Coach Sara Fabian explains how she gave up overwork culture after years in the corporate world
Coach Sara Fabian, who spent 15 years in corporate jobs, tells “Psychologies” magazine how overwork and perfectionism led her to exhaustion. She also offers advice on self-care and regaining balance.
“Psychologies” magazine has published coach Sara Fabian’s account of how modern society has made achievement the main measure of a person’s worth, leaving little room for rest and personal time. Fabian, who grew up in Eastern Europe and spent 15 years working in the corporate sector, argues that many people tie their happiness to future goals, such as a job, a house or a car, and so keep chasing the next accomplishment.
Experience in the corporate world
As a child she was taught that resting or sleeping too long was a sign of laziness, while constant busyness was a virtue. Later she worked ten hours a day, seven days a week, and judged herself by her social status and profession. A perfectionist, she regularly stayed at the office until late at night, compared herself with colleagues who left on time, and considered herself not capable enough.
The turning point came when she approached her manager to discuss her workload. The manager replied that only the completion of everyday duties was expected of her, and that she wanted sufficient quality, not perfection. Fabian says the phrase “good enough” had never been part of her vocabulary, and that striving for perfection drains both body and spirit.
Advice
Fabian recommends:
- not seeing yourself only as an employee, since everyone also has other roles: child, parent, spouse, friend;
- accepting mistakes as part of growth;
- setting aside time for yourself, for example walks in nature, books, films, massage, music and enough sleep;
- spending time alone and with positive people;
- living actively, taking inspiration from Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture, which has the largest number of centenarians. According to her observations, people there eat healthily, exercise, do not worry about trifles and socialise a lot.
She stresses that she has learned to set healthy boundaries, listen to her body and not justify her life choices to others.
