I work so hard for so long that my body just gives out from exhaustion or stress

One beautiful feature of adulthood is that we can make intentional choices about important things like tempo, rhythm, cadence, pace, velocity and trajectory. Instead of being snagged and troubled by the whirlpools of other people's emotions and agendas, we can be the ones who dictate our sense of balance, proportion and efficiency. Our life becomes what we decide to make of it. We are responsible for its dispersion. Pilates, the pioneer of the famous fitness system, had a beautiful maxim around this issue, which has guided his teachings for a century. As much as necessary, as little as possible. He trained students to get their bodies to perform simple movements without wasting their effort everywhere else. Instead of burning out by forcing themselves to keep some unnatural pace, he helped them unlock the right movement strategy and efficient distribution of forces. Doing this requires real focus and effort, as anyone who has taken a few classes will attest. But it’s worth it.