Lately, I’ve had open, honest conversations with the people around me, and so many have shared the same burdens. The thoughts of feeling inadequate in their roles, struggling to meet deadlines, or being consumed by the fear that they simply aren’t good at what they do. This leads them to endless overthinking and heavy, paralyzing moments at work where the mind and body freeze up, completely unable to process anything. This creates an exhausting loop of anxiety, a lack of self-assurance, and the looming dread of the workday ahead. All while feeling as though you are falling further behind who you thought you would be.
To be completely honest, I’ve felt the exact same way, like there is an impossibly high bar I am somehow never going to reach.
Years ago, I watched a Korean drama called Summer Strike, which offered one of the best depictions of workplace burnout I’ve seen. The female lead navigates a relentless period of professional and personal struggles, eventually leading her to quit her job and move to a quiet countryside town with nothing more than a backpack and a few months’ worth of savings. It was a liberating watch, but unlike her, most of us can’t simply walk away and start over.
Yet, there is still a lesson in her story, we can choose to believe that change is possible, rather than remaining trapped in a cycle of negativity. We are so much more than the work we do. The eight hours in a workday belong within that time frame, they do not define who we are outside of work, nor do they define our worth while we are in them. We don’t have to remain stuck in an environment, physically or mentally, that drains us. We can take tangible steps to regain our footing by building new, positive habits, reading books, and having conversations that help us change the decisions we make.
Ultimately, the most important shift happens inside of us. How we view ourselves and how we speak to ourselves. We have to change our internal dialogue, trading self-critical thoughts for constructive ones. Instead of thinking, “I’ll never get this right,” we can change it to, “With a little more practice, I will master this.” Remind yourself, I am capable, I can navigate challenges and time is on my side.
I hope that in the weeks and months ahead, we choose to be kinder to ourselves, refusing to place limits on our capabilities or our potential. Our best days are still ahead of us.
