I Realised That Burnout Doesn't Always Look Like 'Falling Apart'

I had seen some posts online about burnout and I couldn't help but have this feeling that I was, in fact, experiencing it too. So being the curious Gemini that I am, I simply had to research it further.

I learnt that it doesn't always look like your entire life is falling apart in front of you. It can be subtle.

Waking up everyday with a knot in your stomach, but you don't quite know why. Feeling creatively depleted. Constantly exhausted despite getting decent sleeps. Being unmotivated to exercise but still doing it. Replying to messages, alerts, emails even though it felt like a massive drainer. From the outside, no one would really know. But somewhere inside me, I knew I had to make some serious changes. My energy was totally off.

CONTEXT: I had been working in social media marketing, after also studying communications and advertising at uni, and had worked a few jobs within the industry. I moved to Melbourne just over 3 years ago and was doing "random jobs" (a pizza shop, a nightclub, a cafe). Then I was told that I'd "had my fun," and now I needed to "make proper money." And apparently the only way to do that was to get back into marketing.

Despite my body telling me that it didn't seem like a good idea, I did it anyway.

I landed a marketing job at a hospo venue, a cool place that made epic burgers and even had events during the week and weekends. It was part time, I had free reign on the content and a flexible schedule. It felt doable.

Until those feelings kept resurfacing.

I told myself that it was because I wasn't doing enough.

I told myself that to "make it," I had to be doing more.

So I started my own social media marketing business.