Confession #2: I fantasize about hospital stays just to get a break.
Confessions That Would Cause a Meltdown on LinkedIn.
Welcome to the second edition of “Confessions That Would Cause a Meltdown on LinkedIn.”Where high-functioning women get honest about the mess behind the momentum—and we finally talk about what execution really costs when you’ve made a personality out of being reliable. Some of these confessions are mine. Some belong to my clients. If it hits? It’s yours too.
I fantasize about hospital stays just to get a break.
Not the pain.
Not the IV.
Just the silence.
The pause.
The forced stillness no one could judge or interrupt.
It’s not the hospital I want.
It’s the permission to stop.
And if that makes me sound dramatic?
Good.
This fantasy isn’t rare.
It’s a survival mechanism especially for women.
We’re wired to scan for danger and soothe it.
The team. The partner. The inbox. The child.
Until we can’t even soothe ourselves.
And when caretaking is both your instinct and your income?
Rest stops feeling safe.
It starts to feel… dangerous.
Like you’re failing someone.
Like the guilt will cost you more than the exhaustion.
That’s why so many women fantasize about short hospital stays.
Not for pain. Not for pity.
Just to be unavailable without judgment.
Because deep rest, without justification, still feels illegal.
If this is you…
You’re not lazy. You’re not ungrateful. You’re not weak.
You’re just burned out.
And you’re not alone.
81% of working mothers say the same.
69% of women in the workforce are right there with you.
Because for many of us, the only time rest is “allowed”... is when we can’t physically function.
This is what burnout does.
It doesn’t always scream.
Sometimes it whispers:
“Wouldn’t it be easier if something happened to me?”
No, you don’t want to die.
You just want the noise to stop.
To stop being the strong one.
To be held instead of constantly holding it all together.
Let’s be clear:
You don’t fantasize about the hospital because you’re dramatic.
You fantasize because your life has no safe off-switch.
Because rest still feels like rebellion.
You were raised on “keep going.”
Promoted for pushing through.
Rewarded for being resilient while unraveling in private.
And your body?
It’s been keeping score.
The Pre-Breakdown Ritual
aka: how to rest before your body forces you to
1. Redefine Rest
Rest isn’t luxury. It’s maintenance.
Sometimes it’s sitting down to eat.
Sometimes it’s ignoring an email on purpose.
Sometimes it’s letting yourself cry without muting the meeting (joking, or am I?)
You don’t need to earn rest.
You just need to stop resisting it.
2. Schedule the Softness
Block 30 minutes for nothing.
Not as a reward. Not as a “reset.”
Just as proof that you exist without performing.
Call it whatever you want.
I used to call mine: “Not today, devil.”
Call it “Not dying today.” Or call it “Being human.” Either way -protect it.
3. Exit the Fantasy
If you’ve dreamed of getting sick just to catch your breath,
You’re not broken.
You’re done.
And you’re living inside a system that rewards collapse.
Step out of the hospital fantasy.
Come back to yourself before your body drags you there.
Your nervous system doesn’t want a sabbatical. It wants permission to stop before you break.
Because burnout doesn’t just steal your joy. It bleeds into your relationships, too.
You can’t build connection when you’re surviving your calendar.
You’re not the problem.
But your rhythm might be. I wrote about rhythm in my previous confession.
Join Accountability HQ
Not when you crash.
Before that.
Where execution becomes human.
And rhythms are designed to hold you, not break you.
Next week’s confession:
Confession #3: I slashed my direct report’s tires. She got a better car than me.
(It wasn’t about the car. It was about what it meant.)