Burnout’s a Bitch
Is it me? Am I the problem?
Admitting to experiencing burnout—or something close to it—is a bitter pill to swallow. Whether it be personal pressure to keep doing the most or the societal expectations to excel in, like, every aspect of our lives, it ain’t fun to teeter on the edge of exhaustion.
Not to mention how the nuances of burnout are intertwined and scattered across the board. Emotional and physical exhaustion; throw those in there. A sense of disconnection: bingo. Guilt for feeling less effective or motivated…yeh. Inconsistent self care routines: guilty as charged.
All bits and bops find a sneaky way of settling in inconspicuously, then ramping up real fast.
Speaking from active experience 😅, the pervasive guilt slithers its way into my mind’s eye on a daily basis. The shit that at one point in time was easily manageable currently feels monumental.
Now, I was raised by a dad who glorifies hard work and busyness as the key to success, equating them with productivity and worth. So, naturally, when the hard work, busyness, and productivity are weighing heavily on you, your self worth gets smushed as well.
Throughout the highs and lows of it all, here are some things that I’ve found to help ground me:
Fuck The Man | A consistent reminder that a lot of what I’m feeling is a direct result of toxic patriarchal standards. That shit is REAL REAL.
Reiki | I had reiki performed on my entire body and have felt significantly more connected than I have the past several months.
Support system | The TLC and support by friends, family, fur babies, social network, etc. has been immensely helpful.
#NoRagrets | Things may be hard, but I can do hard things. Even if I need time to recover from them.
This too shall pass | As cliché as it is, nothing lasts forever. A reminder of this will hopefully ease even the most tense of situations.
Everyone handles shit differently, so what has worked for me may not work for you. BUT if there’s anything to take from this, it’s that burnout won’t last forever. And the next time ‘round (should it come again), we’ll have more tools to combat the bitch.
