Bitch Fest: Drowning in Expectations and Setting Limits

LETTER 1Dear Bitch Fest,I'm drowning in other people's expectations. My boss wants me to be a "team player" (code for working weekends), my partner wants more quality time, my friends are mad I keep canceling plans, and my mother keeps asking when I'm going to "settle down and get serious" (I'm 34 and a hospital administrator, but apparently that doesn't count as "serious"). I'm stretched so thin I might actually disappear. How do I tell everyone to back off without burning every bridge in my life?- Disappearing ActDear Disappearing Act,The problem isn't that you need better time management or a more efficient calendar app. The problem is you're trying to be a full-time employee, full-time partner, full-time friend, and full-time daughter with exactly one human body and the standard 24-hour day. The math doesn't work, and no amount of productivity hacks will fix it.Here's what nobody tells you about adulthood: disappointing people is a non-negotiable life skill. Not a fun one, not one you put on your resume, but absolutely essential to your survival.Your boss calling weekend work "being a team player" is manipulative corporate-speak for "I'm going to exploit your fear of being disliked." Your partner, friends, and mother...