money as possible by the age of 45 for a better future for his kid and to be able to support his elderly parents.
When I asked him about time for himself, he paused for a long, heavy moment. He just shook his head slowly and said, “I don’t even know what that is anymore.” He ended the call stating while he knew he was stressed and on the edge of burnout, he now plans to work more about this.
Note to self
Jay’s story is a heartbreaking reminder that our pursuit of success can make us lose the very person we are fighting for. We can get so caught up in the hustle of providing that we confuse surviving with truly flourishing. I am not saying that pursuing success is bad. It is the way we manage stress along the way that makes a difference. You can check out this article to know ways to manage work life balance.
I strated collecting stories on Burnout after my post on Linkedin. If you’ve ever felt this way, you’re not alone. You can share your story too with me. If you have learned to navigate stress, you can choose to share tell anonymously/with your name by reaching out to me here.
What is one small, non-negotiable thing you do each day just for yourself? Share it below. Let us make sure we don’t forget ourselves in the process.
#burnout #story #stress #Leadership #BurnoutStories
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