The Pattern
You powered through. Until you couldn't.
Late nights. Early flights. Back-to-back quarters. You handled it all.
Now the fatigue doesn't lift after vacation. The brain fog shows up in meetings. Your body sends signals you've never felt before — GI issues, sleep that doesn't restore, a baseline anxiety that won't quit.
Your doctor says you're fine. Your labs are "normal."
But you know something is different.
Your body has been running a stress adaptation program for years. It worked — until it didn't. The systems that kept you performing are now depleted.
Your HPA axis, your metabolic flexibility, your inflammatory response — they've all shifted. This isn't weakness. This isn't burnout. It's biology.