I’m not lazy

I’ve had a good career at work, done well. But at the end of 2020 I crashed. Massive burnout. I’ve had a few extended absences since then because there were times when even showering in the morning used up all my spoons.

I’ve managed to do ten months now without an absence of more than a few days but every day is still a struggle and I always run out of energy.

I know the people who’ve known me for years must be wondering why I get so much less done now and the people that have joined the company more recently must think I’m just lazy. But they have no idea how much effort it takes just for me to get through the day.

Does it ever get better? Do people actually recover from burnout?

And how have you managed peoples’ perceptions of your lack of energy?