You Might Not Recover from Burnout. Ever.
What grows from the ashes of your old life?
Hea has been unemployed for a little over two years, and she can’t see that ending anytime soon. Her burnout has been catastrophic — and so far, bottomless.
“I went on short-term disability at first, for my mental health, but after that ran out I used up all of my sick days. Then I applied for a longer medical leave, which shockingly, I got for a little while,” she explains. “I was luckier than most people, who don’t get any kind of paid time off. But then they mysteriously eliminated my position. I’ve been floundering ever since.”
Hea worked in media, for a podcast network that relied upon subscription drives and revenue from a rotating cast of advertisers. Tracking down new funding sources and keeping advertisers satisfied was a large component of her job. The work was filled with uncertainty, and the company culture suffused with suspicion and blame.
No amount of dedication from Hea was enough to satisfy her bosses, and her relationships with clients always felt shaky, and had to be constantly maintained. She was forever connected to her phone, having nightmares about brand partnerships and ad-read recording sessions. By the time she was hospitalized for exhaustion and thoughts of self-harm, Hea had been working day and…
