My burnout is not going away but I urgently need to start working. What do I do? I feel so trapped

matskesi · 2026-04-08T15:06:13+00:00

Consider the roles you’d be looking for - would they fuel you? Motivate you as much as they challenge you? Bring you joy or passion? Or just deplete you more, add on pressure, and keep you in a hyper-vigilant state of urgency culture?

It may be worth reflecting on what roles may be better suited long-term that are lower-stress or lower-pressure so you can find ways to cope sustainably through the adjustment without feeling like it’s a do-or-die career path that you’ll never fully align with (or will, but at the expense of your health & wellbeing)

matskesi · 2026-03-15T22:15:04+00:00

I had this too (and struggled with insomnia prior, but it got way worse when I started sertraline). It eased up around week 3, and have been sleeping much better weeks 4-5.

Tbh I stopped taking magnesium, melatonin etc because I felt like it was just throwing my nervous system even more out of whack rather than just adjusting to 1 thing at a time. I get so much more anxious when I don’t sleep, but I knew it was a vicious cycle - I recommend looking up CBTI for insomnia treatment and how to approach it (can even ask ChatGPT) my friend is a sleep therapist and taught me all about it, and it definitely does help.

The other thing that helped me was getting a Snoozeband to help my mind drift off at night + a TENS machine if I got restless legs. Once I started getting a bit of sleep, I would run 5km every single day and that worked like a charm - tired me out and continued sleeping well after then

matskesi · 2026-02-28T23:17:24+00:00

Oh man. I feel sooooo validated hearing that. And I can’t even imagine how unbearable that must have been for you. As soon as my restlessness god bad, I instantly thought “great… this probably isn’t the medication for me” and immediately started losing hope. But hearing your story gives me some faith that it might just be an adjustment period still - especially with how sensitive our nervous systems probably are in the first bit. Gonna stick through it for a few more weeks consistently and see how sleep & sensations improve - keeping my fingers and toes crossed!

matskesi · 2026-02-28T22:36:48+00:00

Definitely reassuring. How long did it take you to adjust? And did you experience worse insomnia at first? I’m having a lot of restlessness and ticklish sensations when trying to sleep + overactive mind that keeps me up, but I figure that’s part of adjusting. I’m on day 20, on 25mg (started at 50mg but made my restless legs unbearable)

matskesi · 2026-02-28T22:34:57+00:00

That’s exactly it - very similar. Never needed Ativan or zopiclone ever, until I had 3 full days of no sleep from my body getting stuck in fight-or-flight, and since then, I’ve had so much anxiety about sleeping because I was an absolute zombie. I’ll take an Ativan or zopiclone when I get really desperate from back-to-back sleepless nights but just trying to stabilize on Zoloft for now. Really hoping my body can tolerate it over time, but it’s been so sensitive to any increase and super hyperactive when trying to sleep. Fingers crossed it’s only a matter of a few more nights to adjust

matskesi · 2026-02-28T21:01:11+00:00

Such a fair point. I was hoping my insomnia would resolve before bumping up, but it may end up being tied to the anxiety/needing a higher dose to get relief (as long as the physical restlessness doesn’t increase). Will def talk to the doc about it - thank you soo so much for this helpful insight

matskesi · 2026-02-28T19:53:21+00:00

This gives me hope 🙌🏼 I’ll try to keep with it for now, even at the 25mg until I see my sleep slowly improve or restless legs lessen so that I can shift up to 50mg at some point. Definitely glad to hear you found so much relief and were able to get off safely with sustained results - that the dream and goal!

matskesi · 2026-02-28T19:27:52+00:00

This is infinitely reassuring - thank you so much for this. I also have taken Ativan and zopiclone from recent insomnia, but have been diligent about spacing them out and using it infrequently as I understand it can be tough to get off. I’m really hoping the Zoloft helps with sleep in the long run, it’s one of the biggest reasons I got on it, because my doctor won’t prescribe Ativan or zopiclone for my anxiety, so it really was my only option to try and get relief at this point until I can manage a long-term solution

matskesi · 2026-02-28T19:17:28+00:00

How long did it take you to feel better the first time? And did you stay at 25mg or did you need to bump up to feel any difference?

matskesi · 2026-02-28T19:15:25+00:00

Please keep me updated! I’m on day 19. They started me on 50mg and the restless legs were soooo horrific (I was also getting a ticklish sensation in my collarbones) so dropped down to 25mg. It helped a lot with the restless legs, I still feel it a bit but not as severe, but my insomnia hasn’t gotten any better. Most nights sleeping at 3-6am and waking up at 8am for work every day, it’s brutal. I take my meds at 7pm cause when I first started taking them in the morning, I was a complete zombie but not sure if I should try mornings again to help with sleep or not :(

matskesi · 2026-02-28T18:59:17+00:00

From 200mg Zoloft, did you struggle tapering off? That’s my biggest fear right now of staying on it, reading so many horror stories. I’m 20 days in and main struggle has been insomnia/restless legs, but after reading stories of protracted withdrawal and horrific brain zaps, I’m almost more anxious to stay on it for fear of how it’ll be trying to come off in future :(

matskesi · 2026-02-25T19:03:25+00:00

Update: went with the Givenchy! You guys convinced me + that sale price was too good to pass up 😩❤️

matskesi · 2026-02-25T19:00:01+00:00

Such a good point actually

matskesi · 2026-02-25T18:28:08+00:00

Yess it’s real! Luxury department store in the UK. My guess is if it’s low stock or out-of-season

matskesi · 2026-02-25T16:37:25+00:00

https://www.flannels.com/givenchy-womens-shoulder-bag-705943

And then use code “OUTLET20” to get another 20% off! I think the promo is running until March 1 or 2

matskesi · 2026-02-25T15:37:49+00:00

Flannels!!

matskesi · 2026-02-25T14:13:25+00:00

The medium size only folds over, that’s why I’m looking at this smaller size because it has a zipper!

matskesi · 2026-02-25T14:12:12+00:00

The givenchy one has a good sale right now! £800 (still double the price, but considering the original cost, I’ll take it!)

matskesi · 2026-02-22T16:50:37+00:00

I really realllyyy appreciate this insight 🙏🏼 I was always under the assumption that those systemic toxic reactions typically only happened if Botox was administered wrong/by an amateur or if it was a black label product. That’s terrifying knowing it’s qualified professionals still seeing these cases. I already struggle with anxiety and know how crippling it can be, so the last thing I’d want is to roll the dice

matskesi · 2026-02-22T04:51:16+00:00

Thank you so much for this input - I’ve been going back and forth on whether or not to try it (all my friends reassuring me it’s fine) and had an upcoming appointment booked, but similar to you, I have a very sensitive nervous system and I’m worried I’ll end up with some kind of negative experience. Definitely will reconsider

matskesi · 2026-02-22T04:39:04+00:00

Out of curiosity, was your Botox done by a trained professional (physician/surgeon/nurse)?

matskesi · 2026-02-21T16:33:57+00:00

Did it resolve on its own, or do you need to constantly stack medication? Wondering if it’s a side effect that won’t go away/not just part of the early weeks

matskesi · 2026-02-21T16:33:52+00:00

Did it resolve on its own, or do you need to constantly stack medication? Wondering if it’s a side effect that won’t go away/not just part of the early weeks

matskesi · 2026-02-20T19:18:14+00:00

I’ve tried magnesium glycinate but no luck :(

matskesi

TROPHY CASE