My last newsletter about burnout was about work, and why flushing my career at a newspaper down the toilet in search for a happier, more balanced future was the best move I could make for myself. I didn’t get a chance to touch on how the burnout I experienced working in a newsroom impacted my role as a parent – this topic needed its own post.
This was the perfect followup to the burnout article as parenting while working has pushed my boundaries to their limits like nothing I've ever experienced before. Thank you for sharing your experiences so other working moms like me know we are not the only ones experiencing this.
Anam, these articles couldn’t have been more timely for me. The crucial awareness of work/life balance will be key when I begin working after a 4-year career break. When you’re a parent, that balance affects not only you, but your littles and partner. Not all of us a have a village to raise our kids while we pursue our dreams. My whole family live in Chicago, and my folks are too old to provide the support I need when they do visit on those rare occasions. On a more positive note, I am truly in awe with your writing style. You know how to tell a compelling story. Keep on writing.
My heart went out to you, I wish I taken the girls on Tuesdays, I use to, why did that change? I'm so sorry Anam. When my kids were little, I was a stay at home Mom, mostly because I didn't have a job that paid enough to take care of 3 little kids in daycare, so I did the daycare. I always noticed, when Mom's picked up their kids, they were exhausted looking and still had to make dinner and get to the extra circular activities/sports. I'm glad you let go of that career, temporarily or not, and doing what you're doing, not only will you benefit but your family will also. I know you will never regret it. Will it ever change? God I hope so.
Thank you for telling this story. I fear in the rush to return to "normal" we aren't addressing the huge amount of burnout everyone is walking around with. There is no slack left in any system and we're seeing it play out on the large scale, but the small scale matters too.
Life here in Waterloo, Ontario is one of superficiality - it is a life of brute-forcing your way to assembling the image of perfection. Depth is eschewed for a supermassive superficiality which, to the non-discerning eye, would appear to be advanced, intelligent, and possessing a depth that would eclipse the teachings of Lord Buddha Shakyamuni's. One is rewarded, not unlike a pet dog or a servant, for how much one can ignore one's true suffering, and the violence required to generate such suffering, while cobbling together an image which can then be projected to the city, the province, the country, and indeed the entire universe as a representation of how incredible European civilization is. Our jobs, careers, and families are of little to no significance - it is the marketability of their product for which we are sought out. The less we care about our selves and our families, the greater value we carry for this repulsive place.
This was the perfect followup to the burnout article as parenting while working has pushed my boundaries to their limits like nothing I've ever experienced before. Thank you for sharing your experiences so other working moms like me know we are not the only ones experiencing this.
Anam, these articles couldn’t have been more timely for me. The crucial awareness of work/life balance will be key when I begin working after a 4-year career break. When you’re a parent, that balance affects not only you, but your littles and partner. Not all of us a have a village to raise our kids while we pursue our dreams. My whole family live in Chicago, and my folks are too old to provide the support I need when they do visit on those rare occasions. On a more positive note, I am truly in awe with your writing style. You know how to tell a compelling story. Keep on writing.
My heart went out to you, I wish I taken the girls on Tuesdays, I use to, why did that change? I'm so sorry Anam. When my kids were little, I was a stay at home Mom, mostly because I didn't have a job that paid enough to take care of 3 little kids in daycare, so I did the daycare. I always noticed, when Mom's picked up their kids, they were exhausted looking and still had to make dinner and get to the extra circular activities/sports. I'm glad you let go of that career, temporarily or not, and doing what you're doing, not only will you benefit but your family will also. I know you will never regret it. Will it ever change? God I hope so.
Thank you for telling this story. I fear in the rush to return to "normal" we aren't addressing the huge amount of burnout everyone is walking around with. There is no slack left in any system and we're seeing it play out on the large scale, but the small scale matters too.
Life here in Waterloo, Ontario is one of superficiality - it is a life of brute-forcing your way to assembling the image of perfection. Depth is eschewed for a supermassive superficiality which, to the non-discerning eye, would appear to be advanced, intelligent, and possessing a depth that would eclipse the teachings of Lord Buddha Shakyamuni's. One is rewarded, not unlike a pet dog or a servant, for how much one can ignore one's true suffering, and the violence required to generate such suffering, while cobbling together an image which can then be projected to the city, the province, the country, and indeed the entire universe as a representation of how incredible European civilization is. Our jobs, careers, and families are of little to no significance - it is the marketability of their product for which we are sought out. The less we care about our selves and our families, the greater value we carry for this repulsive place.
Thank you, Anam. May you and your family be well.
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What a heartfelt , pure beautiful read.