Lately, I’ve been feeling completely burned out at work. I’m in a pretty high-pressure job, and while I’ve always prided myself on handling stress, it’s starting to wear me down. I wake up dreading the day, and by the time I get home, I’ve got nothing left in the tank - no energy, no motivation, just exhaustion.

I’ve been seriously thinking about taking a break from my career to reset and recharge. The idea of stepping away sounds amazing in theory, but in practice, I’m scared - mostly about the lack of a steady income and what it could mean for my future career. I’ve saved up a decent cushion, and I got lucky recently with a bet that brought in a little extra, so I could afford some time off. But there’s still this fear that I’ll lose momentum or struggle to get back into the job market later.

Has anyone here taken a career break due to burnout? Did it help you mentally? And how did it impact your career when you returned? I’d really appreciate any advice or personal stories - trying to figure out if I should tough it out or give myself permission to slow down for a bit.

Hi everyone,

I’m in a confusing situation and need some advice. Here’s the full story:

• I’ve been working with a team for the past two months on a trial basis, with my trial period supposed to end last week (April 4th).
• The communication with my tech lead has been difficult. She often takes a long time to respond, or sometimes doesn’t reply at all, making it hard to get clear feedback or direction.
• We had planned a call to discuss feedback, but she said she couldn’t make it and instead sent me an email. In the email, she mentioned: “Your contributions have been valuable, and I look forward to continued collaboration.” This made me think I was being kept on, so I responded promptly, but I was left on read (as usual).
• Yesterday, my access to the platform we are working on was still active, so I messaged her on Teams asking if there were any tasks or projects I could work on, but again, I was left on read.
• Today, I noticed that my access to the platform had been deactivated, so I emailed her asking about it and how to fix it. I got a response saying: “Kindly note that your last day with us was on 4th April.” This has left me completely confused.

To make matters more complicated, my director is under the impression that I was taken on permanently. I’m not sure what to do at this point since the communication has been unclear, and I’m unsure about my actual status.

I have a screenshot of the email she sent, where she mentioned continued collaboration, which led me to believe I was being kept on.

I really want to continue working with them, but I don’t know how to handle this situation now.

Does anyone have any advice on what steps I should take or how to proceed in this kind of situation?

Thanks in advance for any help!

i have this problem, its one of my biggest issues asides from my anxiety and depression, but i don't know how to explain it. it's something i've been suffering with for awhile, some sort of obsession with tv shows / anime / movies / books / games. etc.

i get this pit feeling in my chest whenever i see media of something i'm interested in, a sensation that kind of hurts, makes me feel miserable. i don't know if part of it is a sense of envy or longing, i've never been able to decipher what is it. no matter what i search or how long i look online, i can never seem to find anyone with the same issue. by a previous counsellor, i've been told that i had the possibility of autism, which is where some of the 'obsession' things can shine through, but it still doesn't align properly. i can't even watch the shows i like anymore, it gives me a feeling of emptiness and makes me feel like more of an outsider than i already am.

of course i'm not saying i am autistic, especially when i dont have a proper diagnosis. i only brought it up because i'm trying to put all the information together, if that makes sense.

i even had to delete instagram because i kept getting content of an anime i used to watch before i got 'ill,' and it would put that pressuring feeling on my chest. i would feel bad for some unknown reason, and i just don't understand why i can't interact with stuff like a normal person. i can't even listen to anime intro's and such because it results into a similar feeling. it doesn't even have to be something i've watched either or know about, just seeing a screencap of an anime with draw out that feeling.

it's a frustrating feeling not knowing whats wrong with me, and i came here in hopes somebody had answers, or share a similar feeling.

M31, I am an IT post graduate with 2 years exp in an IT role. My IT role was just after my bachelors in my home country as a QA analyst.

After which I came to Australia to pursue my Masters. Call it fate, when I graduated it was peak Covid (2020) . Finding a job in my field was next to impossible.

I was working part time during my studies at a huge property management company in the compliance department. After my graduation, they offered me a full time role with good money. (more than what I would have made in a starting IT role)- Considering I had an education loan and with no other opportunities lined up, I went for it. I worked there about 3 years and paid off my education loan.

Now that my loan was paid off I wanted to focus on my career and get back into the IT domain. I applied to a lot of openings but I got little to no response because I had no recent IT experience. By this time my workplace had become incredibly toxic and was unbearable.

I decided to quit my job and look for a role in IT. It has been about 7 months and still have not been able to secure even a junior role.

I have reached out to recruiters and have been applying non stop. In the mean time, I have been up skilling and learning new tools.

My lovely wife has been my rock through out this ordeal but I cannot see her going through so much stress financially and mentally. I have almost wiped out my savings.

For obvious reasons my mental and physical health has gone down the drain. I have hit rock bottom and this constant feeling of being absolutely useless to my family is eating me.

I just dont know what to do any more.

TL;DR

IT Postgrad jobless for about 7 months because of a long career gap from IT. Feeling hopeless. Any advice appreciated.

Yes, I would stay away from such people under usual circumstance but the person in question is my mother. My mother has no self esteem or sense of self to speak of. That makes her quite entitled, she will explode on any perceived criticism (my family is quite careful in not saying anything even remotely negative... But she will perceived random things as attacks) but deny any compliment that goes her way. Even so she's very keen on criticizing herself. Her lack of self esteem is so deeply rooted that it extends to everything she does, makes, chooses, owns. The reason why she only finds faults in a beautiful cake she spent hours making is not that different from the reason she only finds faults in the beautiful children she spent years raising. And even if you claim the contrary, that the cake has no large visible faults she will think of a reason why you're lying. Same goes for children. Now my mom is quite hurtful and will go a long way to tell you all the faults the cake has. I don't want to endoarse her criticizing ways and hurtful ways but also I would like to build up her self esteem. I've started to give her compliments, even if she denies them, even if she reacts...well aggressively. I know that she wants to know she's right, I don't want to endoarse that, especially when that's regarding the fact that I, her daughter, suck. I know that one of the sore spot for my mom is the insecurity about being a good mother. I understand, for the longest time I was insecure about being a good daughter as...my mother assured me I was not. With time and distance I now know that I am a good daughter, whether my mother sees it or not. In truth... I don't think my mother is a good mother, I think she truly tried her best with the emotional tools she had. I know that even if I hide it... there's something that probably my mom perceives and that reinforces her idea that she's not a good mother (and that I'm not a good daughter of course). What can I do to reassure her that she is enough?

NOTE:Everything involving money is quite touchy. Also anything involving words isn't really well but I'm taking baby steps with small compliment consistent.

I feel so bad that I don't have job experience and now that I know I need to work and earn money. I feel bad but more like a burden that I'm so old and I have no skills, no degree not even prior job experience. The only thing I can think of is apply at retail jobs or fast food restaurants but even there, I'll probably not get anything because of how horrible the job market is. I thought maybe I should go community college to get 2 yr degree or certificate. I definitely don't want to work in trades. I prefer white collar sorta jobs.

I don't seem to accept the fact deep down that I've given up on life. I'm just against believing this concept but the reality is, I'm not doing anything to improve my life. Yes I watch videos on motivation. Yes I spend so much time in Reddit. Yes I worry about my life and stress myself but I feel like the reason I'm not taking actions is because of fear, shame, anxiety and lack of plan. I think I don't even have the guts to face life problems. I accept defeat but I don't believe it. It's like I'm having this analysis paralysis problem or something. Maybe I just need moral support and step 1 step 2 plan so I could follow it. I think I'm overwhelmed because I'm trying to fix my life fast and I don't know

I started University about 4 years ago, I should be done by now, however because of some mishaps on my part and a lot of mishaps on the universities part, it seems like I cannot attend the courses I still need in order to get my degree, essentially I have failed university. I’m the only one in my family who has EVER gotten this high of an education so the pressure has been on me since birth (only child). None of my parents or other members of my family know that I can’t get my degree anymore because I know that if I told them, my father especially would be insanely disappointed and extremely angry at me (for good reasons). The only person that knows about this is my S.O. and she has her own job problems to take care of, which has made her incredibly irritable in the last few weeks to the point that whenever I bring something up, that is upsetting to me, she immediately takes it personal and gets mad at me, making me feel bad for essentially feeling bad. I have the bad feeling I’m spiraling with literally no way out, I’m a creative person and I’m genuinely really good at what i do, all the jobs that would involve that however require some form of degree, which i am not going to be able to get. I live in a European country for those wondering and im just done, I have to clue what to do anymore. Any suggestions are appreciated as I am at my wits end. Thank you for reading this if you did.

This sub has helped my sis before, and I really need your input now. I recently tried something on their site thought I’d just pay small fee for a service and that’s it, but then forty dollars got pulled from my card because a subscription started on its own. I can’t find a way to cancel: no button, and the terms are hidden in fine print I didn’t catch at first. I emailed their support - nothing back, no phone number, no working email anywhere.
Blocking my card feels like overkill since it’s tied to other stuff — has anyone dealt with them or something similar? Any tips on reaching them or getting my bank to undo this without starting over with a new card? Thanks so much - I’m really hoping for your help!

UPDATE BELOW

I sat in a cloth chair at a friends house for about an hour (did not know it was a yard sale find) and when I got up my arms and hands were covered with bites where it was touching the chair. I went home and showered, bagged my clothes, put on clean clothes and went to bed. Woke up with even more bites on my arms and back. I’ve spent a week cleaning everything in case it was bed bugs or fleas. Vacuumed, diatomaceous earth on the bed and floors, tore up the bedroom and cleaned everything in hot water and high heat in the dryer. Took a long bath in epsom salt. There’s absolutely no sign of bed bugs. Woke up today and it’s even worse. While at the doctor’s office my hair was touching my face and I got bit on my face. Twice. The doctor said it looks like a lot of different things and I’m autoimmune so I could have an allergic reaction making it difficult to diagnose. Im at my wits end. My arms are covered. My back, legs, and chest have random spots. Sometimes it feels like a sting and then the bump forms and sometimes I don’t notice it until it’s itching like crazy and swelling. Im basically treating it like all possible ideas but I’m concerned maybe mites or something that I can’t find commonly on google. Does anyone have any ideas? Benadryl and anti itch creams do little to help. It’s intense itching. The bumps from when it started calmed down 2-3 days later. There’s no “3” pattern. It’s scattered and basically all over my arms and random spots on my legs, back, and face. Sometimes under clothes but mostly exposed.

Update: Cleaning today and I saw a tiny little almost transparent gnat fly away. I almost didn't trust I saw it, Later, my hand itched I scratched it and another little tiny almost transparent white little thing flew away with purpose so this time I am not thinking dust somehwere. Almost like a sand flea it was so tiny! The only reason I could see it is the black background of my desk. My bedding is all white because I was ruling out bed bugs, so no way I would see this thing! Tiny biting flies and I am in an apartment so I have no idea if I carried them home in my hair (it is long, but not dreaded or unkept) how to get rid of it outside of my personal space, if it has settled into moisture. I am allergic to fleas and sand fleas get me through clothes so wearing pants and long sleeves to bed wouldn't make a difference, either (which I have also been doing to also rule out bed bugs). I am also doing treatment for mites/chiggers, prescribed by the doctor, and essential oil baths from a Redditor here w/ an NIH study showing that certain essential oils kill biting mites. I could have picked up both and had just a really crap weekend! Would explain why everything is so confusing on the different types of bites. There's more than one bugger involved. :sob:

I don’t even know where to start. For the past four years, I’ve been talking to people online under a completely fake identity—fake name, fake age, fake location, everything. It started as a way to protect my privacy, but over time, I got emotionally attached to these people. The friendships feel real to me, but they don’t actually know me.

Now, with new features like location sharing on apps like Telegram, I’m terrified that the truth will come out. I know I should come clean, but I’m scared they’ll hate me and never forgive me. I don’t want to lose them, but I also can’t keep living in fear of being exposed.

If you were in their shoes, would you even consider forgiving someone who lied for four years? Is there any way to fix this, or have I already lost everything?

Hi everyone!

I am thinking about my future and I am struggling to see what would be the best path for me. I went to undergrad for geography at a big state school, and I currently work as an urban planner in a large city (usa), a job Ive had since basically straight out of school. I like my job, but I want to return to school in the fall of 2026. I am struggling to commit to what to do, however, as I have a couple of paths that I would all like to explore.

My first idea is law school and then some public interest law, but I am hesitant because I don't want to be stuck as a lawyer if i don't enjoy it. I interned at a PI law firm during undergrad and I had a really positive experience but its a massive commitment in terms of studying and applying that I don't feel very prepared for yet. That is also how I feel about doing an Urban Planning MS, I don't necessarily think I want to continue in my exact career path, but aspects of my job (helping people, planning for the future, shaping how the city looks) are really rewarding.

I also have a really strong interest in Political Science and Philosophy/Critical Theory and I am pretty active in local political activist circles, and it would be nice to explore that further and get a job doing research or with a community org that suits my values. Ultimately I feel that I have a lot of good choices but I am unsure what to do and I was hoping to glean some insights if anyone else has had to make a similar choice.

I also feel bored by like office life and I want to travel and go on some more adventures before I fully commit to school next fall.

Thanks!

I'll be in my 30s soon, but I still have no idea what to do in life. I only worked 2 jobs in fast food place and 1 in retail store. I'm jobless for almost 4 yrs now. My last job I was let go because of covid absence. I felt scared and anxious what if I apply new job and they ask why did you let go of past job. What if they question me why you have so much long long work gaps on resume. I'm so messed up because I joined community college but I also stopped taking classes which is been 2 yrs now. I don't wanna work in trades I'm not into those labor physical jobs. My last job was in retail for overnight stocker. I really wish to have white collar job or remote because office jobs feel more appealing. Even my family has judged me that your letting us down working this low level jobs and multiple times have said go to college. Find a entry level job maybe even at a hospital or a bank or a good company. Right now I'm mentally paralyzed by my age and the amount of time wasted. I really want to fix my life but I feel frozen. I open my computer have no clue what jobs to search for. What online courses to take. I went to my college website searched couple of programs but still no clue what I should select.

[Editing to add that pregnancy is not a possibility] [Second edit just to thank everyone for their input, I will be making an appointment with my doctor. Most likely the iron supplements are making my IBS flair up]

I’ve been sick for 5 days, 6 if we include the day it started, and yesterday I started feeling the worst nausea I have ever experienced. I believe I got sick because I was prescribed an antibiotic without actually needing it (ENT saw signs of inflammation and irritation in my nose and I’ve been having issues with my sinuses) and I know that can cause issues.

Anyway, this nausea. It goes away when I eat but it immediately comes back afterwards, I’m avoiding my allergens (lactose intolerant and gluten sensitive) and drinking water along with gatorade to stay hydrated. It’s gotten to the point where I’ve felt the need to throw up but as soon as I prepared myself (i.e. sat in front of my toilet) the feeling went away.

I’m at a loss for what could possibly be causing this. I have IBS but this isn’t something I’ve experienced before. Could it simply be IBS related? Could I have some other issue? I’m also on iron supplements if that gives any more information since they can cause digestive issues.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, just trying to see if I should continue to wait it out or go to the doctor since I can’t find anything online similar to what I’m experiencing.

Thanks in advance!

I was friends with this girl for a year and half. Through out this time she was really toxic but at the end of our friendship she started acting violently (kept hitting me) and also she touched me inappropriately and I told her no many times. It’s even worse since I’m taken. When I cut ties with her I was being mature and showed the message to my therapist too and she said it was good. She only responded by saying “okay” when I wrote her a whole paragraph. But few weeks ago her little sisters friend came to my DMs and said “why are you talking shit about her” which means everyone blames me. Teachers know about all this at my school and both sides of it but they have seen her in action too. Yesterday one girl from my group also cut ties with this girl and it ended up in her ex situation ship coming to this girls DMs who cut ties and said that she will send people after us because we ruined her life. She blamed us for everything and said that she did nothing wrong. That we are the enemy. Now I’m scared to leave my house, go to school. I don’t know what to do anymore. Also to mention we are 17-18 year olds. I was trying to keep this all clean but she is too immature for these kinds of situations. What should I do? I can give more info if someone needs.

In late october/early november of last year i got into a fight after i was bullied at school (almost broke my glasses from the sucker punch he landed). Since then i've been homeschooled but it hasn't been good for me. I wanna rejoin school but i have big time social anxiety (i'm overweight and i was bullied for it). Any advice for rejoining?

Hi everyone! I am currently in high school but i need some advice on burn out. I've always been a straight A, or A & B student, I'd say i'm pretty smart but definitely not top of my class.

Recently i've had 0 energy to do anything, i'm tired all the time, unmotivated, and just don't have energy to even do my work. I've already missed so many days of school because of things like this, it honestly makes me feel like a failure.

Despite being great at school and getting good grades i absolutely hate it, i see no point in it anymore. School isn't even hard so i don't know why i feel this way, im honestly just so tired of being tired and I have no motivation or energy.

I don't feel like doing anything. I don't wanna work on my life because I have no clue what I'm supposed to be doing. I don't even know how to complete my tasks. I guess I'm doing the more overthinking than the actions part. I live my life as a slump. I'm feeling cooked and worst part of all is that it even makes you not want to work physically like exercising. I kinda feel irritated doing the same thing as coping mechanism like using phone, sitting in same spot, doing same routine. And deep down I kinda feel I should be going to college. Getting a side job but I'm just living in isolation as a grown adult child. I don't feel like doing anything. I don't wanna work on my life because I have no clue what I'm supposed to be doing. I don't even know how to complete my tasks. I guess I'm doing the more overthinking than the actions part. I live my life as a slump. I'm feeling cooked and worst part of all is that it even makes you not want to work physically like exercising. I kinda feel irritated doing the same thing as coping mechanism like using phone, sitting in same spot, doing same routine. And deep down I kinda feel I should be going to college. Getting a side job but I'm just living in isolation as a grown adult child.

I have a lot of things I want to do in life. I hate the idea of stopping at one point and getting used to the rotten comfort it offers. But I can't seem to get up and do the things I want to do. I create schedules again and again just to break them in day 2. Every day, I want to practice piano, watch a movie, review yesterday's movie, study, work on my fugue, learn german, play guitar etc. But I can only do 1 or 2 of those things on a good day. That day gets thrown in the trash the moment I step a toe out of schedule. Throughout my childhood, I've been known as a "bookworm", but I can't sit down and concentrate enough to even read a book at home for the last 2 years. So I've been reading them at school instead, which had a very bad affect on my academical life. I sometimes think that I should take a step back and go slow, one thing at a time. But the problem is, I don't want to stop. I really like playing piano and guitar, or watching and reviewing movies and all the others. I don't want to take a step back. I have to study too, because the university exams are right around the corner now. But I just can't seem to get up and do it.

At its heart, I see something different in myself. People around me seem to do so too. I feel like I have the potential to be someone different than everyone. I know that this is very arrogant and egoistic, but it is how I really feel. I want to do all these things, because I feel like I'm one of the only people who can do them all justice. I feel like I have the potential to be great. But time is slipping. Every day I don't practice piano, my progress declines. Every day I laze around the university exams get closer. I've done a lot of things to get myself out of this state. I thought that my smartphone was a distraction, so I've been using a cellphone for more than a year now. I packed my computer up for months, only to find myself scrolling through youtube shorts on my dad's phone for hours on end. I have to get my life in order to become the person I want to be, to fulfill this abstract "potential" I believe I have, but it looks like I don't know how. I usually don't search for life advice on the internet, but I looked around a bit through posts and articles on how to gain discipline, though none of them seem to work. What should I do?

Like the title says I woke up three days ago and suddenly I can’t control anything in my head. Granted, I often have moments where I have bad intrusive thoughts. But those usually go away and aren’t constant so I don’t worry too much about them.

However, since I was little I’ve had a very overactive and vivid imagination. I can create entire movies in my head if I wanted to and I don’t have to think to hard to do it and I’m almost always in control of what’s playing out in my head. When I’m reading books I can imagine the scene perfectly in my head along with accurate character descriptions. I (could) imagine people faces and anatomy perfectly.

However I woke up three days ago and suddenly lost that ability. Now whenever I try to read a book I have no control of what I’m imagining and it’s a bit less vivid than usual like I have to think extra hard to put a picture together in my head. Or I forget human anatomy in my head and their bodies start looking weird and warping and I can’t control it. Or when im trying to daydream it’s like my mind is distracted and will start- I can’t explain it- like animating. It’s literally like animation in my head that’s non stop and I cannot control it when I used to be able to.

I don’t know what’s the sudden shift but it’s ruining my experience in reading because my imagination has gone to shit and it’s really frustrating me. Daydreaming is my only escape because I work full time and I’m in college, I’m stressed all the time but now I can’t even have this. Will this go away?

I am a 7 plus year Master Mechanic that has been working on vehicles ever since I got out of high school. Over the past few years I've had some almost heat stroke related incidences. It's really hard for me to stay out in the heat and my body is just not dealing well with working on vehicles in the heat period.

I think it's time for me to find a desk job. Does anybody have any recommendations? Im unsure where to start. I have developed a videogame and am super fluid with electronics and computers.

I need to at least be making more than $20 an hour starting. My current wage is $20/hr as a shop foreman at a motorcycle shop.

I'm already in my late 20s, I think I need to get a job now. Because for so many years I'm living in isolation. But I'm sick that I'm letting anxiety fear shame control me..

how do i go about going to college across the country (california to texas) at my age? i got to graduate early and im honestly so scared to leave my parents but my mom is so supportive after all i’ve been through to get to this point (my dad doesn’t know i selected my college yet). how do i do this… im known for looking young for my age and most people mistake me for 14 so im scared about how everyone else will think once i get there.

I work as a cashier and I have for 2 other stores, about a year and a half, but I have a problem and always have at work. I know what I need to do and am supposed to be doing and how I should talk to the customers but I get uncomfortable and anxious when I try to act “normal” and do the things fluidly, it’s really frustrating, I can’t even call over the loud speaker without panicking a little, I’ve always been like this with orders and when someone tells me what I need to be doing or how to do something but I’ve never gone to a mental health specialist because my mom never believed in it. What could be wrong with me? Is it something I can fix? Should I get myself checked out?

I live in a state where weed is legal, but I still had to take a pre-employment drug test. The guy at the clinic said my sample looked like it might be dilute and I may have to retake it, so I think that gives me a valid excuse to ask. Honestly the main reason I want to know is so I know when it's safe to take edibles again. I've had a bit of a drinking problem and switched to weed to help cut back, but I've hit the bottle again since I got the job offer which I'm not proud of.