You’re not burned out: You’re just making decisions that aren’t truly yours.

Burnout is a word we like to throw around like confetti. An explanation for exhaustion, overstimulation, and that creeping sense that something has gone deeply wrong.

But what if the thing we’re calling burnout isn’t actually burnout at all?

What if you’re not tired from doing too much, but from doing too much of what isn’t you?

Every day, millions of people wake up and step into lives built from decisions they never consciously made. They pursued careers that looked good on paper, relationships that made sense to others, and lifestyles curated more by algorithm than instinct. At some point, they look up and wonder: Why do I feel so empty, so restless, so drained?

It’s easy to blame the pace of modern life, the endless emails, the expectations of constant availability, the corporate grind. But burnout isn’t just a symptom of overwork. It’s often a sign of self-betrayal.

We mistake obligation for purpose. We confuse external approval for internal alignment. And in doing so, we hand over the steering wheel of our lives to others. We take jobs because they offer prestige, not passion. We say ‘‘es’’ to things we never wanted in the first place. We become masters of productivity but lose sight of meaning.

This isn’t a call to quit your job and move to the woods (unless that’s truly what you want). It’s a call to check in with yourself and ask:

Whose voice am I following?

Whose dream am I chasing?

Whose values am I honoring?

True exhaustion doesn’t always come from how much you do. It often comes from how misaligned your doing is with your being.

We are not machines breaking down from overuse. We are people breaking apart from disconnection, from our values, our truth, our desires. And the antidote isn’t less work. It’s more authority and authenticity over ourselves.

Start small. Say ‘‘no’’ to something that doesn’t feel right. Choose silence over approval. Ask yourself what you would do if nobody else were watching.

You might be surprised at what you hear. You might find a little lightness return. You might even feel — for the first time in a long time — like yourself again.

And then you’ll know: You were never burned out. You were just living someone else’s life.