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It’s so tricky to legitimise feelings of burnout to oneself. Being bombarded with intrusive thoughts like 'lazy', 'soft', 'inadequate' are the go-to's for my mind when burnout starts setting in.
My other classic symptoms include:
This has unfortunately been my primary state of mind for the last couple of months. I’ve tried to go this-way-and-that to reason out what might be going on, and how I can push through. I managed to find quick hacks to keep me going, but on most days, by 11:30 I was ready to throw in the towel.
In his book, Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope, Mark Manson accurately describes that in the car ride of life, your logical side will always be the passenger to your emotional side sitting behind the wheel. It’s worthwhile being kind to, negotiating with, and looking after your emotional side, otherwise handbrakes get pulled.
“Not stopping to rest because you're too busy working is like not stopping for petrol because you're too busy driving. Eventually, you will grind to a halt.” - Robin Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
I was suggested this video of Dewayne Noel (Dry Creek Wrangler School) titled 'Just Rest'. I think I might have actually shed a tear watching it with how well he sums up what happens when you’re exhausted, and how by simply vacating your situation, you might just be able to find the rest you’re seeking.
Fran and I were incredibly fortunate to have been able to set off a week this last month (after 18 weeks of work) where we could go to the Kruger/Bushveld area to vacate our day-to-day lives and recover.
Coming back from that trip has me feeling A1, shap-shap, 150%. Next time, I’ll try not to let my fumes run on fumes before taking a break.

Writing-out and assembling my reflections into story-formatted pieces to share with strangers on the internet, in the hopes that they may benefit from them, seems to bring me great joy.
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