where's the frying pan

11 Aug 2025

Yesterday I stared into the fridge for longer than I want to admit, looking for the frying pan. So yah...safe to say the stress cocktail I'm on is winning right now.

Stress is no small thing. I care a lot about stress management; I am terrible at it most days, but I try. I have tasted every extreme from short and acute stress to prolonged, unrelenting stress.

There are a lot of really subtle signals your body gives you before the burnout hits, and it takes a lot of effort and energy to listen to those little signals. When they are just early whispers, they are really easy to miss, to disregard, to attribute to lack of sleep, not enough chocolate, a grumpy stranger, or a terrible workplace. Sometimes, though, it's just you, trying to send a message to yourself, to take stock and readjust.

The end of this term is ridiculous for me right now, and there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish what needs to be accomplished. I am trying to hear my own words, though, gleaned from the burnout and the missed signs of past experiences. What have those moments taught me, and how can I get better at listening?

So take this post as a gentle nudge from an internet stranger, hoping that you don't get swept up in the "hurry up and go" messaging of society that wants to keep you distracted from hearing the subtle cues your body is sending you. There's a lot of stress going around for all of us these days. May you not get stuck staring into the fridge, looking for frying pans.

Here's an article on New Directions in Burnout Research if you are interested.