Why rushing shouldn’t be a badge of honor, and rest is not a weakness. We’ve grown used to living overwhelmed
More and more people feel like they’re going through life running on empty. Meetings, deadlines, notifications, messages, emails, more meetings. Sometimes it feels as if we’re working as though the world were going to end on Friday.
And the worst part: we see it as normal.
We say we’re “flat out” with a certain pride. Exhaustion has become a form of validation. Being busy seems to give us status, as if being productive were proof that we deserve to exist. But when did we start confusing being at our limit with being okay?
Work as identity (and as a trap)
Part of the problem is cultural. For years we’ve been sold the idea that hard work solves everything. That those who push harder achieve more. That if you’re stressed, you must be on the right path.
That’s why some people feel guilty for resting. They check their email while on vacation. They feel anxious when their calendar is empty.
Productivity stopped being a tool and became a judge.
A culture built on burnout is not sustainable.
If the only path to success is exhaustion, then something is badly designed. Because constant burnout is not heroism: it’s a system that fails to take care of itself.
And we’re not talking only about mental health—we’re also talking about businesses. Stressed teams perform worse. Burned-out people contribute less. Performance doesn’t come from fear or exhaustion; it comes from balance, purpose, and recognition.
So, what now?
A new conversation is emerging—one that puts rest at the center, that legitimizes stopping, that understands that working well does not mean working all the time. One that reviews processes to assess workload.
Caring for time, revisiting priorities, protecting spaces for non-doing. This is not about lowering the bar; it’s about raising the quality of life and the quality of work—and improving results.
Because there is nothing more valuable than a professional with energy, focus, and genuine motivation.
And that never comes from rushing.