Yep, still there for the most part. Been there for two years. Basically, ever since my wife lost her mind with post-partum, got into crack, and ended up in prison.

I quit giving a **** at all for a long while. I quit my job, gained a shitload of weight, and generally felt useless. I turned to playing video games all ****ing night long and getting next to no sleep. Ignored my kids alot, not their needs but I just didn't spend time with them much.

One day I looked at the fat **** I had become, the nasty person I'd become, and I started doing something to change it. I went back to work a year ago. I started seeing a doctor and getting a light dose of Prozac about 6 months ago. I quit drinking regular soda all day and night and lost 50 pounds. I'm making changes, but its been a slow go. I still feel a general lack of motivation, but its better than it was. I spend a bit more time with my kids. I know I could be better but Covid isn't helping too much in just taking them out and about.

I know there's an issue, which is half the battle. So, I keep working at it.

get some counciling to buy time go on anti-depressant ultimately if you need a change it will happen on its own. Peoples hands are often forced on them when burned out. You find a way to continue or you change.

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Damn you should have a PHD by 2021. Seriously though, that's awesome. Kudos.

Might as well post the entire movie.

A big contributing factor to my burnout was working from home for so long and the time it afforded me to do more work, sometimes for two different companies at the same time). I'd like to go back to co-location but just seeing the office in that clip kinda sickens me. I don't know how I could survive cubical life. And the long ass frustrating commute.

Planeteers kick ass!

Sometimes, things just need time

Buying a new dental practice right before a pandemic hits definitely burned me out a bit

Honestly though, best advice I could give is completely revamp your diet, exercise and fine people around you who are worth spending time with

Breath is a book written by James Nestor. Pick it up and give it a try

:clap: I'm envious! Been working my ass off for 2 1/2 months and am only down 10 pounds. I am thrilled as my body has a noticeable difference in tone around my legs, arms, and face/neck area, the slow pace of change around the midsection is maddening!

I’m there now. Have been for a while. Blech.

yes

I call my time spent in the phyche ward pto

Yep. Same here. I can’t do cubes and long drives after working from home for a decade but sometimes it’s still a curse, especially when you realize that you are working 80-90 hours a week.

Hi ��

You’re not alone. I’ll give you two examples. First is gaming. I’m 28. Not sure if you game a lot but for me, when I do and play the same games over and over again I become so tired and bored of them I literally just find 0 happiness from playing games, even though it’s above and beyond my favorite hobby. Sometimes when I take some time away from the games I find myself coming back and enjoying them, but I’ve found I don’t receive that same gratification and happiness that I once did/found. I may be getting older and changing and it may be the same for you as well.

Second - my real life. I have a wife and a child. Sometimes I feel like I’m so burnout from the same day to day activities that require my attention and workload. When I’m asked to do things or when I want to do things, I feel tired and lazy to want to do them in the first place. What I’ve found helps me is being selfish with my time in these moments. When I’m super tired and drawn out, I pour up a nice glass of something hard and rent a few movies. When yard work or something of similar substance requires my attention and I cannot deal with it, I take a step back, pour another drink and think about projects in the future I will want to work on after these projects I’m dreading are done.

“My most important Opinion” Between u and I OP, I used to even be burnt out from my family. My own child and wife, can you believe that? I took the steps that my personal self needed to figure out what I truly wanted in life and I found it. I now cherish my wife and child. I even want a bunch more children! I stopped looking at the girls on the beaches with the fine body’s and whatever else, and appreciated that this woman was willing to spend her life with me, and my child looks up to me as if I’m god. It made me so happy to feel that appreciated even though 90% of the time I never see it because of what I am requested and required to do in my daily life.

I don’t know your age, nor your circumstances so it does make it difficult to give you the best advice possible ( and I have many friends that come to me for it) but one thing I live by is, never be the glass is always half empty kinda guy, always be the glass is half full and that’s ok guy. People want to be around you more, you love yourself more, and things just start to gravitate to you more and that burning out feeling you’re feeling starts to fade away.

We all burn out from time to time, it’s completely normal, you’re not alone in that regard nor are your loved ones, or surrounding citizens. Just remember, life is what you make of it. If your feeling burned out about something in particular or just in general, find out why. Does this make me happy or sad? Whatever the answer is take the necessary steps to steer that answer into the resolution you would desire.

If you have any questions about how to keep your spirits up, please feel free to ask. My wife was raised and brought up to constantly question everything, ridicule everything, and to put it bluntly, unjoyful to be around. After many talks and discussions she learned to enjoy the little things and focus on the good, and not the bad, and That’s what I think is most important. Are you burnt out? Ok that’s ok! What do you feel like doing instead now? Take up a new hobby? re connect with loved ones? Take up cooking from YouTube? Life is about celebration, we all get burnt out from routine!

I hope this helps, I’m on my phone and damn is it hard to properly type on this thing. God bless brother, or sister?

That is a ballsy move. Sounds like the movie Larry Crowne, except he was forced to make changes, sell all of his shit and move.

Sorry to hear this KCcrow. Not sure if it helps, but I really enjoy your posts! What video games you playin?

WOW! THANKS MAN! ...you might be right.

I work in computer programming, which lends itself really well to working from home obviously. But I can tell we're all getting grumpy. They should force us all to take a week off or something. Go see some nature. I'd do it in a heartbeat but I plan to quit as soon as this is over, and I want to get paid out for all my unused vacation time.

Real Talk, if you have a true chemical imbalance causing clinical depression nothing will help. Problem is getting a good faith diagnosis without throwing pills at you (which could have dangerous effects on your mental condition) is difficult. I’d recommend most everything in this thread before seeking medication. And if you do seek medication, do your best to go to the most reputable practitioner you can find.

I’ll share my experience but it probably isn’t like yours. I’m probably just a freak.

My life got better when I started my business. I’m a grinder, and when it became obvious my work situation wasn’t leading where I wanted to go (at least in the timeframe I felt appropriate - thanks 2008, ya ****). It was like a switch flipped and I was done. I’m not wired to **** off and not do anything, but I was doing the minimum to essentially avoid trouble.

Things got better when I went into business for myself. I work almost twice as many hours and my stress level is through the roof, but I’d rather grind for me than have a fairly cushy job for someone else. Now, I’m not entirely certain that’s totally healthy because I’ve become criminally pragmatic. If something can’t help me move towards my goal right now, get the **** out of here. I don’t deal in any abstracts, I don’t even do any intermediate-term planning because I can’t offset a myriad of unknowns so it’s pointless so get the **** out of here and let me go do something important.

That being said, starting a life-consuming business probably isn’t in the cards for most folks. There are a lot of things that work for me when the wheels come off, it’s just a matter of what caused the wheels to come off.

When I’m floundering, I find something doable and just hammer it out. Even if it’s tedious or a pain in the ass. Power through it and get something positive and tangible done. So you can see good things happen and it can get the ball moving. Jordan Pedersen’s book (I haven’t read it but Seen videos on the 12 steps - they’re sound. I recommend the book) suggests that the first thing you should do is make the bed. Similar concepts.

When I’m ground down to a nub, I gotta take some time for me. Most of the time it’s at night, hence the 1:30 post, but I have to find time to do something to unwind my brain (or whatever you need). It’s worth losing the sleep.

When I’m paddling in an river of shit, which is 2020, you have to mentally focus on what you can control and get to work. I have a tendency to focus on what’s happening to me rather than what I’m going to do.

I totally agree on exercise. I’m shit at it right now because the time isn’t there but endorphine release is real.

One thing I see in myself and other people is focus. It’s like the whole world got ADD since the widespread adoption of smartphones. It’s just too damned easy to just quickly chase down whatever pops in your head. Thing about it is those activities in most cases are neither productive or healthy. Too many people I know have lost the ability to sit down and focus on something. My view is that focus is like muscles. Some dudes have more than others, it can be dramatically improved through constant use, and can atrophy in periods of disuse. And here’s the thing. If I get spacey and can’t focus, that’s when I become miserable. Maybe it’s just some random ramblings by an asshole on the internet, but IMO if you spend all day attached to a device you’re going to be miserable.

Best of luck man. All the best.

Usually a 1-week vacation would do it for me to recharge my batteries. Definitely a 2-week vacation. I went to Alaska for 2.5 weeks and was good for a year after that.

Dude - you could be the first person ever to get it 3 times. How cool would that be?

I feel like Tony Bourdain fell into this category. He was fine when he was a broke head chef just trying to keep his head above water, maybe because he never had time to think. He worked 12-hour days - 6 days/week, drank and partied like a maniac, and still found time to write Kitchen Confidential. But then he got the all time dream job and couldn't find happiness to save his life.

Good post, couldn’t agree more

yes, yesterday, i did a half hour on the heavy bag in my garage and it was 104 degrees outside, hotter in the garage! I was done after that. lol probably not what you mean! Also, ripped my bag gloves! They were put through hell though.

Covid and riots are partly to blame. Less social interaction.
Curse this world.

One more thing. I know I talked about smoking pot, but I know I can go overboard with my vices. A week ago, I decided I'll try going sober from everything for two weeks. To help me with this, I started making a note about how I feel each day on our giant family calendar. Its been 8 days, and by day 2, I feel as good as I have in years, like a fog has been lifted. I feel sharper, and my sense of humor has come back. Sometimes we lie to ourselves about these crutches. I didnt think it was a big deal having a drink or two nearly every night, or smoking pot 4 days a week. Keeping track of my progress has been cathartic in a way I didn't think was possible, and I am far from a list making person, so maybe you should start a checklist of sorts.

Working from home seems to be what has gotten to me, that mixed with because I was always the one around I just took care of the house stuff. Now with Covid and everyone around all the time I feel like I'm always busting my ass while everyone else can enjoy their time. I feel like it never ends, no matter what my list continues to grow and I'm never done.

Anyone ever experience burnout?
 

Notice how you said “feel like” twice there. Those feelings are associated with uncomfortable, stressful, anxiety provoking thoughts. That’s a clue that perhaps a lot of this is from internal processes not external factors. That’s important because you challenge those ideas and feelings for how logical and based in reality they are. Are you actually doing more than normal? If so, do you have to do that? Is anyone demanding you to stretch yourself further than before? Does the list grow out of necessity or feeling obligated to do more things due to being home? Could go on and on but the point being that feelings can become overwhelming and combating the negative spiral requires regaining control of your thoughts and thus the emotions you experience.

I've read that white men are at higher risk of dealing with depression and suicide. I'm guessing there's some cultural issues there that don't lend to us finding help when needed.

But I hope you do. Recognizing that there is a problem is a step in the right direction. I'd say exhaust every effort in finding a solution. What's life without happiness, ya know?

I'm trying man, lots of good advice in here, aside from the fool that repped me to tell me that I'm depressed because I'm not a staunch conservative gave me a good laugh.

I know this is probably WAY overgeneralizing but I've noticed a lot of white families don't have that same super close-nit extended family system like other ethnicites have (again this is probably a sterotype). I don't have someone in my family that I can call up if I'm having problems, I really just have to figure out my emotions and problems on my own.

I will say this - politics are the worst for these feelings.

Look - politics when they're in your favor is a nasty business. You can be winning in politics and it's still a gross, grueling process of selling your soul. Anybody that thinks there's a moral high ground in politics has never operated in them for any period of time.

So when you put any appreciable amount of your identity in a discipline that's gross when it's going WELL, let alone when it isn't...man, you're gonna be unhappy.

Politics were never supposed to take on this kind of influence in our lives. I mean you go through some of the Presidents we forget about and you realize that a lot of these dudes were just really unimpressive public servants who got the gig by happenstance. Because it wasn't an aspirational career pursuit. Because politics were never supposed to be this important.

Conservative or liberal - I firmly believe you cannot be happy if politics takes up any sizeable segment of your life. It is a miserable discipline writ large and makes for miserable outcomes.

Regardless of your ideology - you can't let politics take on an outsized role in your life. It'll make you a dick and it'll make you think everyone else is a dick as well.

It's why I laughed, I don't care enough about them for them to even matter in my everyday life, sometimes I like to venture over to DC to poke the bear for a laugh.

DJLN is right.

My Dad is a Lock stock and barrel Fox News guy. FIL is a Dyed in the wool CBS guy (even though he’s more conservative than I am. IDK man. He’s just him). And if politics are in their mind they’re ****ing miserable. Both of them.

Same goes for my wife who is pretty apolitical, if she reads shit on Facebook that winds her up she’s just ****ing miserable.

It doesn’t help that Facebook knows that rage gets clicks and their algorithms put that shit in your feed. Less sophisticated, but cable news does the same shit.

How do you get away from politics when you work in that shit?

It's the whole theory of the "God shaped hole".

I don't adhere to any faith so that exact iteration doesn't scan with me, but the theory does. The idea is that if you identify yourself by your faith and theoretically faith is built on love and forgiveness, then your anchor is something built on love and forgiveness and your overall countenance will be built accordingly.

So if your 'anchor' is your politics, politics is built on connivance and backbiting and on its BEST days compromise (and even compromise means choosing between things you believe it). And this isn't new - it always has been. Go all the way back to Washington's second term and the National Gazette. ****ing Jefferson installed Freneau to snipe at Washington...while a member of Washington's cabinet.

I don't expect everyone's anchor to be their faith (though I will concede that the people I know who do tend to be very happy people as a whole), but man - it can't be something as pernicious as politics.

It's why I loved WilliamtheIrish's post so much. I don't know if he's a man of faith but whether he is or isn't is not relevant, if he has a 'god shaped hole' he's filled it with volunteer work - something inherently good. For others its exercise. Others family.

It just cannot !@#$ing be politics. It can't be sloth or envy or avarice or lust (sadly). There needs to be something there and it needs to be built on a positive framework.

That’s a hell of a post DJLN. If I’ve heard of “god shaped hole” I wasn’t paying attention. That makes a hell of a lot of sense. Thanks.

Have you thought of killing everyone? I mean, it sounds extreme, but when you look closer there are a lot of merits.

I’m about there.

After 20 years wandering the wilderness, my anchor is now in my faith, and I will tell you, I feel better than I ever have.

It’s probably not too far off, depending on where you live. I know here in the rural upper midwest, we have pretty close-knit families. The youth group kids I had that suffered from depression and anxiety almost always came from broken homes - the ones that had strong extended families were much more stable.

We are designed to love and be loved. If that’s not there, we are going to have issues. It’s that simple.

Look man. I’ve been there. Serious disassociation with a job.

I know you’re not looking for advice, but I would strongly suggest that you compartmentalize your life. At least mentally. Draw a hard line between who you are and what you do for money.

Stay sane out there folks.

Excellent advice. A job is a means to an end. Don’t let it define who you are. We are all so much more than that.

I try to as much as I can. Seems to be getting harder to do over the last 6-8 years.

This above is why I rarely ever go on social media anymore these days, because it's almost like everything people are posting is politics or just some dumb shit in general. It's just a mind ****.

There are only at least three or four websites that I get my news from, and one of them is CP. Others are sports related.

I don't have cable, and I rarely ever watch any news these days, outside of the weather and sports.

My 'anchor' is reading about covid for 4 hours/day. I probably should get a new hobby.

That might be strongly recommended. Reading about COVID for that much in a day could mind psychologically **** your head up.

I don't even bother with COVID stuff anymore. If I just do my part and taking precautions to protect myself (1st important thing) and try to help on protecting others (2nd important thing), you're doing enough.

I just spend time reading books, playing video games, going for walks, hanging on CP (other than politics and I don't venture too much into the COVID arguments), anything just to keep my mind occupied.

This is a fantastic thread and it deserves to be stickied.

Everybody that has shared their experiences or beliefs are showing someone else and angle to approach what might be possibly ailing them, and I mean that starting with me. Thank you all for your stories and insights. We need more of this these days.


(DaFace will be sooo happy with me :D )

Bowser has been banned from the thread.

EDIT: God dammit.

LMAO

Glad I stopped in yesterday and opened this thread. Really glad this is stickied. (Although I'm still in the Detox camp of "smoke more weed").

In my initial post, I was going to discuss this aspect, as I was a catholic raised boy. Although in various religion classes we called it "the void". Simply put, we were taught that from birth, every person, no matter how small were looking to fill that void (and it should be with god).

And while I, like you, have no adherence to any particular faith, we discussed this "void" at length in 8th grade religion class and in religious studies in high school as a junior and senior. The questions, concerns and answers then were as varied as in this thread today. Which I find amazing and rather joyous. People in this thread willing to help a stranger, not for any other reason than they show the human trait of caring.

To me, in my personal life, I look at it as an evolution. Filling "the void" with material objects of money just doesn't feel as good as seeing the eyes of your child or grandchild light up when you walk in the room. This evolution is a full time gig, I tell ya. Not a day goes by now that I don't think of something that helps my outlook on life.

For instance, I was walking by the TV last night and saw Jimmy Fallon was introducing something as he was holding an album. Turns out, it was Alanis Morissette, from a remote location singing a new song with her toddler child in her arms.

She sang and the kid interrupted her and smiled and giggled and played with her headphones. It made me smile to watch a person interact with their child while singing a song, promoting your new album, on national TV. I don't know why. It just did.

As I reflected on it today, I thought maybe it made smile to see a person who sang such angst filled songs in the 90's, evolved to be happy mother and wife. Because I smile like that when I see my own children these days.

I fell asleep with that thought and today, just thinking about that clip, has made me smile all day. It was really worth the 5 minutes to watch.

This thread has been really helpful to me. I've been going through burn out for the last couple of years. Couple of cases I was involved with were a large part of it. I'm out of those cases now but I'm still feeling what you all are talking about: lethargy; no interest in work; no interest in life. Covid hasn't helped.

I'm out of those cases and that has started to make a difference. A friend told me the other day when we were having lunch that in the last few weeks he can start to see the old me coming back. I think I can see some light at the end of the tunnel.

Everything about covid is like having the TV on 24 7 after 9-11. Just had to shut the damn thing off

About 20 years ago. I was under a lot of stress at work and my heart felt like it was gonna explode out of my chest. I was always pissed off and miserable when I’d get home. I went to the doctor after work and my standing heart rate was 121 beats per minute and my bp was 145 over 95. My doctor freaked out and took an ekg and those readings were fine. He asked if I was dealing with stress at work, and I said yes. So he told me to take the next Monday off and come in to see him after a 3 day weekend. My bp was 110 over 70 and my standing heart rate was 72 beats per minute. He told me it’s stress and you have to learn how to deal with it.


After that I changed my whole attitude. No job is worth dying over lol so I started my “I don’t care attitude campaign™️“ I went to work and said to myself I’m going to do the best I can and if it’s not good enough for you you can go **** yourself. Well it turned out I actually performed better at work with the new attitude and wasn’t as stressed out. It worked out very well for me. Everybody is different and you gotta figure out how to deal with your own situation. Just my two cents. Good luck!

Exactly this

why don’t you discuss Cardinals baseball in the thread with us on here?

"The loneliness social media summons"

/Parker Millsap

You're forty. right?

That means you've spent at least half you life or more having your brain riddled
with images and information, as opposed to imagination.

Lots of great advice in here.
Working out
Hobby
Volunteer/serving

And a few important ones in my opinion.

You're the head of the household and responsible for everyone. Just like we don't pay ourselves before our bills, men tend to put others before themselves.

You've got to do things JUST for you. Whatever that is. I suggest creating, using your hands or simple solitude, outside is even better. Learn something new. I just assembled my first chopper from the ground up. Never knew I had it in me.

Turn off every screen. Get away from ALL media for 30 days. Get away from the constant barrage, which seems mostly negative. Enjoy your family. Find joy in the simple things in life. There's a ton out there.

As I read recently, somewhere right now a guy is under a waterfall without his phone, totally unaware of how scared he should be.

Covid has taken away a lot of recreation, and added a lot of stress. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy"

You're a smart guy, Mecca, I'm confident you'll figure it out.

That said, kudos for having the courage to open up a much needed conversation that can hopefully help you and others.

Hang in there.

You ever experienced it in your line? Perhaps an artistic block (like writers block)?

It's important to identify what's making you feel like this. Sometimes it's not what it seems. You may feel a "burnout" and think that it's deep-rooted in your day-to-day activities when really it's all in your head and you may feel like this no matter what your activities are.

Excellent point.

So Sunday I was headed out with all my fishing 🎣 gear and kayak loaded for a week fishing vacation. Nothing was going stop me except breaking down on the side of the road because transmission decides to fail. ****. Had to get it hauled back to home and **** myself for the rest of the week. All I've done this week is sleep and watch a couple horror movies but mostly sleep. FML.


Go back to work Monday without getting to catch a damn 🐟 no opportunities this year because I've had to put off my vacation twice because of covid.

This year sucks (except the part winning Super Bowl LIV)


All I do is work and I can't afford missing overtime but I took the week off anyways because I have over 170 vacation to burn. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

I don't know how you do what you do and not get ****ed up somehow. Respect to you, man. For a myriad of reasons.

And you vacation thing struck me. I get like 56 weeks/year (including sick days) and can't ever seem to take it.

Well **** I've already had to put off my fishing vacation two or three times because of covid BS.

No I don't kn6how I do it sometimes I guess I have a knack for it. I about got into it with a patient again that I've put in holds numerous of times that gets old but I says are you going hit me? I got in trouble for agtagaizing him but he yelled at my nurse pissed me off. But then I told him go to seclusion and punch the matress it doesn't hurt your hand. He did then laughed what a big dumb dumb. Then we fist bump after he is out of seclusion. Next day he was sent back to lock down unit for threatening our nite nurse with a chair but she is badass herself and grabbed the chair threatened him and he cowered away. Guy is strong but slow and dumb. I don't know how I do it sometimes. But I look at entertainment value some patients are rather fun to work with others can deal without. Like any job take the good with the bad and you have your facts of life.

Yea, that's freakin' crazy. I'd love to shadow you for a week. Maybe right a book. Hell of a dude you are.

I'm flattered you think so but it's actually pretty easy job and judging the staff they hire sometimes I question how the **** or what were they thinking hiring them in the first place? So anyone can do my job but I just think common sense is most important but unfortunately I don't see much of that from administration and why things are the way they are.

I remember reaper said he was burned out before transitioning. Something you might want to think of.

To what?

The ones that make me nervous or worry about on my unit are the severe skitsophrinick you just do know what the voices are telling them to do. Now I often wonder when I'm doing checks and a patient is alone sitting in the sun room that's at the end of the hall by himself and laughs, I wonder what good joke his voices are telling him. What is so funny? 🃏

Without going into any great details: Find somebody not family, not friends, not colleagues to talk to....generally that means getting professional help.

We have a group of about 8 guys that I went to dental school with who are all in similar places in life. Married, young kids, practice owners etc.

We have once a month “round table” discussions where we vent, talk, scream laugh whatever anyone wants. Once it’s done nothing leaves the conversation, but it’s a great way to get it out.

I have a really close friend who was my best man who is again in a similar situation. We talk for about an hour every night.

Point being, talk to people about anything. Listen to others talk to you. Sometimes things work themselves out better when you say them out loud you realize “damn, that’s dumb to stress over”.

I have an extremely close relationship with my dad. He’s always my first call anytime I have any issue or good news or questions.

We’ve in the infancy of the “social media tribes” and we don’t know how to cope. We evolved having small groups or tribes for protection and comfort. It’s weird times.

Read, listen, have patience, enjoy things that in the grand scheme don’t really even matter. Breathing exercises have helped me immensely.

Of course there’s also banging 20 year olds. The end will be a train wreck of epic proportions but I’m guessing the ride down will be super fun

So fortunate.

My Dad would've been 82 last Friday. Lost him when he was 47.

Still wish I could call him and ask for advice

Yeah I’m glad to still have him around. Only problem I have woth him is he thinks he can fix everything which he for the most part can and hates it when I can’t and I just call someone to come fix it.

LMAO

There is no more simpler line of reasoning than this:

YOUR life is too short and too important to let others control how you think, feel and act.

If you allow your life to be dictated by others, you will lead a miserable unhappy life.

Sometimes.

I get burnt out on being "on stage" more than anything else.

That's really good.

I have a buddy that we vent to each other about with those understandings. I'm a customer of his though, so on a couple issues we tread a little lightly, but as long as we both understand that these are our livelihoods it won't ever be a problem.

Largely yeah, but families change the dynamic. My brothers fat bitch wife (I'm speculating obviously) got that advice from a marriage counselor and promptly divorced my brother.

I guess it wouldn't be exclusively limited to families. You have to be you, but you can't just be an asshole to everyone that's not you.

A lot of great stuff in this thread.

Another IT perspective. I've had consecutive months of 80 hour work weeks/~320 hour months, where it almost becomes a competition with yourself to see how much shit you can get done (and hoping it pays off during review time). It was quite literally sleep, getting ready for work, driving a few minutes to work, work, driving home from work, work... and some food in there while working.

And for the first several years of IT, I would always be looking for something else... maybe not week 1 of a new job, but it certainly didn't take long. I would always want to know what was out there.

My 2¢...

You better love what you do, and don't be afraid to try something completely different if you're in a rut.

As many others have said, find things and people that will make it all worth it... whether that's volunteering, making beer, social distancing in the woods, etc.

I was thinking my hot take would take this in a bit of a different direction, but you already hit the nail on the head.... the other day I read something about creating your own personal philosophy/tagline/vision, much like corporations do with mission statements. Think about what you value most, then live by it everyday, through your job, hobbies, etc. And not just at a high level, but to really think about it on a daily basis, to say you're making decisions and doing things in the name of your philosophy and values, so you get more meaning out of what you do.

And if what you're doing doesn't align with what you value the most, then find the things that do.

From another IT persons PoV, do not do this. Absolutely do not work like this, or work somewhere where this is expected out of you.

This will burn anyone out, regardless of profession. I left Warehouse management because it was getting to that level.

I work my 40 hours per week and I am done. My burn out comes from all the extra time studying and other shit that comes with it. But if you can't get the work done in 40, well that's on management to figure that problem out.