A client of mine, “Steve,” hadn’t taken a true vacation in over 10 years. Sure, he had traveled with his family. But as a senior operations executive, he always felt he had to remain connected because inevitably something would come up while he was laying on a lounge chair somewhere far from the office. So, he checked his emails every morning and evening, took calls as necessary, and worked his “vacation” around work — that is, until he burned out. “I came back to the same treadmill without recharging. My energy level just kept dropping with each missed vacation, and then I hit rock bottom.” He noticed he could barely get out of bed, was dreading Monday mornings, and had no patience with his kids. “I didn’t like who I was or how I was with my family or at work.”