The modern workplace is quietly draining employees long before they realize it. A recent VICE report highlights a phenomenon known as “quiet cracking,” where workers don’t storm out or make headlines with resignations. Instead, they gradually disengage until one day, they are mentally checked out. Data from Gallup’s 2024 State of the Global Workplace Report showed global engagement plummeted to just 21%, costing the world economy an estimated $438 billion last year.
This silent burnout epidemic has made mental resilience an urgent conversation. But do we really need a long vacation to fix it?
Neurologist says calm can come in 30 seconds
Enter Dr. Wendy Suzuki, neuroscientist and Dean at New York University’s College of Arts & Science. In her Instagram series Mindful Mondays, Suzuki explained that resilience is not built on rare escapes but on small, consistent acts of calm.
“You don’t need a week off. You need 30 seconds of this,” Suzuki said in her post. “Waiting until burnout to take care of yourself is like waiting until you’re starving to eat.”
She calls this process micro-regulation. These are bite-sized pauses—placing a hand on your chest, taking a deep breath, stretching, or closing your laptop briefly when a notification arrives. According to Suzuki, such anchors signal safety to the brain, gently rewiring it to handle stress before it spirals out of control.
Linking micro-breaks to ‘quiet cracking’
What Suzuki suggests may be the missing antidote to quiet cracking. While companies often overlook early signs of disengagement, individuals can reclaim control by embedding micro-regulation into their day. Unlike dramatic sabbaticals or expensive wellness retreats, these practices are accessible and immediate, especially in rigid workplace cultures where “wait and see” responses from management deepen frustration.
As Peter Duris, CEO of Kickresume, told VICE, quiet cracking is often fueled by poor communication and lack of recognition from managers. In such environments, workers need tools to protect their mental reserves—something Suzuki’s approach directly addresses.
Suzuki’s reminder is simple: resilience is not built once a year on vacation but through moments of daily calm. By training the nervous system to reset consistently, workers may avoid hitting the breaking point that fuels both burnout and disengagement.
This silent burnout epidemic has made mental resilience an urgent conversation. But do we really need a long vacation to fix it?
Neurologist says calm can come in 30 seconds
Enter Dr. Wendy Suzuki, neuroscientist and Dean at New York University’s College of Arts & Science. In her Instagram series Mindful Mondays, Suzuki explained that resilience is not built on rare escapes but on small, consistent acts of calm.
“You don’t need a week off. You need 30 seconds of this,” Suzuki said in her post. “Waiting until burnout to take care of yourself is like waiting until you’re starving to eat.”
She calls this process micro-regulation. These are bite-sized pauses—placing a hand on your chest, taking a deep breath, stretching, or closing your laptop briefly when a notification arrives. According to Suzuki, such anchors signal safety to the brain, gently rewiring it to handle stress before it spirals out of control.
Linking micro-breaks to ‘quiet cracking’
What Suzuki suggests may be the missing antidote to quiet cracking. While companies often overlook early signs of disengagement, individuals can reclaim control by embedding micro-regulation into their day. Unlike dramatic sabbaticals or expensive wellness retreats, these practices are accessible and immediate, especially in rigid workplace cultures where “wait and see” responses from management deepen frustration.
As Peter Duris, CEO of Kickresume, told VICE, quiet cracking is often fueled by poor communication and lack of recognition from managers. In such environments, workers need tools to protect their mental reserves—something Suzuki’s approach directly addresses.
Suzuki’s reminder is simple: resilience is not built once a year on vacation but through moments of daily calm. By training the nervous system to reset consistently, workers may avoid hitting the breaking point that fuels both burnout and disengagement.
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