Even on big holidays like Diwali and Christmas, Megha Kuchu often finds herself worrying about work. “I feel guilty for about 50 percent of my leaves. I’ve started to work on this and I’m better now but I had to put in a lot of effort to train my mind,” says the director at a city-based digital agency.

Taking a break from her first job was similarly challenging for Archana Deshmukh (name changed on request), an early career journalist, as the thought of it often guilt-tripped her. “I would just keep stressing about work all the time. I stopped myself from enjoying things and barely had a life outside of work. Even if I did, it was mostly of a solitary kind with zero interaction with others,” says the 24-year-old Mumbaikar.