BURNOUT

'Burn-out is a psychological, emotional and physical state that we can find ourselves in when we have been exposed to chronic long-term stress... sheer exhaustion and an inability to continue as we have been’ can be the result - Dr Moulton.

 

When was the last time you really relaxed or switched off? In today’s busy, bustling society, are we putting too much pressure on ourselves to be constantly working and striving to be the best we can be?

 

I started writing Burnout in my third year of university. I wanted to combine the struggles of being a freelancer with the worry of money, reputation and… life. Online status and fame seems to take such a real-world prominence that sometimes we forget that it isn’t real life. The internet isn’t alive. But it for sure feels it. With the cost of living rising, and artists having to juggle a magnitude of money worries, an oversaturated market and fierce competition, it is a wonder we still haven’t drowned. Early career artists are swamped with the need to create and desire to make a difference, but how can one juggle when they’ve never seen the circus. How do I know how to live as an artist when I haven’t any experience of the future we are yet to know. And it’s not just the arts. You can study for a degree for years, and find it impossible to land a job in your field. So, we always strive for more. But when does more become enough? When can we strive no longer? When do we have it all? We don’t. We never will. There is always someone new, someone better, someone richer, someone healthier, someone who has been brought up in the circus and knows the secret behind juggling.