I had the most overwhelming moments of work stress in my life last year. From trying to show up for a course I signed up for, to managing business, to handling my personal life aneverything in between. Funny enough, I wasn’t doing so much physically demanding work, but it still took a serious toll on my mental health. It felt like I was slowly losing my mind, while lying to myself that I wasn’t. Somewhere between trying to make sure everything was going alright, the part where I had to take care of myself got completely neglected.
I had always heard people complain about how draining it is to balance every aspect of their lives without letting any part suffer. I never really understood it until I experienced it firsthand. It was exhausting. The more effort I put in, the more it felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere. Even at times when I said I was fine and had everything under control, the truth was that I didn’t. The signs were staring right in front of me
I wasn’t eating properly. By the time I remembered that I hadn’t eaten, I had already lost my appetite. My friendships suffered because I’d come back home in the evenings completely exhausted, and the only language my body understood was sleep. Nothing felt funny anymore. Even reacting with a laughing emoji to a friend’s post felt fake, because genuinely, nothing was funny to me. I was constantly on edge, always irritated, without any clear reason. That was when it finally hit me that things were getting out of hand.
Work-life balance stopped sounding fancy the moment it became a necessity. It felt like oxygen, and I realized I had been holding my breath for too long. I started thinking about ways to ease myself out of the burnout. The first thing I did was completely stop some activities that were draining me without yielding any positive results. I created a more active and intentional schedule so it wouldn’t feel like I was doing everything at once and getting nowhere. That’s one trap of burnout, you’re constantly busy, yet hardly productive. When your head is so full, even simple calculations that a first grader could do suddenly feel impossible. Everything felt imbalanced.
Next, I took some days off work to rest, since the setup was flexible and I had someone assisting me. We alternated workdays so each of us had equal time off to rest or handle personal matters. I realized that productivity isn’t about showing up every single day and repeating the same routine. It’s about working smarter, with a sound and rested mind. I worked on my personal routines, setting reminders to eat lunch on time, sticking to proper bedtime hours, and making sure I got enough sleep to function well the next day.
One thing that really opened my eyes was realizing that stress can also cause skin breakouts. Looking back, I remembered how badly my skin was breaking out, with acne that no skincare product seemed to fix. The moment I started resting more and eating better, my skin cleared up almost instantly. That was when it dawned on me that I had spent so much money trying to fix something that a few days of proper rest could have handled. Since then, I’ve been more intentional about managing both my work and personal life effectively.
Now, when it’s time to work, I give it my best. And when it’s time to take care of myself, I give that the same energy. Yes, we need to work to provide for ourselves and live comfortably, but work shouldn’t feel like a suicide mission. Success doesn’t come from overworking yourself into exhaustion. It comes from working smart and doing the right things. The priority should always be the person doing the work.
I’ve had my experience, so I no longer entertain anything that keeps my mental health constantly on edge. I’m still adjusting and learning how to fully settle into the balance I’ve created, but I’m doing it with a much clearer mind than before. And honestly, it’s deeply satisfying to see things fall into place without having to lose myself in the process.
Images are mine
