My burnout did not happen overnight. I had signs and symptoms but I was ignoring them. I was too busy delivering value to my employer. As my workload and stress levels kept increasing, so started the symptoms, such as heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chronic stomach aches, panic attacks, RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury), decreasing eyesight (and I had more grey hair than my mum). The amount of daily / weekly rest was not enough to compensate for the vast energy consumption at work. Finally, I exhausted my system to such levels that I collapsed and could not get up from bed for months. On top of that, my RSI got worse and my whole right arm, neck and back got paralysed. When you are like a vegetable in bed, not even able to look after yourself, of what value are you to yourself or others? Panic, pain, fear of future, desperation and even thoughts of taking my life were my companions then and that was a very dark time of my life.