Let’s talk burnout

I don’t know about y’all, but I am one of those people who works until I burn out—and then I work some more. It may be due to mental health or my own crazy work ethic, however, it doesn’t really matter what the cause is. It only matters that I’m doing something that hurts me because I think it’ll make things easier in the long run. That’s the crazy thing about burnout, you get it because you thought you were doing so much of the right thing that that same right thing ended up hurting you. Even God rested on the seventh day of working. Us as humans are meant to rest.

So, how come people burn out? How come we push ourselves too far? If I had to answer this personally, then I would say it’s because if I prove to others that I work hard, I somehow feel as though I am proving myself to them—as if my work ethic is who I am. As if all I am is a collection of words that I publish.

Some say that I’m workaholic, but in reality it’s simply low self-esteem. I work hard and I don’t stop working, then in my mind other people will see that I am worth something. Why does it take so much for a brain to contemplate that? Maybe someone is worth something simply because they are alive and not because of how much work they can complete in a day.

I am not someone who should be doing things on my days off. I should be resting. I am one of those people who has a hard time saying no, even though I know I will regret saying yes as soon as I end the call. Burn out is something that I’m used to.

Nowadays, and if I’m honest, for a while, I find more comfortability in being overly busy. If I’m not getting a task done, if I’m not being productive, then I’ve wasted a day of my life. However, if I’m to quote Billy Joel in his song, Vienna, “It’s all right, you can afford to lose a day or two“. I guess that’s the irony of being young, so much time to live yet enough to get everything done.

Anyway, “Slow down, you crazy child” - Billy Joel. Do any of you experience burnout as I do? Are any of you battling burn out today? Let’s talk about in the comments below, maybe you’ll make a friend or two.

Sincerely,

Your 21st century poet