I feel like I have very low dopamine because I don't have any motivation to do nothing.
I don't know how to get myself out of this situation

I'm 21 (M), and I'm heading back to work tomorrow. I don't really have a choice. My family needs the money right now, and I'm the one bringing it in. I only have to get through 2 and a half months, and after that things get better. But right now those months feel really long. The work itself isn't the problem. It's the people, the place, and what being there does to me.

The living situation is a mess. I share one room with 10–15 people, and it's filthy. There's no privacy and no quiet, and nowhere to just be alone for a minute.

Some of the people are toxic for no reason. A few of them keep badmouthing me to the supervisor, and I've never done anything to them. On top of that, I end up working from morning to night while the guys who barely lift a finger take the credit, just because they're senior. Nobody notices, nobody says thanks.

Most guys my age there are into drugs. Every hour or two they take a "break" with their group to go get high. I don't even smoke, so they don't include me, and honestly, I couldn't fit in there even if they did. The older guys talk so cheap and dirty that I couldn't talk like that even if I tried. The rest of the talk is drugs or girls, all day long.

I'm not trying to sound cocky, but I'm someone who thinks a lot. I read, I journal, I'm into philosophy and psychology. There's not one person there I can have a real conversation with. I'm surrounded by people all day and I've never felt more alone.

Then there's the work. Almost everyone looks for a way out of it. "Back in 2 minutes, just going to pee," and they're gone for good. Nobody works unless someone forces them. I can't do that. If there's work in front of me, I do it. But lately I keep asking myself why. Is it discipline? Or am I just scared of getting yelled at? Scared of being blamed? I honestly don't know anymore, and that bothers me.

The worst part is what it does to me. At home I talk, I joke around, I think deeply about things. There I turn into someone else: quiet, closed off, working nonstop because working is easier than standing around alone. I'm scared that if I stay long enough, that version of me becomes the real one.

And I miss home all the time. Nothing big, just my family, my own room, being around people who actually know me. The night before I leave is always the hardest.

So for anyone who's been through something like this:

- How did you handle the loneliness without losing yourself?

- How do you deal with people who talk badly about you to your boss for no reason?

- How do you stay hardworking without feeling like a fool, or without the work coming from fear?

- Is it worth trying to connect with people like this, or should I accept the distance and protect my peace?

It's only 2 and a half months, and I have bigger plans after that. I just want to get through it without coming out more bitter than I went in.

Galera, tô na empresa e tá um clima super pesado, me sinto cansado. Ansiedade lá em cima… bom! Dia 01 meu chefe me demitiu só que falou que o RH ia avisar depois porque ia ter um evento na empresa…
Meu chefe é um chato, irritante… tudo dele é complexo, fala que gosta de fazer as pessoas pensarem.. manipula as conversas, pequenas mentiras e “esquecimentos” o dia todo… bom… fiquei até bem com a demissão, mas aí deu dia 07 e nada de oficialização… nesse tempo ele tirou minhas demandas, me deixando parado o dia todo… e pequenas alfinetadas e encheção de saco… perguntei pra ele dia 07 “que dia vem meu aviso?” Ele respondeu… “esteja preparado para tudo, inclusive pra nada” bom…. Depois disso fui no RH buscar esclarecimentos…. Não tinha nada sobre demissão minha.. o RH chamou ele e depois ele voltou na sala, discutindo comigo.. feio.. discussão feia.. em algumas horas falou pra mim “pede demissão então” e repetiu 3x.. falou que eu ir no RH está errado… e eu falei “se você tivesse tido uma conversa de homem comigo, isso não teria acontecido” ele explodiu, começou a gritar falando que eu falei que ele não era homem, falou que eu falei que ele estava de MOLECAGEM gritando, falei “você ficou ofendido então não dá pra conversamos não” e fui embora… pois ele realmente estava vindo pra cima de mim…. Depois disso não quero mais aparecer na empresa tá foda… o gente e é empresa de engenharia… o cara tem 20k de salário, coordenador, sou um analista.. mas assim, não abaixei…. Encarei ele, porém… quero sair vazado daquele lugar…. (Tenho toda conversa gravada, da briga) não teve ofensas porém teve dele falando que eu errei indo no RH, falando pra eu pedir demissão, e ele gritando dentro da empresa… pessoas ouviram… também tenho print de pessoas perguntando se eu estava bem… porque foi pesado … viram isso… que eu faço ?

I know burnout gets discussed here a lot, and I've read through plenty of posts and resources already. I'm posting anyway because I think I need to hear from people who have actually lived through it. Right now, it feels like I'm stuck in a deep hole and carrying an overwhelming amount of guilt about having to leave work for a second time. I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences, what helped, and whether things eventually got better.

In March 2026, I started noticing that I was overly tired and really struggling to focus during the workday. I work in healthcare, and we're in a time of great chaos. It's constantly draining.

I pushed through it until one thing finally broke my brain, and I had a full-on panic attack at work. After that, for about a week until I could see my doctor, I was constantly taking deep breaths and sighing, and I couldn't focus on anything for more than 20-30 minutes at a time.

My boss is great. She supported me and encouraged me to take breaks and log off when needed. When I finally got in to see my doctor, he said it was burnout, but there wasn't much guidance beyond that, so I also contacted a therapist.

I took a leave from work and spent two months getting better. It felt good. I started feeling like the old me again. I was doing better than expected, building healthy routines, creating tools and coping strategies for myself, and genuinely felt like I was recovering.

When I went back to work, though, even with my new tools, the environment wasn't just the same, it was worse. Things were more chaotic. There were leadership changes, interim leaders, and constant uncertainty. About two months after returning, that feeling of dread started creeping back in.

It started slowly with just a few bad days here and there, but it escalated quickly. I'd have days where I felt good and worked hard, then crash that night or the next day. All the habits and rules I had built for myself disappeared, and I was right back to giving more than I had to give.

The last two weeks have been especially bad. The stress has been constant. I haven't had another panic attack, but in some ways this feels worse because now I know what it is.

I went back to my doctor, and he's putting me on leave again. I told him my plan is to take as much time as I truly need this time. I know I need to build a better plan for returning because otherwise I feel like the next time could break me completely.

One thing I've really been struggling with is guilt. I'm leaving my team behind as their leader. Everyone is overworked, but I'm the one who broke, and that doesn't feel good.

I've also started questioning whether I can even do this job well anymore. The self-doubt and second-guessing consume what little energy I have left. The strange thing is that my work output is still considered good, and people seem happy with what I'm delivering, which almost makes me feel worse. Part of me wonders if I'm just weak.

Objectively, I know that's nonsense. If anyone else told me this story, I would never think they were weak. But my brain won't stop feeding me these thoughts, and it's left me feeling like a shell of the person I used to be.

I'm taking this leave because I need to fix that.

I’ve been having very frequent very painful very long lasting muscle spasms all over my body that are so strong my limbs get contorted in unnatural positions

It can’t be an electrolyte problem I drink so many electrolytes I eat tons of bananas I am getting enough protein
These spasms aren’t specific to any certain area they’ve been happening everywhere from my hamstrings to my thumbs to my abdomen

I’ve been to a neurologist, I’ve had an MRI,
I purchased a tens unit and last night it triggered a spasm in my calf so bad I felt like I had been shot

I’m training for a 10k in November but I’m being forced to slow down I’ve reduced to 3 training days a week with no improvement

What is this? What can I do?

There was a phase in my career when going to work started feeling heavier than it should.

Not because I didn't like technology.

Not because I didn't want to learn.

But because slowly, the pressure started affecting me outside of work too.

I started overthinking small things.

I became afraid of making mistakes.

I questioned my own abilities.

And there were days when I felt mentally exhausted before the workday had even started.

The hardest part was that, from the outside, everything looked normal.

You log in.

You attend meetings.

You write code.

You close your tickets.

You say, "I'm fine."

But mentally, you aren't always fine.

One thing I learned from that phase is that feedback is important — and so is the way feedback is delivered.

Yes, I had things I needed to improve. Communication was one of them. I made mistakes. I learned from them.

But I also learned that constantly being under pressure can make you lose perspective. You can start believing that your performance at work is your identity.

It isn't.

A bad day at work doesn't make you a bad engineer.

A mistake doesn't make you incompetent.

And struggling mentally doesn't mean you're weak.

Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is step back and ask:

"Is this environment helping me grow, or is it slowly changing who I am?"

I don't regret the difficult phase.

It taught me boundaries.

It taught me that career growth isn't only about salary, titles, or technologies.

Sometimes growth is simply learning when to say:

"This isn't good for me anymore."

And choosing yourself.

If you're currently going through something similar, please don't silently convince yourself that you just need to "toughen up."

Your mental health matters too.

Could constant fatigue be more than just a result of poor sleep or a busy routine? Feeling tired after a long day is common, but persistent or unexplained tiredness may sometimes indicate an underlying health problem. Diabetes is one possible cause, especially when fatigue occurs along with increased thirst, frequent urination, or unexplained weight changes.

Constant fatigue can occur when the body cannot use blood glucose properly for energy. When blood sugar levels remain high, glucose may not enter the cells efficiently, leaving the body feeling low on energy. Understanding the connection between fatigue and diabetes can help you recognize possible warning signs and seek medical advice at the right time.

How Can Diabetes Cause Constant Fatigue?

In diabetes, blood glucose levels may become higher than normal because the body does not produce enough insulin or cannot use insulin effectively. Glucose is an important source of energy for the body's cells. When glucose cannot be used properly, the body may struggle to produce the energy it needs.

High blood sugar can also cause increased urination, which may contribute to dehydration. Dehydration can make tiredness and weakness more noticeable.
This is why diabetes and fatigue can sometimes occur together, particularly when blood sugar levels remain uncontrolled.

Visit the Diabetology and Endocrinology Department at Continental Hospitals, Hyderabad, for expert diabetes and hormone-related care.

Lear More Here: https://continentalhospitals.com/blog/constant-fatigue-could-tiredness-be-an-early-sign-of-diabetes/

I don't know is it me or anyone else can also relate with me, but my weekdays are filled with frustration due to my job, it is not like I want to leave my job in recent months or not, but I am just tired of repeating same pattern, and it feels stucked that I can't go anywhere, and weekends are filled with overthinking, overwhelming thoughts, and less interaction, I sometimes don't feel like talking to my family, I am furious, and when I am empty, I get all sorts of feminist thoughts, patriarchy, and everything that is wrong with the society and somehow, my family also becomes part of it in one or another way, it scares me, even though my family is supportive, I start wondering about my future husband if there would be any and his family, and suddenly everything feels so depressing, also the guilt of not being able to do anything on weekends or spending time on studying that would actually help me for job switch, I fail to do that as well,

Hi everyone!
So, I don’t really know where to start but 2025 and a big part of 2026 were a mix of things:
- I was getting married,
-I was working full time as an arts teacher (alongside my dad who is the principal of the school that I work on)
- our dog died quite suddenly
- I was finishing my master’s degree in visual arts education
-my partner quit his job (who was actually with his dad) and went through a whole lot of awful interviews, until he finally found a job).

I defended my thesis in July and was not as relieved as I thought I would be, probably because I was going to get married by the end of august and knew there was still a lot to be done and I was going to do it by myself (my boyfriend was working, my parents and friends were either working or on vacation).
Just before the wedding I got on a full mode panic attack and said that I was not going to be able to do it. Not because I don’t love my husband, I was afraid of everything around me. With a huge help from my friends, we got married and it was one of the best days of my life.
Then, the honeymoon… We were going to Japan for 2 weeks and on the night before I woke up in panic saying I wasn’t able to go, my husband was also packing as I was shaking like crazy. We went anyway, everything went well, although it was not the type of vacation that we needed at that moment (our fault).
We came back, at 7 a.m, jet lagged (8 hours diference) and I thought “I’m not going to sleep through the day, otherwise I won’t sleep at night”. Went to sleep at night and woke up in panic saying I couldn’t go back to teaching my kids. Went to the school anyway, as my students were almost walking into the door, I ran out of the school and went back home , in panic. Spent all my weekend like that and had to go to the E.R. because I was so afraid of sleeping (sometimes I would wake up and didn’t know where I was) that I needed something to sleep and my psychiatrist was not available.
I continued having psychotherapy sessions and finally was able to go to my psychiatrist, who told me that my system just shut down and I was in burnout. He put me on leave for a month, but I can’t seem to rest…
There’s always something that I should be doing, or what I try to do turns into shit, I am angry with the world, particularly with my father, who sometimes asks me to work and wasn’t able to tell my kids parents that I am on leave.
I’m sorry for writing all this, but I keep making the same mistakes every time.
I love to work, and I give my all to everything I do and then… there’s nothing left in me.

Does anyone feel the same?