It will take me years to recover financially from my last burnout.. but not working for a year was still worth it. I got to travel the world before Covid. I l

It will take me years to recover financially from my last burnout.. but not working for a year was still worth it. I got to travel the world before Covid. I learned the hard way that to avoid burnout, I have to take more unpaid days and be slow to respond outside business hours. I still tinker on my own software projects, to stay interested, but I am much more constrained about it now. Self-care looks different for everyone. For me, I run daily and paint wargame miniatures instead of playing video games at night. It is important for me to exercise, avoid screens and get outside much as possible. Last summer I got into solo hammock camping. This is your life. It isn't happening later or somewhere else. Switch it up, make changes or else you will break instead of bend.