Burnout

Hi, I am Luis from the past. I scheduled this article to be published while I am on holidays. I don't know how that future Luis will be, but I can tell you how he was when he wrote this: tired, unmotivated, unhappy... and feeling the pain of the burnout.

He worked for almost 8 months without taking a break. He is a father of two. There has been a lot going on in his life. Maybe he should have taken a break before, I hear you say? Well, then you haven't read the first line of this paragraph. I said: HE IS A FATHER OF TWO (as in kids, children, little humans). In Spain, the school year ends in middle June, and kids are on holidays until the second week of September. Yup. That's almost 3 months. In June and July, there are "school camps", and some of them have a schedule that allows parents to work (9-17h). They are VERY EXPENSIVE, but at least we have options. Now, end of July, summer schools say bye bye and kids go back home. With us. For 1.5 months. In Spain, we have 23 days of holidays (POT). Now, do the math. Yes, we have to save all the time to stay with the kids in summer, and there won't be enough days anyway. So we have to overlap.

Of course this "only" applies while our kids are not mature enough to spend time on their own without making a mess. Mine are 5 and 7. Unless I want to plug them on a screen several hours a day, they will require some supervision.

While I am not the only one in this situation, that doesn't make things better in any way. On the contrary. I hear complains on Social Media that folks "are very selfish and don't want to have kids". Well fucking help us, then! Excuse the language, but it's very upsetting. It's hard for parents. Very, very hard. Rising living costs, while wages stay frozen. No holidays. We have public schools but then we have to pay a small fortune per kid to be able to work on June/July. And the lack of acknowledgment from the Government, society, and our company. Yes, our company. Just to do what I do while I juggle with the responsibilities of fatherhood should be worth a promotion. You know what I got from my company this year? I'd rather not say, because I am not sure I can legally say it publicly. But it's absolutely disappointing and I would quit in a heartbeat if the job market wasn't this bad.

Phew... you can read the burnout right there, can't you.

Yes, that's Luis from the past. Past week, actually. Will he be better today, when this article is posted? Will he calm down and not feel like he's wasting his time in a company that does not recognise how freaking hard he works without ever let his personal stuff affect his performance one bit? Will he forgive his superiors who gave me a copy/pasted feedback that means absolutely nothing to him?

I don't think so.

But it's not all negative. He will have the time, I hope, to clear his mind. He will rest. He will enjoy life with his kids without rushing. He won't be thinking about how to help the company every day, while his company treats him like a f*ck**g number. I hope he will take the time to reflect on his value and how he could find a mission somewhere else, one that feels fulfilling. One he doesn't regret giving his best to it.

Meanwhile, I am leaving you with an artistic representation of his feelings. After reading the (not negative but very vague, impersonal, soulless and uninspiring) feedback he got this quarter, he wrote a song. It reflects his state of mind very well. Give it a listen if you have the time. The video also represents his energy that day, and I am sure, thousands, millions of people can relate to this song.

Rest, Luis from the future. I hope burnout doesn't consume you, and that you'll find something better.