Burnout Stories

Series: Book One of the Sangam Trilogy "What is the difference between surviving and actually being alive?" For thirty years, Elli was the perfect "honor student" of life. A reliable robot in a designer suit, her existence was a relentless cycle of midnight reports, corporate ladders, and cups of tea that had long gone cold. She thought she had everything, but she was merely wearing someone else's life like a heavy, grey coat. Then, her world tilted. A collapse on the floor of a dark hallway wasn't a tragedy; it was a violent invitation to wake up. As she lay there in the silence, a mysterious Voice asked from the shadows: "What is it that you truly wanted to have time for?" In that moment, she realized she didn't want a promotion. She wanted the wind in her hair, the haunting cry of a violin, and the courage to finally exist as herself. "The Way Home" is a raw, lyrical journey from the frozen silence of Siberia to the emerald waters of the Ganges. It is a map of a soul learning to surrender to the flow of life, discovering that "home" is not a destination on a map, but a state of being. Based on real events.

In the hollowed-out carcass of NexusLink, once a titan of Philippine innovation, the silence is deafening. Javier Suarez, a veteran IT Manager, stands among the dark monitors and stripped desks of a company declared bankrupt. His final task is grim: archive the digital remains of a legacy that promised community but delivered betrayal. But as the servers spin their final cycles, a discordant note emerges-a "glitch" in the HR records from the Maharlika era. This tiny anomaly is the thread that unravels a tapestry of systemic cruelty. Partnering with tech wizard Kevin Ramos, Javier digs deeper, uncovering Project Phoenix: a calculated, digital purge. The investigation leads them to Bianca Ramirez, a former HR manager haunted by "resignation quotas," and Katherine Dela Vega, who describes a workplace where falling ill was a fireable offense. They discover the "Buried Bandwidth"-the collective, silenced voices of employees like Miguel, a technician discarded after surviving COVID-19, and others whose careers were ended through "Performance Improvement Plans" used as execution docks. The trail leads to the CEO, Grace Lim. In a final confrontation, Javier doesn't find a mustache-twirling villain, but a woman hollowed out by the "invisible hand of the market" and the cutthroat pressures of the Chosun-ha era. She chose survival over souls, weaponizing clauses like "loss of trust and confidence" to silence dissent and avoid the legal fallout of illegal terminations. Refusing to let these stories be deleted, Javier, Kevin, and Bianca weave the data into a narrative of moral justice. They present their findings to a national oversight committee, sparking a public reckoning that vibrates across the Philippines. The "Buried Bandwidth" finally finds its frequency. Javier emerges from the wreckage not as a victim, but as a leader for a prestigious Multi-Billion Group, tasked with architecting a future where empathy is the primary operating system.

✧⁠*⁠。Dahlia & Chen Time to heal the old-time burns.

An overworked office worker got visited by unexpected visitor. This is my first time ever writing a story, so I hope this story won't be too painful for you to read😁 Any criticism and advice is welcome. Disclaimer, English is not my first language.

Hailey Winters has spent her entire life chasing perfection on the ice. With Olympic gold just within reach after high school, every jump, every landing, every second of her day is calculated, controlled, and pushed to its limit. There's no room for mistakes, and definitely no room for distractions. But pressure doesn't just live at the rink. Ezra Beckett knows what it's like to carry expectations you didn't ask for. With a father who built a legacy he's expected to follow, Ezra is constantly caught between who he is and who he's supposed to be. The more the pressure builds, the harder it becomes to tell the difference. So when their worlds collide, they come up with a solution that's supposed to be simple: fake it. Fake dating. Real boundaries. No complications. It should've been easy. But somewhere between staged hand-holding, late-night conversations that feel a little too real, and the understanding neither of them can find anywhere else, the line between real and pretend starts to blur. As Hailey pushes herself closer to the breaking point and Ezra struggles under the weight of a future he's trying to make his, they're both forced to confront something far more complicated than either of them planned for. Because sometimes the biggest risks aren't taken on the ice or under pressure, they're the ones you take with your heart. Hailey and Ezra both begin to realize, you can chase something your whole life and still not be ready for what it costs.

A collection of poems to express myself because I have 19 years of bottle up feelings and they need to go somewhere.

𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇 𝖺𝖻𝖻𝗒 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝗍𝗐𝗈 𝗀𝗈𝗅𝖽𝖾𝗇 𝗀𝗂𝗋𝗅𝗌，𝗍𝗐𝗈 𝖻𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝖿𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗆𝖺𝗒 𝖺𝗌 𝗐𝖾𝗅𝗅 𝖻𝖾 𝗌𝗂𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌，𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗅𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗋𝖾𝗅𝗒𝗌 𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆，𝗎𝗅𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖺𝗍𝗅𝗒 𝖻𝗎𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗐𝗈 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆 𝗈𝗎𝗍

The sequel to the story "Only Just Begun". After tasting the bitter sting of heartbreak in London, Jeremy Whittaker tries to rebuild his life in New York. Taking on a new challenge as a Computer Science teacher, he unexpectedly crosses paths with Carol Lieberman, the woman with whom he once shared a brief, yet unforgettable, whirlwind romance in London. What should have been a simple, harmless reunion quickly spirals into a storm of emotions. Between old wounds, unresolved pain, and a love that refuses to stay buried, Jeremy and Carol fight against the shadows of their past before they tear them apart once more. But when betrayal shatters the fragile bond between them, what will be left to hold on to? This second book in the trilogy dives deep into the aches and passions of a love filled with highs and lows-where every choice, every sacrifice can change everything.

El mundo adulto es demasiado ruidoso. Para Sam, un maestro de inglés de veintiséis años asfixiado por el estrés, las deudas y las implacables expectativas de su familia, la única forma de sobrevivir es aferrarse a un secreto que esconde debajo de su ropa de vestir. Un día, buscando escapar del caos de Monterrey, Sam se adentra en una vieja casona en el Barrio Antiguo. Guiado por la enigmática Madame Harmony y el sonido de un viejo tocadiscos, descubre un refugio mágico donde el tiempo no avanza en línea recta. En esta Hacienda, las almas rotas regresan a la edad de su infancia que más necesitan sanar. Al ritmo de sus canciones favoritas, adultos desgastados por la sociedad vuelven a ser niños libres de juicios. Pero el refugio está en peligro. Afuera, los "Silenciadores" -adultos consumidos por la amargura y la rigidez- patrullan las calles emitiendo una estática capaz de borrar los recuerdos y destruir la magia. Sam descubrirá que no es solo un habitante más; es un Sincronizador, el único capaz de adentrarse en la mente de los Silenciadores para rescatar a sus niños interiores. Cuando el Ruido amenace con devorar a su propio primo, Sam tendrá que decidir si quedarse en la comodidad y seguridad de su regresión, o enfrentar sus traumas para proteger a su nueva familia. Porque a veces, la batalla más grande de un adulto es permitirse volver a ser niño.

It's a story about a girl who built her entire identity on being an "Academic Weapon," only for her brain to go on strike. It's the journey from being a perfect ghost to becoming a flawed human-and realizing that most of the people she called friends only liked the ghost. (the cover photo was generated with AI - I am very sorry - initially i was going to do one graphic by myself but i failed miserably, i would like to inform all the readers that throughout the story AI is not and will not be used anywehre except for the cover here. Thank you!)

She was south Korea's sweetheart, polished, poised, and painfully tired of pretending. He was a choreographer with the sharp eyes, a sharper tongue, and a habit of keeping people at arms length. But when their worlds collided behind the curtain of fame and pressure, something unexpected sparked...honesty.

Jade built her life twice. First as an athlete. Then as a writer. But for six years she has been struggling to finish her most popular novel, A Thing of The Past. Not from lack of ideas nor poor time management, but of something she cannot name and cannot explain herself. With years of promises behind her, publishers still asking, and readers still waiting, the pressure to complete it only grows. Slowly, the story stops feeling like just a book. It became a measure of who she is and who she is no longer sure she can be. And as the silence between her and the page grows longer, Jade begins to wonder not how the story ends... but what remains of a writer when she can no longer write. *** Genre: Slice-of-life, Short Story, Psychological Language: English Illustrated by Cwiselights

A new recruit joins the League of Villains, quiet, unreadable, and hiding a quirk no one fully understands. Henshin doesn't trust easily and the League doesn't trust at all but something about him keeps them from pushing him away. As tensions rise and loyalties are tested, Henshin finds himself caught between survival and something far more dangerous connection. And with Dabi watching closer than he should, it becomes clear Some powers aren't the only things that burn @fishnets2afuneral on TikTok is where Henshin comes from

The Spiral is an embracing invitation for a holistic healing journey leading to ultimate inner freedom. Updated every Sunday.

Every heart holds a story, and every story leaves a weight behind. The Weight We Carry is a living collection - written in real time, in the middle of survival, burnout, healing, and trying again anyway. These poems come from the spaces between responsibilities: grocery aisles, late nights, applications, shifts, side hustles, and the quiet moments when everything finally catches up. This collection explores the ache of memory, the exhaustion of caring too much, the frustration of broken systems, and the complicated reality of choosing to help when it costs you something. There is grief here, and anger, and dark humor. There is healing, but it is not linear. Hope shows up when it can, but it doesn't pretend to fix everything. Through raw, unfiltered verses, The Weight We Carry holds space for the people who keep going without applause - the helpers, the burned out, the ones trying to build something better while still carrying their own survival on their backs. These poems are for anyone who has felt the weight of the world press down and kept moving anyway. Not because it was easy. But because stopping was never really an option.

At Aurelion Academy, perfection is survival. Grades decide your future. Reputation decides your place. And pressure? It decides who breaks first. The elites rule without consequence. The toppers fight for rank. The athletes push past pain, chasing victory at any cost. And the rest learn quickly-falling behind isn't an option. But sometimes... someone falls anyway. A skater on fractured ice, rising again and again, in a place that doesn't forgive mistakes. Because Aurelion isn't just an academy. It's a system. And sooner or later, it breaks everyone. Survive the system. Or let it break you.

When 'reach for the stars' stops being a metaphor. Being a productive member of society was always expected of me-by my family, my friends, and my coworkers. I thought I was doing my part in customer support, helping people every day, until the demands pushed me past my breaking point. So I left. I built a quiet life on my own terms: a cabin by a lake, a thriving garden, bees, and distance from the pressures that nearly destroyed me. Just when I believe I've finally found peace, strange lights circle the stars-and I'm lifted off the path leading back home. I wake in a place that is cold, controlled, and very interested in what I can do. What first looks like a gift-a greenhouse, fertile soil, the chance to grow-quickly becomes something else entirely. I wasn't brought here by accident. I was chosen because I'm useful. As the trials continue and my memories begin to blur, I'm forced to confront the truth of their desperation-and the cost of refusing to cooperate. They need me to save their world. I just want my life back-if I can still remember what that was. Author's note: This novella is my first entry for the Wattpad Open Novella Contest. Thank you for reading and for accompanying me on this experiment. *I am a Canadian author. English spelling follows Canadian usage. ** Note about the cover image and banners: The cover and banners were created with AI assistance in Canva.

📖 Description What starts as a forced PR pairing between two rising trainees quickly spirals into something neither of them can fully control. Est thought it would be simple,smile for cameras, act close, survive the debut push. William thought he could separate work from everything else. But in an industry where perception is everything, the line between "acting" and "real" starts to blur fast. Late-night conversations. Staged affection that stops feeling staged. And a silence between them that starts saying too much. When the cameras turn off, the truth doesn't get clearer,it gets louder. And suddenly, pretending might have been the easy part.

Everyone loved the boy who smiled. Only one girl noticed what it cost him. And once she did, nothing stayed the same. Extended Prologue inside. Started : 14.02.2026 Ended : 11.04.2026 Yoon Jeonghan AU YOON JEONGHAN X KIM SE-YEON

🌑 When She Lost the Gold She Mined By Maren Thorne Have you ever seen a golden child fall? Not because she was weak - but because she was too much. For the girl who carried everything too well. For the daughter praised for her shine but never saved from the weight. For the one who mined gold from her soul, just to be told it wasn't enough. This is a poetry story about falling while smiling. About heavy crowns on small heads. About being everything - and still not being enough. She didn't fail. She shattered. And they only noticed when the gold turned to ash. Because sometimes, the ones who shine the brightest are the ones no one thinks to save.