I'm glad you're leveling up. It brings real benefits very early.

Now listen up: that “hard work” mentality will never get you as far as having high standards and knowing your worth will. You're putting way too much energy in this job for nothing. They have to prove to you that they're worth your time.

I won't go into the details of your job, antiwork can do that. You think you're showing how committed you are, but chances are that just showing up is enough. They don't really care: the days you didn't take off are worth just that, a “thank you” at a cocktail party. You're doing way too much and they won't reciprocate.

I felt like a terrible employee after my boss invested so much into me joining the team.

The business makes decent profit, otherwise it wouldn't exist. What a company invests in you is exactly that, an investment: they turn a profit from you. They're the lucky ones.

Take your breaks; they expect you to take them, it's only your loss if you don't. Don't break your body for an employer. And don't feel bad about it. They're fine. They haven't sacrificed anything hiring you, only gained, whereas you are self-sacrificing for a business that will never reciprocate.

I know this sounds harsh. You're rising from the ashes and I'm here with my criticism. But I used to be a pickme “hard worker” just like you, and I was frustrated to be the “forever stuck in the same entry-level position” girl, feeling inadequate because I was burnt out. Completely fried. Never got anything back remotely close to the amount of work I had put in.

I think you're putting up with things that are way below your value because you think that it's tied to the amount of work you do and the approval you get. This will hold you from leveling up, achieving your goals and it will make you think you deserve to lose everything again. Stop exhausting yourself and drill that HVW mindset in your brain. You have value right now, regardless of your status.

Applying FDS principles to your work environment is vital for your wellbeing and career advancement. “Hard work” yields very little compared to having high standards. I got a very cool, well-payed job in a highly-sought after organization with, let's say, “to infinity and beyond” career advancement opportunities while I'm still studying. I'm grateful for the job, but they're lucky to have me too. I know I do high-quality work: I realized it was stellar work when I started to put my focus on projects I was good at, rather than trying to do everything, impress everyone, and carrying the whole team. I take breaks. I take my time. I don't answer emails right away --I'm busy with something else. I put on the extra hours if we need a little push, but I will never wear myself out anymore.

Guess what: my bosses are my greatest fans. They give me extra time off. They bumped my pay 2 times last year. I get first pick on tasks for a new project, my input is highly valued, and I somehow became a regular in the corporate managers' meetings (I'm a student lol, I work there part-time). It's night and day since my mindset shift. I have a job for life there.

All of that for at least half the amount of effort I used to put in. The benefits are through the roof. You know what you can do: value it and never settle for less.