Burn-out is normal, but it's also a hard lesson to learn.

I appreciate Wade bringing this up and opening up about what's been going on. It's one of those things that not many people address because I personally feel like not a lot of people notice that it's happening; or do, and don't know how to stop it.

I'm 25 and have been working since I was 14, and even before that I was doing free work on different projects. I'm a writer, always have been, and when you're constantly pushing yourself to become better, it can be draining.

I won't go into too much detail, but I have been through a lot in my life, and while Wade was always trying to make people happy, I was just trying to hold people together. A lot of times we build our passions based on our trauma, and through my experience, I went into psychology and medicine... I didn't realize just how badly I was setting myself up for failure.

I was already burnt out from my experiences, but having to relive them through others and constantly expose myself to the same environments that left me hurt was wearing down on my mental health. I wasn't noticed much in my life, I had to be the strong one for everyone else so when it came down to what I really wanted, I wasn't listened to because people got used to me being a shoulder for them. I think in some ways I forgot what I actually wanted in life.

In my job(s) I felt worthless because I was never promoted or recognized for my work.

In my personal life with my art and writing, I would always reach for the stars on my own and be turned down at every opportunity. Hell, I was bold enough to try and get a deal with BitBot Media at one point only to be led on and ignored. I know so many people who have made it big, and have spoken with so many people who are able to be successful in their work, but I could never manage to pull myself out of poverty or have my name known.

This isn't anyone's fault: logically, big industries are ass holes and State jobs are notorious for being shit. That's the logical side of everything I have been through, but I find that when I work so hard with no reasonable reward is when I really feel the burn-out. You can only try so hard for so long before you begin to hate just trying in general because the act alone is exhausting.

It takes a long time to recognize that in yourself, to slow down, to *truly* take a break. My wife has been slowly teaching me that, and with her help and the help of my therapist, I've been slowly getting to a better place where I can begin to love my passions again.

My point is: if you have those days where you can't get out of bed, if you feel like you can't focus, if you feel tired all the time and you don't understand why things are happening; take a break, a *real* break. Turn off your phone, and go do something you love. A break doesn't mean doing nothing, a break means to do something that makes you happy with no strings attached, and no judgement. You're not selfish, you're not lazy, and you are not a bad person for needing personal time. We all need that, it's a normal part of being human, and it is just as important as anything else in your life.

And most importantly: talk, reach out, vent — hell, use this post if you need to. Sometimes just talking and feeling seen is enough, and it's how we find community and support for what we go through, especially in this day and age.

Burn-out is rarely treated, but I believe it is both one of the most important things to address in our mental health, and one of the most unnoticed.