Don’t let a job title become your whole personality. You were somebody before the name tag.

A job gives you a quick answer to who you are, which is both a relief and a trap. The role arrives with a script, a uniform and a set of opinions people expect from you, and it can quietly replace the rest. You existed, with interests and friends, before anybody put your name on a badge.

Keep one thing in your week that work has no claim on, and protect it when the schedule fills up. When somebody asks about you, try answering with something other than where you work. Notice whether you have stopped doing something you used to love since the shifts started.