I burned out five years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though such a term was not popular back then, I presented most of the symptoms of that occupational disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had insomnia when I went to bed, then I couldn’t sleep at night, which always made me super tired the next day. Consequently, I had to bombard my body all day with coffee to keep myself waken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And high doses of caffeine every day only contributed to increase even more my level of cortisol, the neurochemical of stress. To me, that seemed a never-ending loop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, I couldn’t concentrate at work, so guess what? Correct: more coffee for getting ‘focused’. At the same time, my mind couldn’t handle all sorts of thoughts that got me overwhelmed all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was the moment that I experienced the highest level of anxiety\u00a0in all my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nAnxiety is fed by the fear of the future, which is mainly seen as very pessimistic. It’s a trap!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
I was struggling to get out of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even on weekends, I couldn’t relax completely: I was always tired. My mind was invaded by all the deliverables I had to do for the following week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furthermore, being part of a WhatsApp group from work had never been so bad for me. Even after working time, already at home, I was still getting work-related messages and even more tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nCommitment to work should never mean constant work.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Work-Life Integration is another concept that was not known back in 2017, at least not how we know it today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have usually been pushed always to go “the extra mile,” but mainly at the cost of our personal life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most high achievers, like me, are more willing to adjust their lives according to their work rather than trying to accommodate their work into their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nThat’s why it’s all about Work-Life Integration<\/strong>; once ‘Balance’, as commonly used, gives the wrong idea of competition, and Work and Life are not competing.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\nWork is just another element of Life.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Only when I realized that, a year later, I decided to make my heatlh, both mental and physical, a priority! And since then, I have been keeping this commitment to myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n