When Burnout Wears a Smile People keep asking me why I have been so grumpy lately. Coworkers, even customers. One of them asked if I was aggravated or just ready to go home. The truth is, I am both, and neither. I am tired in a way that sleep does not fix. Lately, I have been burning both ends of the candle. Work, writing my books, helping my mom with my grandma. I tell people I am fine because it is easier than explaining that I feel like I am disappearing. That my mask is slipping and I cannot keep it in place anymore. When people see me quiet or withdrawn, they think I am upset. But really, I am trying to hold myself together. Trying not to shut down. Trying to stay present when every part of me wants to find a dark corner and stop existing for a while. Burnout does not always look like tears or collapse. Sometimes it looks like irritation, blank stares, or snapping at the wrong moment. It looks like someone who is still standing, but ...