“I don’t want to be this character anymore.”

So many people quietly say that line.

Not just in the context of mental health
but in the context of work, identity, and environments.

Sometimes what we call burnout or depression
is actually something deeper:

Staying too long in a role that isn’t ours.
Performing instead of being.
Wearing a mask because it once worked.

The problem is this:
pretending takes enormous energy.
Authenticity takes almost none.

Some jobs feel like an extension of who we are.
Some environments drain us quietly, over years.

And often the body speaks up
before the mind is ready to listen.

That’s why alignment matters.
Not for productivity but for longevity.