Going On a Mental Health Break
You should try it!
Just a quick note to say I haven’t forgotten about you! I’ve been experiencing physical symptoms of anxiety recently. Like the regular kind, but now with chest tightness and a side of sad! Fun times! It’s actually gotten so bad I found myself missing the numbness of depression this week. No bueno!
I believe this is my body telling me that I need to take a break from as much as I feasibly can and allow myself some restorative time to heal (or at least lose the chest tightness and connect with a therapist).
Taking a break is hard to do as a freelancer, especially if you do not have my immense privilege of a two-income household situation.
I’m actually writing an article about this today, which is due tomorrow. Ironically, this piece — one that I thought I was uniquely suited to write, hahahaha, #funnynotfunny — has been a huge source of stress because I had so much trouble connecting with sources for it. Does this speak to a culture of silence around mental health within freelancing? Or the fact that everyone is too terrified to take a break because it means missed opportunities? Both?
Signing off for now…