Is it possible to break the cycle of burnout for good?

‘In late 2020 the cumulative toll hit and, after six months of working almost around the clock, I broke down at my computer mid-sentence.’ Illustration: Rita Liu/The Guardian

I burned out for the first time at the age of 18. I was studying part-time, working part-time and writing on the side, amounting to more than a full-time workload. I was also partying most nights, wanting to make the most of the last of my student days – and needing to blow off steam.

I thought I was handling the tightrope act pretty well, and in terms of output, I was. But one day, when I turned up to my office job, something about my frazzled response to my boss’s friendly inquiry about my day prompted her to pry further.