Hard Lecture in Switching Off

Daily writing prompt

How do you know when it’s time to unplug? What do you do to make it happen?

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It’s not knowing when to unplug more than actually doing it. I push myself to the breaking point to not let the team down, yet I feel guilty upon taking time to relax.

In 2020, I worked ten hours six to seven days a week, most nights. I was exhausted to the point of a mental breakdown, but because I didn’t want to disappoint the team, I kept going. It wasn’t until my coworkers began doing off-procedure things that I finally broke. I won’t go into what I did, but I made a mistake that earned me an ambulance ride to the local hospital. Because of my unwillingness to take a moment and unplug, I was out of work for three months.

I take periodic breaks to listen to music or watch anime or YouTubers. It was a hard lecture, but I now know that it’s okay and necessary to switch things off now and again.