Here’s how to change that
A 2026 Gallup poll recently reported: “Women employed full time in the U.S. report higher employee engagement and stronger motivation for career advancement than men. At the same time, they are more likely than men to say they feel burned out at work.”
A woman’s tendency toward hard work and a desire to succeed – combined with the reality that we have to work twice as hard to rise half as far up the ranks as men – makes us prime candidates for burnout.
I was 18 when I was hired for my first corporate job. I was eager to prove myself, so I would come in early, stay late, and even work on weekends. I quickly built my reputation as not just a hard worker, but as someone who could get along with anyone.
I had been a highly skilled people-pleaser by that point, and for years it served me well in my corporate career – until it didn’t.
My Reality Check
Late into my 40s my husband of 12 years was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. At that time we had 2 pre-teen children, and were both working full time jobs.
As my husband’s health declined he became more and more dependent on me. I had to juggle the responsibilities of my corporate job with those of being the sole caregiver, as well as getting my last 2 children through their junior and senior years of high school.
With my focus shifted more towards my family, I had no energy left for people-pleasing at work. I couldn’t sustain the hustle or the desire to prove my worth. I was burned out mentally and physically.
I knew I had to do something.
When I was 51, roughly a year before my husband passed away, I discovered thought work.
I learned I could manage my mind by thinking intentional thoughts, and it wasn’t my job causing my burnout, it was my thoughts about it.
My thoughts were “I have to be prove myself so people will like me and respect me. If they like me and respect me it means I have value and I’m worthy”. It was a negative thought loop that had been repeating in my head for decades.
I was attaching my value and self-worth directly to my job performance.
Thank goodness, with age comes wisdom.
I knew those negative thought loops were no longer serving me, so I decided to ditch them. I chose instead to believe that I am inherently valuable, regardless of status or title.
Time To Right The Ship
Because I no longer believed that my work performance determined my value, I finally began setting boundaries at work.
Whenever my manager presented me with a project, I started being realistic about time frames. Instead of “I can have that done by tomorrow” (if I burned myself out staying super late at night and starting super early the next day), I was honest about how many days it would realistically take me if I put the project as a priority within my usual 8 hour work days.
I used to jump at my boss’ offer to “work as much overtime as you need”. But now I answer it with “I have plans after work most of the week but I can start an hour earlier on Monday and Wednesday.”
In all honesty I will add that I’ve worked in the same industry for 39 years. What I do is fairly specialized, and there are very few workers – if any – coming up through the ranks that can rival the experience of myself or my senior coworkers. And that kind of position carries a certain amount of leverage.
But anyone, in any position, can overcome burnout, because it’s a result of our thoughts, and thoughts can be changed.
Time To Check In With Yourself
Do you have negative thought loops running through your head? Thoughts such as: “My performance dictates my value”, or “I’m not good enough if I can’t make everyone happy”?
If so, then stop, take a breath, and ask yourself if you want to keep believing those thoughts. It may even help to write them down, because they sound a lot less believable on paper then they do running unchecked through your brain.
If you decide to focus on thinking more positive thoughts (because it is a choice), here are some you can use to override the negative ones:
– “My value lies in my worth as a living, breathing human being, and nothing can change that.”
– “I provide value to my company through high work standards, my unique talents, and my unique perspective, and I am enough.”
– “I will use my job to become a stronger, wiser, more efficient version of myself, not for validation.”
Practicing these new thoughts every day, as well as prioritizing your physical well-being, will help you not just skip the burnout, but have a rewarding career that you can also enjoy.
Name: Vicki Pike
Professional Title: Certified Life Coach For Mid–life Women
Bio: My name is Vicki Pike and I’m a certified women’s Life Coach. I’ve spent the last decade learning how to manage my mind through intentional thought–work. It’s become my passion to show other mid-life women how to live their life by design, not by default.
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