Resilience in the Fast Lane: How to Cope When You Can’t Slow Down
- Dilek Süzal
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
How do you move forward when your body tells you to stop, yet life doesn’t slow down?
Last week, I woke up with a sore throat and a heavy head. Before I even got out of bed, I felt the panic: kids’ doctor appointments, coaching sessions I love, a husband away traveling, and events I had promised to attend.
It was as if all my responsibilities were pressing down at once, resting on legs not strong enough to carry the full load.
Problem: When Illness Meets Responsibilities
Many professionals push throug on half energy. But when feeling sick, trying to deliver on everything is like designing a house where every wall is load bearing. Impossible. The result is collapse, burnout, mistakes, or simply exhaustion.
Solution: Prioritize Like an Architect
In your apartment, not every wall carries the same weight. Some are structural beams; others are decorative partitions. The same applies to your life:
Load-bearing walls = essentials you must hold up (health basics, critical family needs, non-negotiable work tasks).
Décor = tasks that can wait, be postponed, or delegated.
A building falls when the foundation is ignored, not when the curtains are missing. 😊
In her TED Talk, "An ER doctor trigging your 'crazy busy' life", Darria Long describes how emergency rooms handle overwhelming pressure: not everything can be treated at once. Some needs are critical, some can wait, and some are not priorities at all.
That is personal and professional resilience: not pushing through everything but recognizing what is truly structural.
3 Ways to Build Resilience and Protect Your Energy
🔹 #1 - Know Your Load-Bearing Walls
Each day, choose the 2–3 essentials that must stand. Everything else can be postponed, delegated, or removed without risking collapse.
🔹 #2 - Strengthen Your Core Foundation
Hydration, rest, and nutrition are the unseen beams of your structure. Even small investments here prevent deep cracks later.
🔹 #3 - Communicate with Clarity
Just as architects document every site change, communicate openly about what you can and cannot deliver. Clear boundaries create trust and prevent hidden stress points.
Getting sick in a busy season does not mean your structure is weak. It means your design is being tested. By protecting the essentials and letting go of what is non-structural, you strengthen your foundation for the long run.
Resilience grows when you channel your limited energy into what truly matters, just as a well-designed building stands tall through storms by relying on its strongest beams.
If this resonates, let’s talk about how you (or your team) can build resilience without burning out. Send me a message, I’d love to connect.
Warmly,
Dilek
Official Collaboration Partners:
★ Lead Coach at the global coaching platform BetterUp based in USA.
★ Executive Coach and Trainer at SparkUs based in Turkey and Netherlands.
★ Impact Partner for coaching, training & facilitation projects at leadership experts Think Beyond Group based in Austria.
★ Leadership Coach at Percoms AG, based in Switzerland.
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