Dear reader,
These times and due to the whole quarantine situation, I come across a lot of “motivational content”. I have absolutely nothing against that content as I produce it myself but I would like to clarify something with you (and with myself). Most of these posts and videos teach you that you should be as productive as possible and tell you that being at home is no excuse not to be “your best self”. However, if I think the fact that these videos teach discipline to be great, I think it to be sad that (almost) none of them talk about burn-out.
We are stuck at home 24/7 (in France, at least) and we are told from morning to night to be “productive”. It is true that you can’t thrive by sitting on a couch eating chocolate all day long, you can, however, live a balanced life that involves both work and chocolate. You guys know I am all about balance in everything (or at least, I try to live a balanced life myself even though it is a tough process) and I think it is necessary, especially those days.
You are taught to be “disciplined”, I am told to be “disciplined” but “discipline” does not mean “burning yourself out”. “Discipline” means that you can be at home and still stick to a schedule and do tasks. However, working at all hours of the day (and night), not having enough sleep and eating poorly is not discipline, it is nonsense. Being in quarantine is hard enough, isn’t it? The truth is that we do not know what will happen next, but we do not have to burn ourselves out, that is for sure. We are uncertain, we want to “have control” as much as possible, but the best way to feel good is not to “have control” in this totally uncontrollable situation. The best way to feel good is to live a balanced life.
I hope this post helps you see that there is a middle-ground between being a potato and being a mad-workaholic. You can just be you. You can just live and enjoy it, it is still an option you have.
Lots of love,
TABOULOT Camille
The English-speaking Frenchie 