Was it only 5 months ago that I did one of these posts and mentioned how burnt out I was? (Yes, yes it was). Well quick recap for the new year.
Eventually I got a new job that was better aligned to my long-term career goals (boy does that sentence sound stuffy. Nothing in my entire life prepared me for having to explain my new role as a content writer. Which is why I still haven’t explained it to many people. I just pretend like nothing has happened. If you know me personally and you’ve read this post, please keep it to yourself).
Anyway, I was two days into my new job when I realized that I might be part of the problem. I had trouble taking breaks and disconnecting from work. I had automatically assumed that with a new job I would have better balance. And I did. I just didn’t know how to handle it. The role was remote so why shouldn’t I be available 24/7?
About two weeks into the new job, I realized I didn’t feel too good. I was still tired all the time, my chest hurt and I had trouble breathing. I passed this off as anxiety. Eventually my dad caught a cold and by then I thought maybe I had covid.
Fast forward to 27th December-aka the public holiday our President so kindly granted us- and I had a weird pins and needle sensation in my feet that wouldn’t go away. I didn’t know how to describe it but I knew it felt wrong. Desperate for help, I begged my parents to take me to the emergency room. I say “begged” because I could tell my mother didn’t think this was a big enough issue (I mean 3 ear infections in one year and I get why she didn’t believe me but it still hurt).
We went to the ER and two hours later I had my answer. I was anemic. I cannot explain to you the level of disappointment I had (and still have) in my body.
It’s been two weeks and I finally feel a little more normal. My GP says my iron levels are not low enough for me to be suffering with light-headedness, fatigue and tingly feet. However today is my first normal day in a long while and I have been consuming tons of iron (far more than I should have).
All this is to say I am not so sure what burnout is anymore. The first time I thought I was burnt out, I had covid. The second time, I’m thinking was the anemia.
How am I actually going to know when burnout really hits?