Michael Weinstein shares his personal narrative, in a New England Journal of Medicine Perspectives paper, of burnout, treatment, and gradual recovery. Through artful storytelling, he paints a stark, vivid picture of the three characteristic signs of burnout in medicine: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low perceived personal achievement. He paves the way not only to show the susceptibility of burnout amongst physicians, but also illustrates his belief in deploying tools for reflection and self-care to remove restraints and isolation — both figurative and literal.