The Problem with Wellness
How self-care became another job.
In 2020, June’s* father was dying of cancer at the height of the pandemic. June was also getting a divorce—lockdown had undone her already fraying marriage. Because of this, she was having a tough time staying on top of her work.
An executive at an international-management consulting firm, June’s mornings started at 7 a.m. when she connected with clients in London, and usually ended after 7 p.m., when she briefed the China team. Her long days were fast-paced, as she rushed from one task to the next: giving presentations, writing client reports, analyzing data, editing her direct reports’ work, and ghostwriting speeches for her boss.
June had worked this way for years, and had done exceptionally well. But now she couldn’t maintain the pace. She started making mistakes—missing deadlines, missing meetings. She was having trouble focusing and concentrating, and it was showing in her work.
June’s boss called her to discuss the situation. No…