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When Rest Becomes Avoidance
There’s a fine line between healing and hiding. And I’m on it.
When I first decided to take a break, it was supposed to be temporary. I told myself I needed to recharge, to breathe, to do nothing for a while. I wasn’t wrong. I had earned that pause. But somewhere between the deep exhales and the long afternoons of quiet, something shifted. What began as recovery slowly became avoidance. And I didn’t notice; not at first.
Burnout in Disguise
I was burned out, not just from writing, but from working with people and companies that didn’t fit the life I wanted or the woman I’d become.
For years, I had been saying yes to projects that paid well but cost me peace. I worked hard to meet the expectations of teams that valued urgency over artistry, and speed over soul. My high-paying position as a Senior Creative in tech was the kind of job people brag about, high pressure and high reward. But the glory never felt worth the algorithm.
The longer I stayed, the smaller I felt. And while I can work well under pressure, I didn’t want to. I wasn’t interested in hustling until I dropped or pushing through anxiety just to prove I could.
So, I stopped.
