Bengaluru CA warns about toll of 14-hour workday: 'My heart was racing, couldn’t breathe’

Bengaluru CA shares burnout struggle after months of 14-hour workdays. (AI-generated image)

In today’s fast-paced work environment, long hours and constant pressure are often seen as part of the path to success. Many professionals push themselves to meet deadlines, impress clients, or grow a business, sometimes at the expense of their own health.

For one chartered accountant from Bengaluru, this drive for achievement came at a high cost. After six months of working 14-hour days without breaks, she reached a point where her body simply refused to cooperate. In a LinkedIn post, the CA expressed, “I worked 14-hour days for 6 months straight, and last week my body just gave up! Tuesday morning. 6 AM. The alarm rang. I couldn’t get out of bed. Not because I was lazy. But because my body literally refused to move.”

The woman, who has previously worked with global consulting firms KPMG and Deloitte, shared her experience on LinkedIn. She said that for half a year, her routine began at 6 AM and often ended at 11 PM. Weekends were rarely free, and even holidays were spent responding to emails or working on projects. She said, “I convinced myself: This is what building a business takes.”

Her body soon started sending warning signals. During a client call, she experienced a racing heart and difficulty breathing, forcing her to end the call abruptly. She recalled, “Last week, I felt uneasy during a client call. Heart racing. Couldn’t breathe. Had to hang up.”

It was at that point she realised that relentless work could no longer be considered a mark of dedication, it was a threat to her health. She explained, “That’s when it hit me: I’m building a business but destroying myself. What’s the point of success if I’m too exhausted to enjoy it?”

Following this realisation, she introduced firm boundaries, “So I made a decision: No work after 8 PM. Not even ‘quick emails.’ Sundays are completely off. Phone on silent. One hobby that has nothing to do with work.” Within a week, she noticed a significant improvement. “It’s been almost 1 week. My productivity? Actually increased. My mental health? Finally healing.”

The experience has also shaped her understanding of work culture, “Hustle culture celebrates burnout. But burnout doesn’t build empires. It destroys them. You can’t pour from an empty cup. Rest isn’t lazy. It’s strategic.”

Several LinkedIn users responded to her post, sharing their own thoughts on work culture and burnout. One user said, “We glorify overworking so much that we forget health is everything.”

Another added, “A sobering reminder—endurance, not exhaustion, is the true architecture of lasting success.”

A professional agreed, noting, “I totally agree with this. Hustle doesn’t mean you can’t do anything else or can’t relax. Even machines need downtime. We are still human. I made this same strategy: No work after office hours unless it is actually unavoidable.”

A concerned reader wrote, “Please rest! Burnout will cause health issues, really! Energy optimisation is more important than wealth or building a business. May your work reap its rewards.” One user commented, “Burnout doesn't mean you failed. It means you tried too long without recovery. Rest isn’t a reward, it’s part of the work.”