consulting burnout - Consultant Zen

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consulting burnout

A collection of 8 posts

consulting burnout

The Expanding Waistline, the Skipped Gym, the Third Coffee: How Consulting Quietly Destroys the Physical Habits That Protect You

Consulting schedules systematically eliminate the physical habits that protect your mental health. Here's the minimum viable recovery protocol that works inside an 85-hour week — no willpower heroics required.

consulting burnout

The 1.5-Year Trap: Why So Many Big4 Analysts Hit a Wall at Exactly This Stage (And Why It's Not About You)

If you're ~18 months into a Big4 consulting role and hitting a wall, this isn't weakness — it's structural. Here's why this specific moment is the hardest, and a clarity exercise to help you see your situation without the noise.

consulting burnout

The Language Gap: How to Explain Consulting Exhaustion to People Who Have Never Worked 85-Hour Weeks

Struggling to explain consulting exhaustion to your partner or friends without sounding dramatic? Here's a practical communication framework — including a copy-paste analogy that actually makes people understand what 85-hour weeks do to your brain.

consulting burnout

The Consulting Culture of Shame: Why 'I Should Be Able to Handle This' Is the Most Dangerous Thought in Your Head

MBB and Big4 consulting firms systematically produce shame around burnout — and that shame keeps consultants trapped long past the point of genuine harm. Here's how the loop works, what it costs, and how to think clearly about your situation.

consulting burnout

Why Your Body Is Breaking Down at 1.5 Years In — And Why That Timeline Is Not a Coincidence

If you're 1.5 years into Big4 or MBB consulting and your body is breaking down, the timeline is not a coincidence. Here's what chronic overwork actually does to cortisol, sleep, and anxiety — and why the 12-24 month mark is when systems fail.

consulting burnout

Why You Can't Explain Consulting Exhaustion to Anyone Who Hasn't Lived It (And What to Say Instead)

Can't explain consulting burnout to your partner or family? Here's a practical communication framework — with three real scripts — so you feel less invisible and more understood by the people closest to you.

The 85-Hour Week Is Not a Badge of Honor — It's a Medical Warning Sign

Averaging 85-hour weeks with a preexisting anxiety disorder? This is not a personal failure — it's a physiological event. Here's what chronic overwork actually does to your body, and a 10-question self-assessment to tell the difference between a rough patch and a real breaking point.

consulting burnout

The Burnout Diagnostic Consultants Actually Need: A 10-Point Self-Assessment (No Fluff, No Wellness Speak)

A no-fluff, 10-point burnout diagnostic built specifically for MBB and Big4 consultants grinding 80+ hour weeks. Rate yourself, interpret your score, and figure out whether you're in the Yellow Zone, Red Zone, or already in crisis — before your body makes the decision for you.