The Lie I Believed
If you’re reading this, you likely know the ache of believing your value lives in your output. Maybe you’re here to rebuild self-worth after corporate burnout—to unlearn the lie that exhaustion equals dedication.
“Even when exhausted, even when burned out…
‘The company is family.’
‘We help family.’
‘Others are still going—you should too.’”
I wore my sacrifice like a badge of honor. Cancelled plans. Missed birthdays. Ignored my body’s screams—because I thought worth was something I could earn with empty calendars and full inboxes.
But here’s the truth about corporate burnout no one admits:
Worth doesn’t trickle down from overtime hours.
It doesn’t live in the “atta-girls” from bosses who’d replace you before your obituary ran.
It certainly doesn’t grow in soil salted with “team player” guilt.
The Breaking Point
It wasn’t one moment—it was the thousandth time I realized:
The “harmonious team” was a myth. (Ever seen wolves share a kill? Exactly.)
My “urgent” work was someone else’s checkbox. (The VP’s golf trip waited; my UTI could.)
They’d siphon my last drop, then hand me a new jug labeled “Opportunity.”
The mirror shattered: No one was coming to save me. Not the HR rep smizing through my panic attack. Not the mentor who whispered “Just hang on.”
Corporate burnout doesn’t end with a pink slip or farewell cake.
It ends when you finally hear your worth screaming louder than your inbox.
The First Small Change
I quit. Not gracefully, not with a LinkedIn fanfare—but with the visceral certainty of a animal gnawing off its own leg to survive.
That repulsive gut feeling? The one you’re maybe ignoring right now?
That’s your worth howling to be heard.
The aftermath was messy. The fear was real. But for the first time in years—
I tasted my food.
I noticed trees changed color.
I breathed without counting the seconds until my next meeting.
3 Truths to Rebuild Self-Worth After Corporate Burnout
Worth isn’t earned—it’s your birthright.
(No amount of overtime buys you humanity.)Companies aren’t families—families don’t fire you after sleepless nights.
(They also don’t make you “prove loyalty” while cutting healthcare.)Rest isn’t weakness—it’s rebellion.
(The most radical act in a system built on your exhaustion.)
Your Turn
When did your gut first whisper, “This isn’t right”?
Was it the third missed birthday? The doctor’s warning? The morning you sobbed in your parked car before walking in?
Leave a comment below 🌿—not because I have answers, but because I’ve learned:
Rebuilding self-worth after corporate burnout begins when we stop whispering our truths alone.
(P.S. Next we’ll talk about setting boundaries after burnout—how to say “no” without feeling like you’re letting the world down. It’s harder than it sounds, but so worth it.)
