RABBIA MOLAI
managing editor
rabbia.molai@my.tccd.edu
Working hard is always seen as a good thing until you work yourself to the ground.
From a young age, many of us are taught to have a good work ethic, to always work as hard as we possibly can. We carry that narrative through our lives and oftentimes push past our very last limits. Until one day we just simply can’t.
Sometimes overexerting oneself can seem like a very normal routine. Yyou wake up, go to work early and somehow end up staying late. You give up your weekends and work through holidays all the while thinking to yourself, “Tthis is completely fine, everyone does this.”
All of these things seem to be a daily occurrence, and then one morning your eyes open to the sound of your alarm and for some reason, you can’t physically bring yourself to get out of bed. All of a sudden the weight of your own body has become debilitating and you’re just a shell of a person left lying underin a comforter.
That feeling, the feeling of, “I just can’t anymore,” that is burnout.
It is something that is experienced by so many people on a daily basis, and why? Because society has created a timeline that if not followed to a tee can make anyone feel inadequate.
Depending on the person, the societal standards and personal standards can become intertwined creating a mess of expectations without consideration for how those goals can affect their mental and physical health.
So much of our outlook as a society revolves around this need to be “resilient.,” Iit’s as if we’re just expected to consistently bounce back from any issue and keep moving forward. But this narrative is not only harmful, it’s also just impossible to keep up with.
There are moments in life when you need to get back up and keep going, but, there are also moments in life when you need to take a step back and reevaluate what you need. Whether that be a day off or a mental check in with a loved one, it is just as important to prioritize oneself as it is to prioritize a workload.
Dealing with burnout is one of the most difficult experiences as an adult. Bbecause it creeps up on you without you realizing it, and unfortunately, it’s one of those feelings that you can’t just shake off.
Whether we realize it or not, having a good work and life balance is a huge part of having a strong work ethic. Taking care of yourself and keeping your mind and body in alignment can not only promote a healthy lifestyle but also a healthy work life as well.
Society will always have an expectation we’re not meeting, and sometimes we may feed into those expectations. However, it’s important to remember that every stage of life has stages, and every person living it is different, and so is the pace they are going to achieve things will be different tooat.
It’s time we focus more on our own timelines and attainable achievements and less on working ourselves to the bone.
