Is anyone else just burnt out and exhausted

[Lurcherloves]

Or is it just me. I’m so exhausted at starting to feel low and I have so many good things in my life. I’ve worked relentlessly through the pandemic with an increased workload and have felt overwhelmed for the last year. I can’t take anymore. If I take time off it will just be worse when I get back. Anyone else had this experience of the pandemic? I’m sure nurses and doctors feel this way. I also feel resentful to people who’ve had the year off at the public expense. I know that’s unfair but I’m so tired and fed up.

Yeah. As soon as I qualified in June I started working full time in school and we had quite a few children in. This was fairly chilled, but since September it’s just been crazy and I haven’t worked from home at all. I had so many kids in over lockdown and kids in my bubble with behaviour needs. I genuinely don’t know how I’m going to get through the next few weeks - yesterday I left the house at 6am and didn’t get home until 7:30pm. It’s all relative - I’m sure you’ll have people coming along to say that everyone’s like that blah blah and maybe that’s true, but your feelings are valid.

I think most people who have been furloughed have had financial or job security stress and I’m glad I don’t have that. I’m sure some people have loved it but I would have really disliked being furloughed.

Social worker here and I'm utterly knackered.

However it also turned out I'm b12 deficient so am having the injection for that next week.

Maybe have a blood test to rule out other causes that might add to the fatigue.

As for those who have had the time off I'm jealous of that but not the job uncertainty they've faced. In my line of work I'll always have a job and I'm grateful.

What would you rather had happened to the people who had a ‘year off at public expense’?

You've just described exactly how I'm feeling. But I don't know what to do about it. It just feels endless and relentless and boring and exhausting.

I feel like I want to run away. I won't.

@wtheck that sounds so hard. I just found out I have an autoimmune condition and am anaemic due to it so I totally feel you - it’s literally the hardest thing going in and doing a demanding job whilst also feeling ill every day.

Everyone just needs a holiday 🌞🌴🍹 xx

I’ve never known tiredness like it. I’ve always worked full-time. The kids are out of the baby/toddler/pre-school age so don’t require the constant level of supervision they used to. I’m not physically leaving the house to go to work so my days are shorter. And yet I’m permanently bone-achingly exhausted and feel very low all the time. Really not sure why. Sympathies to you, OP for feeling like this.

It's not really fair to resent people who had no choice in being furloughed. A lot of families have been worried sick about their financial future as well as dealing with all other aspects of a pandemic.

Yup. I work in mental health services and feel exhausted and completely burnt out! As you said, despite having a great life, great supports etc

Yep, I was on the edge before Christmas, my work went crazy the second Boris started closing pubs in March and didn't let up all year. I had 2 weeks off at Christmas which helped, I'm having a week off in June and can feel myself flagging again. Having issues with dd on top of a full on working week, plus none of my usual hobbies being open yet.. it's crap.

Yeah, I'm knackered from working for 8-9 months without a break in a job that didn't stop, I grabbed all the overtime I could because I was furloughed from my original job for 4 months, and went 2 months with no income at all before that, and then made redundant.
The debts accrued had to be paid somehow didn't they.
Glad you resent me for my time on furlough though 👍 would have much preferred the opportunity to keep earning and not end up in this debt to be honest.

I’m exhausted. I’ve just booked two non-school holiday days off, just for me. I’m not telling anyone.I’ve worked all the way though and it has been awful.

@lavenderandwisteria I think a better policy would have been to pay the wages of those people who need to isolate. People I work with continued to come in with symptoms last year because they can’t afford to live on ssp

@lavenderandwisteria

What would you rather had happened to the people who had a ‘year off at public expense’?

I'd like a year off to recover from last year. It was grueling. Burnt out doesn't come close.

One tries not to be resentful of all the WFH/furlough people who were on hand to receive their parcels, not have to take a trip to the sorting office or rebook, or spent hours on inta posting pictures from a sunny back garden.

Some days were more successful than others

I am a full time carer to Ds. This year has been tough with so little support.

Everyone is struggling. It’s not a race to the bottom. Being on furlough is hardly a holiday when it comes accompanied by worries about the security of your job and how you will pay the bills each month because your income has dropped so much.

I think as a nation we are all burnt out now but need to try to support each other not pull others down

I’d like a pay rise, doesn’t mean it will happen.

Oh I was with you until the end! Totally exhausted worked through with a toddler, now pregnant. Feels like I'll never not be tired again. And yes I would've loved paid time off work, but it wasn't all rosy for furlough people I'm sure, I wouldn't want the worry of redundancy. I would like a big holiday though, feel like a month off would be about right!

@lavenderandwisteria, totally get how you are feeling, my work doubled due to the pandemic and I have worked every day since with only Christmas Day off, and for no more money! Was supposed to retire at the end of March, but I am still slogging away. Utterly burnt out and knackered.

But I think there are very few people who haven't been negatively affected, just in different ways. Just keep going, we will get through it somehow

Was there any need for the dig about people who were on furlough? I was furloughed but certainly didn’t ‘have a year off’. Plus many of the people who were really struggled financially and have had to make huge sacrifices. I’m afraid you lost any sympathy with that comment. How dare you.

Thanks for the supportive messages. Let’s hope there’s light at the end of tunnel.
And I don’t suppose I’m right to feel like that about furlough but I’m tired and irrational 😌
@Sailingthroughtheweek I’ve considered that! A day for myself would be amazing

Sorry to hear this, I'm with you. There are a lot of us like this.
It is ok to feel resentful of those on furlough. Don't take the flack from some posters here, feelings are valid.
I'm in tears today due to work, I feel totally unvalued. In the grand scheme of things I know I'm lucky compared to a lot. But as with a previous reply I feel like running away!

Do you have any employee assistance things at work, or people in real life who you can talk to?

Yes yes yes! I even joined the gym because I thought I'd feel much better but I do not. I have started re taking high strength vitamin d and iron again incase I'm low on something. But I actually just think it's life now causing it?

No your not right to feel like that about furlough! No ‘suppose’ about it! I’ve worked since I was sixteen and have paid into the system, like everyone else who was furloughed. It’s what the welfare state is supposed to do, provide a safety net in difficult times. But then maybe you’d have preferred if if we all starved?

I don’t care how tired and irrational you are. It’s been a shit year for everyone. Your tiredness doesn’t trump everyone else’s. Sorry but your post has really angered me!

@TwoAndAnOnion Exactly!!

No it isn’t. A similar comment about benefits claimants would be flamed and rightly so.