Is this the only way?

You are absolutely not alone in this feeling, and I am sorry you are going through such a tough time. It takes courage and clarity to realize this quickly—that immediate visceral reaction is your best internal compass. The pressure you feel is real, but it is external, and it is manageable.

Here is the strategic reality regarding your career timeline: The damage from leaving now is minimal, provided you handle the narrative correctly and quickly pivot into a better fit. A few months is easily digestible for most future employers. The recruiting machine looks for long-term trends, not micro-stints. Frankly, burning out over the next 12 to 18 months just to hit some arbitrary external minimum tenure would do far more long-term harm to your health, your performance reviews, and your network than pivoting now.

Your priority must be your mental health and developing a transition plan immediately. When you interview for the next role, you do not lead with anxiety or "I hated the travel." Instead, frame it as a strategic realization: you gained incredible insight into high-level problem-solving but discovered you were ready to focus on depth in a specific functional area (e.g., Product Strategy, Corp Dev) or industry where you could directly drive execution, which wasn't available in the generalist model. If the tenure is extremely short (under four months), some candidates even strategically omit the role entirely, though that depends on how major of a gap it creates on your CV.

Get out, prioritize your well-being, and treat this period as an expensive but quick learning experience. You have the brand name on your CV already—now go build tenure somewhere that doesn't cost you your sanity.

All the best with your next steps.

You're not alone.

Everyone is experiencing this (even my Principal and Partner friends)

That's the job - you were told this by the way, you just chose to not listen.

Now you have to choose if you can find a way to make it less bad or to leave.

My general advice if to figure out how to do things better (you're doing your work inefficiently, you're doing too much, you're not communicating properly, you're not prioritizing, etc. etc.) and survive until you have hit a milestone that is viewed as acceptable.

If you don't think you can, then quit.

How do you do things better? Two ways imo:

1) Google my name + Consulting Survival Guide. You'll find tips to help you

2) Hire a coach with all the $ you are making...so that you can keeping making $. They can help you figure out how to do the job better. It's an investment.

hey there :)

What you are describing is honestly so common in consulting, especially in the first months. You are definitely not alone, and it does not harm your career if you decide to leave early. Many people pivot after a few months once they realise the lifestyle just does not match who they are, and no one will judge you for taking care of your mental health.

Before making a final decision, it can really help to reach out to support structures inside your firm, and also speak with a psychologist. Understanding why exactly the anxiety shows up often brings back a sense of control, and you can absolutely work through this. There is nothing “wrong” with you for reacting this way, and you are much stronger than you think.

If you ever want to talk through options or just need someone who knows the consulting world well, feel free to reach out. I mentor a lot of people who face exactly this situation, and you are not alone in it.

best, Alessa :)

Oh I'm so sorry to read this. I've felt the way you describe on some Sunday evenings when in consulting as well. Esp if I was meant to go back to a project I wasn't enjoying.

I think you should take this as a serious sign. Indeed, it's not ideal that you would leave soon. But it's even worse to stay in a place that's not for you, perhaps hurting yourself in the process, and still leaving after. 

So if it's a possibility for you to leave and look for something else, then do it. 

But do make sure that you do this with a clear head. As in, not as an emotional response, but something that is thought through and when you feel like you've exhausted everything that you could've done to change the situation for the better. 

Best,
Cristian