For years, if you had asked me how I was, I would have said good, busy, good, and I would have meant it the way you mean a reflex. From the outside I was a woman who had it all handled. Inside, my chest stayed tight all day. That is high-functioning burnout, and it does not look like burning out. It looks like competence. You keep showing up, keep delivering, keep being the most capable one in the room, and the whole time something underneath is quietly wearing thin. If you a
