I hit burnout working 5am to 2am for 8 months - forgetting to eat, drink water, use the bathroom and waking up in panic attacks from a client while in consulting. Taking a medical leave, majority covered by employers under FMLA, saved my life, my friendships, my relationship, and I even returned to work not scared it would happen again. How? That's a loaded question, but my HR background helped me set up my medical case so it was less likely to be denied at the multiple stages of approval. Then I built a help support system - doctors, therapists, psychiatrists, holistic practitioners, workout buddies - to help me get out of bed, motivate me to keep trying, and slowly work to get better even just 1% each day. Coming back to work was unfathomable and with all the help I had to support me and train me to set up my future work environment for success saved me. Perfectionist and overachiever are still ways I define myself - the difference is I'm not linking those to only my career. I'm an overachiever in maintaining my relationships, a perfectionist when it comes to my cooking and hosting. I was jumping my own fence to help the whole neighborhood while forgetting to tend to my own home - if you're feeling burnout and need a guide let's connect!