In a world of capitalism, where profit preceeds well... everything, we often hear quotes like "money rules the world" and "find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never work a day in your life". Profit over people seeps into our everyday culture and contributes to the success of movements like hustle culture and the 996 schedule. With this cultural shift in work-life balance, what happens to the people that simply cannot keep up? How does this culture affect those that seemingly have a 'dream job' aka WFH?

Studies have shown that those of us who are self-employed are far more likely to experience burnout (which is currently at an all time high), than our peers who work a standard 9 to 5 job. There are a few different factors that contribute to this epidemic, especially in the world of online sex work and content creation. The first one being that a lot of social media content creators tend towards being workaholics. By this, I mean that we don't necessarily have an off button in the same way that 9to5ers do. One of the benefits of working as a 9to5er is having clear cut work and social life boundaries. They clock in and clock out and leave their briefcase at the door. However, as an online content creator, there is always an opportunity to blur those lines and it is much harder to set and stick to boundaries. When people think of self employment, they think of the perks like having a flexible schedule, working from home, and being your own boss. However, similar to Madame Morrible and the Wicked Witch, when you flip it around, you get neverending work hours, no distinction between work and home, and an ever present guilt when you aren't working.

So how can we combat this looming threat of burnout?

The most obvious answer is time management. A lot of us cannot afford to take time off but its important to prioritize the most essential tasks and allot designated times for rest into your schedule. As an online sex worker this could look like tapping into your backlog of content and taking a short break from filming or dedicating a day to scheduling out social media posts to avoid some of the daily grind.

Touching grass, literally, is another great way to combat burnout. Humans were never meant to be as connected as we are in today's digital age and a nature walk on your lunch break can relieve anxiety, spark inspiration, and even double as an opportunity to create some day in the life or vlog-style content (if you don't want to fully stop working).

My personal favorite way to combat burnout is to gab with my gals. On a day where I really need a break or need to vent about a bad experience with a client or coworker, my trusty support sytem group chat usually gets spammed with silly memes, long paragraphs about how I deserve to be paid simply for existing, and a barrage new ideas I've had floating in my head for weeks. It helps to realize we're not alone in our journey or our feelings. Our friends are likely struggling with the same difficulties we are and can often provide a respite from the chaos and loneliness.

It can be hard to imagine a future where we feel at peace when we're in the thick of it. However, it is important to remember that at the end of every tunnel there is a light. I always like to remind myself that it is impossible to pour from an empty cup. When I feel burnout coming on, I do my best to fallback on self care and my support system. Above it all, remember to love yourself and always give yourself grace -- you're doing the best you can and that's all anyone can ask.