The Great Fuel Gauge of Fruitloop World
I haven’t quite been myself lately. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been walking around, pacing the floors, and mulling things over in my head like a detective trying to solve a mystery: What on earth happened?
It’s the strangest feeling. I don’t feel lazy—in fact, my brain is shouting that I want to do everything—but my physical body is staging a total sit-in. The energy tank is completely, unequivocally empty. I’ve been dutifully swallowing my vitamins and trying to sleep, but the joy has temporarily left the building. I haven’t found any pleasure in reading, watching a movie, or definitely not cleaning. Everything has just felt like a massive mountain of pressure.
So, I put my detective hat on and looked at the evidence. Is it stress? Do I just need a tropical holiday? Or is it something a bit bigger? Diagnosis: I am officially burning out.
The Lifesuckers and the “Man Flu”
Lately, I’ve made a few decisions that didn’t just affect me and my family; they completely hijacked my routine, my work, and my happiness. It’s been actively sucking the life out of me like a corporate vampire. To make matters worse, I realized I haven’t seen or even spoken to my friends in ages because I simply didn’t have the time or the mental headspace to do so. I had stopped being a Fruitloop and accidentally turned into a pale yellow Cheerio.
And then, because the universe loves excellent comedic timing, the flu arrived.
Let me tell you, this wasn’t just a regular sniffle. This was man flu. You know, the kind of illness that turns a fully grown, independent man (in my case woman) into an absolute baby where everything in life just completely sucks.
The doctor’s orders were simple: Rest. Sleep. Stay in bed. (Easy enough, right?) Take your medicine. Eat. (Except I’m not even hungry and couldn’t care less what’s for dinner). Drink more water. (My soul screamed for a hot, life-giving coffee for energy, but fine, water it is). Stay warm. (I’m trying!).
Enter the Household Hero
With my energy levels sitting at a permanent zero, I had no choice but to surrender. In between my essential meetings, I’ve just been sleeping.
Thankfully, my husband has stepped up and completely conquered the household. He has taken over the chores, cooked the meals, cleaned the kitchen, and single-handedly faced down the laundry mountains. He brings me my coffee, checks in on my breathing (yes, I am still alive), and has just been a wonderful husband.
Last night, I finally got so tired of lying down that I decided to wash the dishes just to feel human. And as I stood there, it hit me. My body has been flashing warning signals at me, my check engine light is glowing bright yellow, for weeks: too much pressure, too much stress. At this point, my health is way more important than an item on a to-do list, because I am heading down a dangerous road.
We’ve been mulling over our community theme for this month—Rest—and I had a sudden epiphany: I don’t actually know how to rest. I take short breaks, sure, but I never actually switch off and clear my mind. To truly rest means to calm the mental circus. Burnout doesn’t just go away with a good night’s sleep; it requires a strategic lifestyle intervention.
The 12-Step Fruitloop Resurrection Plan
I’ve been here before, and I know exactly what I did wrong. I took on too many tasks, I stopped having fun, and I stopped making time for myself. It’s time to fix it. I am only one person, and the world will not collapse if the laundry skips a day or if dinner is just sandwiches.
Here is my official, non-negotiable game plan to get my groove back:
- Kick this flu’s butt – Recover and get better first.
- Survive the school holidays – Just one week to go!
- Restart the rhythm – Get back to waking up earlier and sleeping earlier.
- Plan ahead – Get a handle on dinners and routines so there’s no daily panic.
- Drink my coffee in absolute peace and quiet.
- Read more books – And actively avoid social media for a while.
- Go for walks – And once winter passes, maybe start running or cycling again.
- Stop trying to do everything – See point above: I am one person!
- Reclaim the weekends – Do things I actually enjoy.
- Set my own boundaries – Learn to say “no” like a pro, this is not easy.
- Make money and save it.
- Go on a real holiday.
Recover, recuperate, learn how to rest. Learn to share my stress.
If I am being completely honest, I do not talk about my feelings or what is going on inside with me. Why? Because it is not easy to admit, and it is definitely not easy to work through it. I have always been the one to take care of everyone else, completely forgetting about myself. I lose myself in the process, but it’s because I always want to do my best, be the best, show what I am truly capable of, and be the “strong one.”
Life throws curveballs. Things don’t work out, and we are left to fix them. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s incredibly difficult, and the stress feels like it never truly ends.
But we can find other ways to deal with the stress. It just takes some time, a bit of patience, and deep focus. Of course, when you are burning out with absolutely zero energy, focus is something that doesn’t even exist. But we try anyway.
I’ve realized that I am the only one who can save myself at this point. Before I can take care of everyone else in the ecosystem, I need to put on my own oxygen mask. No guts, no glory—but also, no rest, no Fruitloop!
But for now, the dishes can wait, my husband did the laundry and I will watch the birds for a while.
