The phone screen glows with a specific kind of blue, the one reserved for corporate cheer. It’s 10:15 PM. The email subject line reads: ‘Recharge Your Resilience! Exciting New Wellness Initiative!’ My thumb hovers, the ghost of a twitch. Inside is a stock photo of impossibly serene people doing yoga on a sun-drenched pier. We’re being offered a 15% discount on a mindfulness app. The sender is a VP who, just 45 minutes ago, sent a follow-up email with the subject line ‘Checking In On This???’ for a project that isn’t due for another five days.
The Gaslighting Machine
Corporate wellness has become a masterful piece of gaslighting. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry dedicated to a single, toxic premise: the system isn’t broken, you are. The workload isn’t unsustainable; your resilience is weak. The culture isn’t toxic; your mindset needs adjusting. Here, download this app. Meditate for 15 minutes. Log your water intake. Earn 75 points. Don’t mind the fact that you have to do it between back-to-back meetings, one of which was scheduled over your designated lunch break.
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“The system isn’t broken, you are.“
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