‘Heart Was Racing’: Bengaluru entrepreneur’s burnout post sparks workplace debate

A Bengaluru-based marketing agency founder has triggered widespread conversation on LinkedIn after revealing how six straight months of 14-hour workdays caused her physical and mental collapse.

Meenal Goel, founder of CreateHQ Private Limited and a former consultant with KPMG and Deloitte, described the moment her body “gave up” and the immediate changes she made to rebuild her well-being.

In her post, Goel wrote that she had worked 14-hour days for six months without pause. One Tuesday morning at 6 AM, when her alarm rang, she found herself unable to get out of bed — not out of laziness, she said, but because her body simply refused to move.

The Linkedin post read, "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 founder listed her 6 months of monotonous routine as, " Weekends? Just another workday. Vacations? Laptop always on. I convinced myself: 'This is what building a business takes.'"

The routine lasted a long time, until a client called. "Last week, I felt uneasy during a client call. Heart racing. Couldn't breathe. Had to hang up."

"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?" Goel wrote.

'I made a decision'

Soon after this realisation, she made a decision with strict boundaries between her professional and personal life. "No work after 8 PM. Not even "quick emails." Sundays completely off. Phone on silent. One hobby that has nothing to do with work. "

Goel also noted her improvement in productivity and mental health on her post, after a week of executing her decided plans. “It’s been almost one week. My productivity? Actually increased. My mental health? Finally healing.”

"Here's what I learned: 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," the post ended.

While concluding, Goel's post, which asked, "Have you ever burned out? How did you recover?", resonated with many professionals, prompting a discussion about workspace expectations and health.

Mitesh Bhatt, a IT employee, suggested her to live in the present and "Enjoy the life not just the Job".

Out of concern, another user commented, “Please rest! Burn out will cause health issues really! Energy optimization is more important than wealth or building business. May yr work reap it's rewards.”

Third user pointed out that while we glorify work, we forget that health is everything.

A chartered accountant and an LLB graduate wrote, "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."

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