I’ve pushed through injuries.
Worked through illness.
Pulled all-nighters, built businesses, led teams, solved fires mid-flare-ups.
But Central Serous Retinopathy?
That one stopped me cold.
It was the first thing I couldn’t outwork.
And that’s exactly why it changed me.
You Can’t Outrun a System Crash
CSR doesn’t care about your willpower.
It doesn’t care how many deadlines you’ve crushed or how much you thrive under pressure.
It shows up quietly, blurs your vision, and says:
“You’re done. Sit down.”
And the harder you push?
The worse it gets.
Why Outworking CSR Backfires
I tried.
- Kept going like it was no big deal
- Loaded up on supplements
- Maintained my full schedule
- Told myself I’d rest later
Here’s what happened:
- Vision got worse
- Sleep got wrecked
- Anxiety spiked
- I couldn’t focus—and hated that I couldn’t
CSR taught me what no mentor, boss, or book ever did:
Recovery isn’t something you grind.
It’s something you allow.
What I Had to Learn the Hard Way
- Rest isn’t a reward. It’s a requirement.
You don’t “earn” sleep. You need it like oxygen. - Productivity doesn’t matter if it costs your nervous system.
Burnout disguised as discipline is still burnout. - You can’t outsmart your hormones.
If your cortisol’s fried, it doesn’t matter how tough your mindset is.
What I Did Once I Accepted It
- Cleared my calendar
- Dialed everything down by 30%
- Started building structure around recovery, not just performance
- Treated sleep, nutrition, and movement like I used to treat hustle: with precision
And slowly—my body started to trust me again.
So did my brain.
So did my vision.
Bottom Line
CSR was the first thing I couldn’t power through.
And weirdly? That made it the most powerful teacher I’ve had.
If you’re used to outworking everything—
this is your moment to learn how to out-recover.
Different game.
Better long-term results.
