Before the thread snaps. The courage to "step down" just once can save you.

"I just want to sleep a little longer..."

Wishing for that, I turn off the smartphone alarm that keeps ringing by my pillow.

Dragging my heavy, sluggish heart and body, the usual day begins.

Are you repeating mornings like that, too?

The face reflected in the mirror has lost its expression before I knew it, becoming like a machine that just"completes the tasks of the day"...

To you, who feels like your days are a"war of attrition", there is something I want to tell you.

"If I'm not here, this work won't get done"

"I feel guilty toward everyone around me if I take a break"

That sense of responsibility is very noble and beautiful.

However, it can also become a "sharp blade" that slowly corners you.

Like her, on that day when the thread snapped.

Do you remember Dr. Arai, the neonatologist who appeared in the popular drama "Kounodori"?

24 hours a day, 365 days a year, she fought to save small, voiceless lives, putting herself last more than anyone else.

"If we give up, this child has no future."

That strong conviction was the driving force that pushed her forward.

But at the same time, before she knew it,

"I have to carry everything on my own"

It turned her into a lonely battle.

And one day, the taut thread snapped, and she disappeared from the scene.

This is not a story unique to the medical field. How are you doing right now?

'I have to do this'

The stronger that thought becomes, the less we are able to notice how full our own cup of heart has become.

The professional decision to 'step down'

The place you are protecting while falling apart might just be filled by someone else after you collapse.

That is the cold, yet in a sense,'salvation'truth of an organization.

Burnout is by no means something that only happens to 'special people who tried too hard'.

You have been trying to fulfill your role sincerely every day, and trying to meet the expectations of those around you little by little.

...It is something that can happen to anyone who is that kind.

'Mental overflow'.

It is just that the small, accumulated strains became unbearable one day and suddenly overflowed.

It is the final and greatest 'maintenance notification' your heart is sending you.

If you feel nothing when you look at anything now, or if you just vaguely feel like going'somewhere other than here', that is proof that your heart is applying the brakes with all its might.

Stepping out of that flow once is neither running away nor defeat. It is a respectable 'strategic decision' to avoid wearing out your precious self.

Your true self is waiting for you after you stop.

In the drama, Dr. Arai returned to the medical world in a different form after a long rest.

By stopping for a moment and learning to forgive the 'self that cannot do it' and the 'self that is resting', she was able to start walking again.

Saying 'help me'.

Letting go by saying 'I can't do this right now'.

These are not signs of a lack of responsibility, but rather the most difficult and important skills for a professional managing their own resources.

Please, do not bully yourself.

First, please gently acknowledge yourself for having run so hard until today.

Rather than meeting someone else's expectations, your own well-being and peace of mind come first.

Because there is no job in this world that should take priority over that.

I have compiled a checklist for noticing the signs of burnout that I couldn't fit into this note, as well as concrete 'defensive techniques' to lighten the heart of someone as serious as you, in more detail on my blog.

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[Kounodori] Dr. Arai's burnout. The answer to protecting yourself from the blade of responsibility

*This article is the author's own analysis based on the work ' Kounodori'.

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