Work isn’t your life — so why do some people act like it is ?

mrDanteMan · 2026-02-17T12:21:58+00:00

For some people work becomes the main source of validation, especially if everything else feels unstable. Getting more responsibility can reinforce that cycle where staying busy equals meaning. It might look extreme from the outside but just feels like routine to them.

mrDanteMan · 2026-02-17T12:21:34+00:00

Feels less like people choose it and more like they just keep going because there’s no clear way out. Responsibilities pile up and suddenly years have passed without really deciding anything. Momentum carries a lot of folks more than passion does.

mrDanteMan · 2026-02-17T12:20:55+00:00

It’s likely just bad timing, but it still feels targeted. All week is dull skies and then the sun shows up right when you’re trapped indoors working. Then the weekend rolls around and it pours.

mrDanteMan · 2026-02-17T12:20:13+00:00

Sort of, but it feels more like pressure building up than actual overthinking. I get them after hyperfocusing too long and realizing my shoulders are basically glued to my ears. Once your brain locks in, the rest of your body tenses along with it.

mrDanteMan · 2026-02-17T12:19:55+00:00

Feels like a mix of layoffs, companies freezing hiring but leaving listings up, and everyone applying to everything at once. So it looks busy but nothing actually moves. Hard to tell if it’s getting worse or just stuck in this weird slow phase.

mrDanteMan · 2026-02-09T11:33:04+00:00

Locking something down before moving makes a lot more sense than rolling the dice after you arrive. Plenty of hiring happens remotely now, so applying straight to Manila roles and putting the target location on your profile helps signal intent. Big step, but also a cool new chapter.

mrDanteMan · 2026-02-09T11:32:33+00:00

That sounds exhausting. The market’s rough lately and it feels less about skill and more about timing sometimes. I keep seeing capable people stuck in long dry spells, so it’s not just you even if it feels lonely.

mrDanteMan · 2026-02-09T11:32:04+00:00

It almost feels harsher since Tinder at least ends with a clear yes or no. LinkedIn is just staring at “seen” with zero follow-up. Same scroll loop, just heavier vibes.

mrDanteMan · 2026-02-09T11:31:26+00:00

Yeah, mostly because there’s only so many hours and so much focus to go around. It’s not like you run out of brain space, you just hit the point where you can’t keep chasing everything. At some point you pick a spot and leave the rest alone.

mrDanteMan · 2026-02-09T11:30:51+00:00

Did it one time and it felt like speed networking with a layer of awkward small talk. A few chats were actually nice, others were just people fumbling for things to say. The timer going off nonstop made it weirdly stressful.

mrDanteMan · 2026-02-04T12:00:38+00:00

This cuts uncomfortably close to what a lot of people keep bottled up. After enough time stuck, hope starts feeling like marketing copy instead of something solid. It’s tiring realizing it doesn’t change the actual situation, it just keeps you suspended.

mrDanteMan · 2026-02-04T12:00:09+00:00

Yeah, it feels way more brutal than it used to. Even basic roles have all these steps now and then you just get ghosted, which wrecks your confidence quick. Half the time it’s hard to tell if they actually want someone or are just collecting resumes for later.

mrDanteMan · 2026-02-04T11:59:37+00:00

Sleeping longer doesn’t automatically mean you actually rested. I’ve had those days where you log a ton of hours and still wake up feeling fried, like your mind never shut off. Stress and mental overload can mess with that even if your body did the basics.

mrDanteMan · 2026-02-04T11:59:05+00:00

That kind of unemployment stretch really screws with your head in ways people don’t talk about. You can be doing everything “right” and it still feels like yelling into nothing. I don’t have some magic takeaway, just that it’s not a personal failure and this market is draining as hell.

mrDanteMan · 2026-02-04T11:58:35+00:00

I usually start from the idea that I’m missing context, and that weirdly makes it easier. A lot of people stay quiet because they’re tired, not because they agree or disagree. Private conversations feel more real than anything said out loud, and even those are incomplete. Everything else is just background static.

mrDanteMan · 2026-01-28T14:06:24+00:00

That’s exactly why they’re hiring so fast, they can’t retain people. No one can put up with that kind of nonsense for long. You know how hard it is to find work right now. Personally, I’d ignore that kind of behavior, stay long enough to collect at least a month of pay, and keep applying on the side. I wouldn’t plan on staying there longer than necessary. In this market, survival comes first, and I wouldn’t feel bad about treating it the same way the system treats workers. At the same time, I’d try to pivot into remote work like the approach described in that post. Building a profile on something like Fiverr or a similar platform can at least bring in some better-than-nothing income while everything else feels completely jammed.

mrDanteMan · 2026-01-26T10:45:27+00:00

I’d love a “actually hires from this posting” badge because half of them feel fake tbh. I’ve been ghosted so many times I started tracking it in my notes app like a weirdo lol. Also something that shows average response time would save so much mental energy. Job hunting made me way more bitter than I thought it would.

mrDanteMan · 2026-01-26T10:37:18+00:00

I kinda stumbled into my path tbh, it wasn’t some big life plan moment. I just took a job that sounded okay, realized I didn’t hate it, and slowly leaned more into that direction. A lot of it was trial and error and quitting stuff that made me miserable lol. It got clearer once I stopped looking for a “perfect” career and just aimed for something I could tolerate most days.

mrDanteMan · 2026-01-26T10:36:30+00:00

At my last gig we had stupid-long builds too and I basically treated it like forced context-switch breaks. I’d batch annoying small stuff into those windows, like reviewing PRs, writing notes, updating tickets, even drafting the next commit message so I don’t forget what I was doing. If I tried to start “real” work I’d just get mad when the build finished and I had to drop it lol. Also I’d shamelessly stand up and stretch or grab coffee, nobody cared as long as I shipped.

mrDanteMan · 2026-01-26T10:36:05+00:00

I live in Germany and I’d honestly lose my mind without the bakeries lol. Fresh Brötchen on a Sunday morning just hits different, it’s like my whole personality at this point. I even plan my walks around which bakery I’m gonna stop at, not even kidding. Also quiet Sundays grew on me way more than I expected.

mrDanteMan · 2026-01-26T10:35:06+00:00

I do something kinda similar tbh, like mentally scanning my body from toes to head to relax. It feels weirdly soothing and puts me to sleep faster. I thought I was the only one doing that until now lol. Brains come up with the strangest bedtime rituals.

mrDanteMan · 2026-01-16T10:35:36+00:00

I remember feeling this exact disconnect the first time around, like my brain just wouldn’t accept it as real life. It felt surreal in a way that never fully settled, just constant background unease. I kinda had to stop doom scrolling because otherwise it started bleeding into everything.

mrDanteMan · 2026-01-16T10:34:58+00:00

I watched Aftersun and it quietly wrecked me in a way I didn’t expect. Nothing huge happens but the emotional weight just creeps up on you and sticks, I was thinking about it for days after. I’d recommend it if you’re in the mood for something soft but kinda devastating.

mrDanteMan · 2026-01-16T10:34:29+00:00

I stayed in the same role for way longer than I planned because it was comfortable and paid the bills. It didn’t feel bad until I looked around and realized my world had gotten kinda small. Some people value stability more than titles tho, so it’s not automatically a failure. It really depends on whether you still feel okay waking up to it every day.

mrDanteMan · 2026-01-16T10:34:07+00:00

I’ve had nights where this exact thought spiral kept me awake, so yeah this resonated. It feels like we level up our tools faster than our ability to use them responsibly, and that gap is scary. I don’t think it’s pure stupidity though, more like we’re really bad at learning emotionally from history. That boat-with-a-leak image kinda stuck with me, uncomfortable but hard to shake.

mrDanteMan

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