Written for EO by Megan Hottman. Megan, also known at The Cyclist Lawyer, formed her own law practice in 2010 at age 29. As part of her life’s mission to help lawyers and entrepreneurs become healthier and happier people who take care of themselves and remain fully optimized, Megan recently launched her latest venture, TrialAthlete.com. Megan recently shared this essay with Octane. The story of  how she rebuilt her health after a complete burnout can guide any entrepreneur who wishes to optimize their performance.

“Megan, your fasting morning cortisol is 27.3! This means when you wake up, you’re in fight-or-flight mode. You start your day in distress. It is no wonder you’ve been experiencing overwhelming sugar cravings, unbelievable mental and physical fatigue, and that in the evenings, you feel ‘tired but wired’ … Something has to go,” she says. “You cannot continue burning the candle at eight ends as you’ve been doing… Your health will suffer if you keep up this way. The bottom line: You need to cut back or some day in the future, you’ll just be out of steam. You’ll bottom out.”