Hey again,
It’s been a while since I last sat down to write like this. I wish I was coming to you with something lighter, something a little more upbeat. But the truth is, work has been really hard lately — and not in the “wow, I love a challenge” kind of way. It’s been draining, emotionally and physically.
I’ve been putting in late nights, pushing myself harder than I should, and I’d love to say it’s paying off, but honestly? It doesn’t feel like it is. It feels like I’m pouring from a cup that no one’s refilling.
And the hardest part? My boss — someone I genuinely like and consider a friend — hasn’t really been showing up for me. She’s there, technically, but not in the way I need her to be. She’s been stepping back, dipping out to handle personal things during work hours, and leaving me to carry the weight. And look, I get it. Life happens. We’re all human. But when your team is on fire, you don’t walk away to water your own plants.
What it’s meant is that I’ve been stuck doing longer hours, picking up the slack, and chasing recognition that never really comes. And that’s the part that gets under your skin — doing the work of two people, while feeling like half a person yourself.
My last day in the office this week hit differently. I felt… off. I had pain in my chest and back, dizzy spells, even some blurred vision at one point. The kind of symptoms that make you stop what you’re doing and think, is this serious? I drove the two hours home — something I probably shouldn’t have done in hindsight — and when I finally stepped out of the car, I felt completely unsteady.
I went straight to bed, took my meds, and within an hour… I was fine. Just like that. Which made one thing really clear: this is what stress does to a body that’s been pushed too far for too long.
So now, I’m stepping back. I’ve got a full week off — no meetings, no Slack pings, no pretending I’m okay when I’m not. Just me, my family, my pets, and some much-needed stillness.
Burnout doesn’t arrive all at once. It sneaks in. And I almost missed it until my body screamed loud enough that I couldn’t ignore it anymore.
If you’re feeling anything like this — tired, unsupported, stretched too thin — please, don’t wait for your body to throw a red flag. Listen sooner. Rest sooner.
Be kind to yourselves. I’ll be over here doing the same, one slow day at a time.
Ophelia xo
