On the surface, it would appear that the modern worker is the lucky beneficiary of a wellness-at-work revolution. A global study by Aon in partnership with Ipsos, conducted in 2022-2023 found that 83% of companies have a specific “wellness strategy,” a whopping 28% increase from 2020. Yet more than 40% of us feel burned out at work, according to a 2022 global Future Forum survey.
Wellness at work isn’t actually working, because your employer cannot fix this problem alone. Yes, they can give you some very useful self-care tools and opportunities. But let’s be honest: These are band-aids. While they absolutely can help lessen the symptoms of burnout, they cannot solve the core problem of burnout because they do not address the root cause. Only you can do that.
Take that vacation and clear your head
Bonus points if you make it through without checking your devices. As simple as it may seem, a true vacation will require you to go against the culturally accepted demands of hustle culture and the internal pressures we put on ourselves to work more, earn more, and do more.
For many of us, work is so inextricably linked to our sense of self and self-worth that it’s incredibly hard to step away from our desks. A recent Pew Research study found that only 48% of American workers take off all the paid vacation time their employer provides.
We feel intense pressure to generate, produce, and keep up. But time away from work actually brings a huge return on investment in the form of creative and productive energy. Honor vacation time.
Take time to think about what is really driving your relationship with work
Are you burned out because you have become a workaholic? Or are you just really engaged with your work? If you love your job but you are still able to shut down your computer and disconnect (to really cease thinking and talking about work when you are not at work), then you are experiencing healthy work engagement. Good for you, carry on.
Workaholism, however, is a much deeper problem. Last year, in the course of writing a book about these issues, I sent a nonscientific survey to my newsletter subscribers and asked them to write down the very first feelings and impressions that came to mind when they thought of the phrase “Never enough.”
In just 24 hours, I had more than 100 responses, many of them heartbreaking. Here is a small handful:
- I feel lacking in some way no matter what I do.
- I work more and longer to be enough.
- I think of the young girl inside of me that doesn’t always think she belongs and is different from everyone else.
- Not good enough, endless striving.
- There is always something else I can do, perfection doesn’t exist, the game never finishes.
The inability to disconnect from work has multifaceted roots. For some of us, the addiction is driven by “small-t” traumas–painful experiences from our youth that impact our behavior as adults. For others, social and cultural pressures make us feel as if we must work more than is reasonably necessary in order to measure up and prove our worth.
In my case, it was a mix of all of the above. Taking the time to understand the unique combination of forces shaping your professional behavior enables you to create a new, healthier relationship with work–and a happier life.
Achieve less
Now that you’ve taken a break and worked on the root causes of your problem, it’s time to embrace a whole new mindset around work, money, and success. This is going to sound radical, but I want you to give yourself permission to achieve less.
Most people I know are horrified by this idea. So let me be clear: I don’t mean that your entire life is now all about hanging out on a hammock on the beach. It’s more about heeding the words of author Elizabeth Gilbert, who reminds us: “You are not a Fortune 500 company. You don’t have to show increasing profits.”
When you decide to achieve less, you are allowing yourself a moment to pause, breathe, and reflect. Sometimes that means if you’re traveling, going to meetings, and dealing with clients, you can give yourself permission to achieve less the next day. If you’ve got a sick child or a spouse who needs a little more emotional care, maybe you can put aside work for the rest of the afternoon to just be present with them. Grant yourself permission to achieve less for the rest of the day. And yes, in some cases the secret to reclaiming your life will be applying this “achieve less” mentality in a tactical, long-term manner to the way you approach your professional and personal life.
I recognize that many people cannot take even one day off without facing financial challenges. But just as we might need time off to recover from the flu or a significant medical procedure, we need some time and space to recover from behaviors around work that no longer serve us. Strategically applying an “achieve less” mentality can help you to reclaim your life.
Manisha Thakor has worked in financial services for more than 30 years, with an emphasis on women’s economic empowerment. Her latest book is MoneyZen: The Secret to Finding Your "Enough."
The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.
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