It started with one missed call.

Then two.

Then a Slack ping at 11:48 PM:

Spoiler: It took 43. And she still had to pretend like it was no biggie the next day, with a camera-on smile and three under-eye patches barely clinging to dignity.

By morning, Aisha was in her fourth Zoom of the day, nodding while mentally drafting a resignation letter she wouldn’t send. Not yet. She had bills. A dog. A body held together by caffeine, coconut water, and the sheer force of vibes.

Welcome to burnout. Or as Gen Z calls it: the slow roast.

The New Normal? Or Just One Massive Red Flag in a Blazer?

Somewhere along the way, being exhausted became… aesthetic?

“OMG, I haven’t had lunch since Tuesday, lol.”

“Worked 14 hours straight, powered only by dopamine and a leftover granola bar.”

“I dreamt of Google Sheets last night. Again.”

We took the trauma, filtered it, hashtagged it #grindset, and called it ambition.

But behind the Slack statuses and Canva-ed productivity hacks, people are crying in the bathroom during their 1:1s. Again. No shade. Just facts.

Story Break: Meet Aisha (aka Every One of Us)

Aisha wasn’t lazy. Far from it. She used to love her job. She had spark, ideas, themed playlists for productivity (one called “Emails & Existential Dread”). But slowly, her joy was eaten alive by recurring calendar invites.

Every day felt like:

Meeting about meetings

“Quick syncs” that last an hour

Someone breathing heavily into their mic while screenshare loading…

Her boss once told her:

“You’re so dependable. You always go the extra mile.”

Which, let’s decode, meant:

“You never say no, so I will continue to assume your calendar is community property.”

Burnout Isn’t Laziness. It’s Emotional Bankruptcy With an Emoji Mask

Burnout looks like:

Laughing at memes about burnout—then realizing you are the meme

Having 17 tabs open and none of them make sense

Nodding through a meeting you mentally checked out of 10 minutes ago

Replying “Thanks!” to a message that lowkey ruined your day

It’s showing up, logging in, doing The Things—all while your soul quietly hums the theme song of “The Office (But Make It Internal Screaming).”

And the worst part? We keep calling it “adulting” like it’s a rite of passage. Babe, it’s not. It’s a crisis.

Scene Break: What Saying No Actually Sounds Like

Boss: “Can you quickly get this done by EOD? Just a small task.”

You: “Hey! I’m actually at full bandwidth today. Can I start on this first thing tomorrow and finish it by noon?”

Boss: (Blinking like they’ve never heard a boundary before) “Uh… yeah. That works.”

You: “Awesome. Thanks for understanding!”

Boundaries, darling. They’re the new black.

Why Burnout Hits Harder Than Monday Mornings Without Coffee

Because it’s not just too much work. It’s:

• Too many expectations
• Too little support
• Being “on” all the time and off… never
• Feeling guilty for existing outside a Google Calendar invite

And let’s not forget the emotional labor:

• Being the “team therapist”
• Organizing birthdays while crying over your KPIs
• Pretending you didn’t just get feedback that made you question your career choices and haircut

Real Talk: Fixes That Don’t Require a Himalayan Salt Lamp

1. Set Personal Boundaries Like You Set Alarms

• Block lunch. Eat something crunchy. You deserve joy.
• Turn off Slack after 6 PM. The messages will wait. Your peace won’t.
• Create a “No Meetings Zone”. Add dramatic emojis if needed.

2. Managers: Less “Let’s Circle Back”, More “Are You Okay?”

• Check capacity before assigning work.
• Praise process, not just late-night heroics.
• Stop sending emails on Sundays. We see you.

3. Companies: Stop Handing Out Yoga Vouchers & Call It Mental Health

• Real burnout solutions need systemic change.
• Ditch performative wellness weeks. Implement sane workloads.
• Give people actual time off. Not guilt-plated PTO.

You Don’t Need to Be a Martyr for a Paycheck

You can be ambitious and still rest.
You can be a team player and still say, “Not today, Satan.”
You can love your job and still hate Monday meetings.

Burnout is not a flex. Let’s retire the “I’m always busy” badge and start handing out stickers that say, “I took a nap and didn’t feel bad about it.”

Because work should fit into your life — not the other way around.

TL/DR (for the skimmers)

• Burnout is real. And it’s not cute.

• You’re not lazy. You’re tired of being everything for everyone.

• Boundaries are a vibe. Say no, log off, go outside.

• The hustle will still be there tomorrow. So will your inbox.

P.S. If you’ve read this while pretending to take notes in a meeting, you deserve a cookie. Or a raise. Or both.

Share this with your favorite work buddy who looks one “Can we talk?” away from a dramatic resignation. Or just post it anonymously in the team Slack. 😉