A few months ago, I caught myself answering work emails at 2 a.m, not because anyone asked me to, but because I felt guilty for not doing enough.

Somewhere along the way, my working hard was turning into a never stopping journey😭.

I started burning out quietly. I was still showing up, still smiling in meetings, still delivering my results but I wasn’t present.

One day, my manager simply said, “You don’t get extra credit for being exhausted.” Now that hit me harder than I expected.

Since then, I’ve been trying to relearn balance, closing my laptop when I say I will, giving myself permission to rest, and remembering that productivity means nothing if I’m running on empty.