I pressured myself to be a high achiever at my Amazon job. After my 12-week mental health leave, I learned to look at the bigger picture.

Photo courtesy of Jenn Cho

• Amazon hired 27-year-old Jenny Cho right out of college.
• Cho said she instantly became a high achiever and completely burned out after five years.
• After taking a mental health leave, she switched her focus to trade-offs instead of balance.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jenn Cho, a 27-year-old Amazon software developer in Seattle. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I got hired at Amazon directly...