Burnt out Muslim woman solicitor with ADHD - career misfit or just burnout? Need honest advice, please

Assalamu alaikum everyone, I’m posting anonymously because I’m feeling pretty stuck and could use honest insight from people who’ve been through this or can see things more clearly than I can right now. I’m a Muslim woman in my late 20s, non-white, living and working in the UK. I qualified as a solicitor late 2023 after spending basically my whole 20s on law. I’m in a large corporate firm and my pay is good (mid–high £50ks), but despite “doing everything right on paper” I feel deeply unhappy, burned out, and more and more disconnected from this career. Since qualifying, it’s been a rough ride. In my first role after qualifying my engagement ended (personal trauma) and work stress piled on. I was reassured about a work issue that later became serious, ended up on a performance improvement plan, and was diagnosed with severe depression. I was on and off sick leave for work-related stress and eventually left. I started my current job earlier this year. I do think there are real problems - poor management, little support, vague expectations - but my probation has already been extended twice and I’m back to feeling scrutinised, misunderstood, and “not good enough.” I’ve also been diagnosed with ADHD, and I’m questioning whether the structure of law - ambiguity, perfectionism, constant pressure, unspoken rules - just doesn’t suit how my brain works. I can do the work: I’m articulate, client-facing, professional, and organised when I have support. But masking, over-exerting, and trying to meet a neurotypical standard every single day feels impossible to sustain. Other issues I’m facing: - I often feel like an outsider culturally and socially in corporate legal spaces - There’s very little accommodation for faith (no prayer space, no privacy, no proactive inclusion) - I don’t feel a sense of community, belonging, or psychological safety - Feedback is mixed and unclear, which is really hard to process with ADHD - I’m exhausted from constantly trying to prove myself I’m asking myself some hard questions: - Am I genuinely not cut out for this job? - Or am I burned out, neurodivergent, and stuck in environments not made for people like me? - Is this a career misfit, or is early-career law always this brutal? - How much of myself am I expected to sacrifice for a job that mainly pays the bills? Outside work I’m depleted too. I’ve lost weight this year and I’m trying to prioritise my mental health, but I have hardly any energy left for the gym, routines, or even practising my faith the way I want. Most of my strength goes into getting through the work week. When I rest I feel guilty, but I’m genuinely exhausted. I live alone and fully support myself. I’m proud of that independence, but I’m tired. Part of me wants stability, partnership, and a life where I’m not always in survival mode. I don’t want to spend my life proving my worth to people or systems that don’t really see me. I’m not in a position to quit without a plan and I don’t even know what realistic alternatives look like. Law is all I’ve known, but I can’t imagine doing this exact version of it forever. I’d really appreciate hearing from: - Lawyers (especially women, minorities, or neurodivergent lawyers) - People who left law or moved into related roles - Anyone who’s figured out whether they were burned out or simply in the wrong fit - Muslims or people of faith navigating secular corporate spaces - Anyone who rebuilt a career after hitting this wall Please, no platitudes - I’m after honest perspectives, lived experience, or practical wisdom. JazakAllah khair for reading if you got this far. 🥹💗