Thank you for this reminder of how our choices are never straight forward; we can want to slow down, yet feel we are stuck at the same time. Thank you also for the mention :)
I sometimes feel like you are writing from the other side of whatever issue I'm contemplating. At a time when I struggle with my decision to "stay" in a professional career, it's comforting to read your perspective of what it's like to have left. The closet of relic boots ...! There's no perfect answer, only choices. And thank you for these reading recs- I appreciate being included alongside such interesting pieces from writers I hadn't yet known.
I can’t believe how much I can relate. Between Sept 2022 and Sept 2023: I lost my dear father, lost out on a promotion everyone said was a lock, my only child left for school. Oh, and my dog died. I keep my boots, too. I only wear Gazelles, Docs, and Birkenstock. It is 1993 forever. And I think I’m ok with it. I took 7 months off to breathe. I didn’t even get to the point of regular exercise or writing like you do. You’re kinda my hero. Thanks for putting it out there.
I've been moving every two years on average over the last decade while I've lived in the U.S. Every time I moved, I had to part away with things that hold a lot of emotional weight. It never gets easy. One thing I forgot to do was to take photos of them before I gave them away so that I could look back at the photos, at least, to comb through the memories I had with them.
Thank you so much for the mention - I am so flattered!
Gosh I really really loved reading this. For so many reasons. I love that you've kept the old relics in the closet, sort of time capsule pieces. Plus, I bet you another season of change will happen after you're finally post-burnout and maybe you'll try on old shoes for your new "self". I've had a few burnouts and after my last major one, I have made a promise to myself to actively always see what I can do to have less inputs. It's little things that matter. Leaving my phone at home when I walk the dogs. Opting to just eat and do just that -- no phone, no eating at my desk. They all make a difference. I hope you find more peace soon! P.S. I find it a shame that I have only been able to heal from burnout because I come from a place of extreme privilege - my partner makes a solid income for me to explore and rest and create without having to bring in a 2nd income. Others don't have that choice and I acknowledge it's a much harder feat.
Thank you for this reminder of how our choices are never straight forward; we can want to slow down, yet feel we are stuck at the same time. Thank you also for the mention :)
I sometimes feel like you are writing from the other side of whatever issue I'm contemplating. At a time when I struggle with my decision to "stay" in a professional career, it's comforting to read your perspective of what it's like to have left. The closet of relic boots ...! There's no perfect answer, only choices. And thank you for these reading recs- I appreciate being included alongside such interesting pieces from writers I hadn't yet known.
I can’t believe how much I can relate. Between Sept 2022 and Sept 2023: I lost my dear father, lost out on a promotion everyone said was a lock, my only child left for school. Oh, and my dog died. I keep my boots, too. I only wear Gazelles, Docs, and Birkenstock. It is 1993 forever. And I think I’m ok with it. I took 7 months off to breathe. I didn’t even get to the point of regular exercise or writing like you do. You’re kinda my hero. Thanks for putting it out there.
I've been moving every two years on average over the last decade while I've lived in the U.S. Every time I moved, I had to part away with things that hold a lot of emotional weight. It never gets easy. One thing I forgot to do was to take photos of them before I gave them away so that I could look back at the photos, at least, to comb through the memories I had with them.
Thank you so much for the mention - I am so flattered!
Gosh I really really loved reading this. For so many reasons. I love that you've kept the old relics in the closet, sort of time capsule pieces. Plus, I bet you another season of change will happen after you're finally post-burnout and maybe you'll try on old shoes for your new "self". I've had a few burnouts and after my last major one, I have made a promise to myself to actively always see what I can do to have less inputs. It's little things that matter. Leaving my phone at home when I walk the dogs. Opting to just eat and do just that -- no phone, no eating at my desk. They all make a difference. I hope you find more peace soon! P.S. I find it a shame that I have only been able to heal from burnout because I come from a place of extreme privilege - my partner makes a solid income for me to explore and rest and create without having to bring in a 2nd income. Others don't have that choice and I acknowledge it's a much harder feat.
I’ve been wondering and maybe I missed it from my month long substack break... how does YouTube feel during this phase of your burnout recovery?
Beautifully said, and deeply relatable.