Use Your Benefits. Before You Break.
Let this be the message that finally gets loud enough to reach you.
Sis…
If you’re sitting in your car right now, just trying to catch your breath
If your body feels tense and your chest is tight and you’re wondering,
“How did I get here again?”
This is for you
Maybe it was the way they ignored your idea in the meeting
Or the side-eye when you spoke up with confidence
Maybe it’s not just one thing, but the way the little things keep piling up
And now you're sitting here in silence
Feeling everything and nothing at the same time
I know that place
And I know how easy it is to talk yourself out of how bad it really feels
To say things like
“I’m just tired”
or
“It’s just a busy season”
When really, your body is waving the white flag and you keep pushing past it
Let me say something I wish someone would’ve told me, plainly and early:
Use your benefits
Not your PTO
Not your “I’ll take a long weekend but keep my phone close just in case”
Not the fake boundaries that only last until someone texts “quick question”
I mean the real ones
The ones buried in that HR portal you haven’t looked at since onboarding
FMLA
Short-term disability
Extended medical leave
Mental health leave
Those weren’t made for other people
They were made for this
This moment
This unraveling
This heaviness you keep calling “a rough week”
They’re not just for surgery or emergencies
They’re for this too
For the days when your energy is gone
When the spark is gone
When the thought of another meeting, another task, another email makes you want to scream or cry—or both
We’ve been conditioned to keep going
To wait until the team is “in a better place”
To earn rest by breaking down first
You don’t have to collapse to take a break
You don’t have to justify needing rest with a diagnosis that sounds serious enough to be valid
You just have to decide you’re worth saving
I know it’s hard
Filing the paperwork feels like you’re giving up
Calling the doctor feels uncomfortable
Asking HR feels like you’re putting a target on your back
But the truth
The real truth
You don’t have to be in crisis to say “I need a break”
You don’t have to explain every detail or apologize for needing care
You don’t have to shrink it down to make other people comfortable
What you’re carrying is real
And it’s okay to put it down
I used my benefits
I took the time
I made the calls
I filled out the forms
And yeah—it was uncomfortable
I had to push through a lot of inner noise to even ask for help
But giving myself that space didn’t make me weak
And when I finally paused long enough to feel everything I’d been suppressing
It didn’t destroy me
It saved me
It gave me back me
It made me clear
It made me present
It made me well
And most of all
It reminded me that I matter outside of what I do or how well I perform
So if you’ve been waiting for a sign
This is it
Pull over
Breathe
Check your benefits portal
Schedule the appointment
Ask the questions
Talk to your doctor
Tell the truth about how you’re doing
You deserve support, before you reach the edge
And for once, let the system hold you
Not your team
Not your boss
Not your image
You
Because burnout was never supposed to be your initiation into leadership
And silence is not strength when it’s suffocating you
You don’t owe them your health
You don’t owe them your healing
But you do owe it to yourself to stop pretending you’re okay when you’re not
Let this be your permission slip
Signed in grace
Stamped in truth
Delivered in love
This isn’t about quitting
This is about protecting what matters most: you
📌 Before You Go: What You Need Might Already Be Yours
If your body’s been whispering “I can’t keep doing this”
If you’ve been waiting for the right time to pause
This is your moment to act—Now.
I created a guide to help you stop pushing and start protecting your peace
Not theory. Real benefits you likely already have access to but haven’t used, because no one told you how
Inside you’ll find:
What to say to HR (without oversharing)
Which benefits cover emotional exhaustion, anxiety, and overwhelm
Steps to qualify for FMLA, short-term disability, mental health leave, and more
Click here to open the guide: Benefits You Might Be Ignoring
You don’t have to earn your rest through collapse
You just have to claim what’s already yours
🎧 Coming Next Week:
Exit to Next It – Breakdown to Building Series
Part IV: The Step Back
This is the story behind the pause.
The form I submitted that changed everything
The system I thought would break me… but saved me
The truth I stopped running from: I was not okay
And what happens when you stop pushing long enough to finally feel
If you’ve ever said, “I just need to make it through this week,”
this episode is for you.
Still here. Still healing. Still saying yes to my peace.
Yana
The EXITpreneur