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What it’s about

Chronic overload is not a diagnosis — but if you ignore it long enough, it often turns into a psychological or physical illness.

Example story: Marie managed everything for years — with ease and a smile:

• Her university program was exceptionally demanding, with high expectations for students.

• Alongside it, she competed in sports at a high level.

• She pushed herself to the limit but held it together.

• Then came her first job in a prestigious company. Excitement about getting in drove her performance to 150%. Then her first child — and the care that followed.

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About a year after returning to work, frequent anxiety appeared:

• Her sleep never returned to normal, and during the day came unbearable fatigue.

• She started coping by starving herself, but her performance kept declining — and with it, her self-confidence.

• She completely stopped doing the sport she once excelled at — she simply had no energy left.

• Soon came the signs of depression and burnout.

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What’s happening

You function for a long time in the mode of “I can handle it — but it’s too much.”

• Expectations are high.

• Acceptance of failure — low or zero.

• You operate in a culture where you go either up or out.

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There’s too little space to feel even brief moments of comfort. You slowly start questioning meaning.

BUT – that’s the proverbial tip of the iceberg.

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Beneath the surface, there’s usually:

• an identity built on success and performance,

• an inability to say “no” — or to say it in all the moments when it’s needed,

• a need to please others at your own expense,

• or the belief that you’re the one who must hold everything together — work, home, relationships.

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The result

Dissatisfaction. Fading sense of meaning. Emptiness. Chronic exhaustion. Or – You function like a machine. You perform — but you don’t feel.

The body keeps compensating — but each month, it gets harder. Fatigue fades more slowly. Mood swings become stronger.

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What now

This is a crossroads:

• You can just keep going…

• But then words like depression, burnout, anxiety disorder, and others start appearing.

Don’t wait until it crosses the threshold into diagnosis.

• You get signals of overload long before it becomes a disorder.

• Overload often starts in the phase of enthusiasm — when things are new, motivation is high, and taking on too much begins to feel normal.

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Tip: The best treatment starts before there’s a diagnosis.

• It’s like with a house: if you maintain it regularly, it’s a nuisance — but nothing serious happens.

• Ignore it for years, and one day the roof collapses on your head.

It’s the same with your mind. Just notice how you feel once in a while, and ask yourself: Is this fine? OK? Or am I just running on autopilot?Just surviving?

If your answers to those questions haven’t been good for some time, it’s time to act — and prevent the roof from falling on your head.

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About me

I started out as a startup entrepreneur. After successfully selling my company, I became a corporate director. In the end, I left that career and turned my long-time passion into a profession: I became a full-time therapist and coach. I help high performers overcome overload and rediscover satisfaction in their lives.

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