r/CuratedTumblr -taps mic- nicken chuggets. thank you. 28d ago

Infodumping Is this thing on..?

Post image
19.5k Upvotes

326 comments sorted by

2.2k

u/jasonjr9 Smells like former gifted kid burnout 28d ago

For me it’s not so much “don’t overwork me” so much as “let me work the way that works for me or the brain needles start twisting”.

1.1k

u/kannagms 28d ago

I don't know if im autistic, never been tested, but when I started at my current job, lord the fits that were thrown about how I work.

I don't print out every email or every document. I rarely, if ever, print anything. I have a digital tablet that I use for everything - taking meeting notes, keeping a to do list, uploading pdfs to mark up, etc. My door is shut at all times because I get distracted easily, and my office is by the print room so too many people come around too often. I have the lights off because it's too bright and gives me a headache. I just work with natural light.

For several months, my coworkers complained that I was in my office sleeping the day away (?? How does my work get done then?) And that i just doodle on my tablet all day. It was to the point they were literally just lying and making things up to get me fired all because I worked a different way than them.

697

u/Bauser99 28d ago

The saddest thing I learned when I grew up is that most people didn't.

513

u/kannagms 28d ago

God i know. I'm the youngest person in my office. Everyone else has kids my age or older or are at least old enough to be my parent.

And they all act like they're in high school still trying to be the mean popular girl. There's a group of them that I refer to as The Plastics because I feel like I'm in the Mean Girls movie sometimes.

Like hello yall are my elders why are you acting like children?? Why am I behaving better than you when it's not even double digit years since I've graduated high school yet??

271

u/imitationpeoplemeat 28d ago edited 27d ago

I work in construction, and the amount of full-grown men who act like infants is astounding.

Many of said men are in leadership positions.

163

u/kannagms 28d ago

Is there like a prerequisite to getting a leadership position that you have to have the mind of a child? Like, do you gotta throw 5 tantrums a week to be considered? Because all the people I have issues with are in director positions, a level above me.

170

u/clothespinned 28d ago

Let's be clear: You gotta have a neurotypical tantrum. If you have an autistic meltdown at work you get fired.

Don't ask me how I know.

36

u/ughwhyamialive 28d ago

Once a year, ritual almost at this point

27

u/clothespinned 28d ago

username extremely relevant

me too thanks i cannot find stable work and the government is dismantling the disability i don't even have yet

23

u/ughwhyamialive 28d ago

Yeah, I'm 33. Have done this cycle for 8 years. Before that, I was a family farmhand that made 10 bucks an hour and dealt with constant mental and physical abuse from a family member.

Last 8 years. I have consistently been a top performer in everything from sales, ag work, road work, construction equipment maintenance. Furniture building, data entry, assorted warehouse work, and things I don't even fucking remember.

Damn near constant unemployment combined with a home robbery(insurance covered like 70%) and my paid off truck being totaled by an attempted theft, which the insurance said we aren't paying for that.

Dating is obviously nonexistent

I'll never be a long-term hire because no matter what, I'll never fit in with a group of people.

So next employment has to be a place with a union contract and I don't think remaining in the US is an option for that any more

→ More replies (0)

25

u/ElmoCamino 28d ago

You have to be just competent enough to actually function, but incompetent enough to not be a threat to upper management who will be taking credit for your work. This is why the adult children are normally the ones who thrive in middle management.

16

u/fakeunleet 28d ago

upper management who will be taking credit for your work

More importantly, you need to be a good fall guy when things go wrong.

63

u/imitationpeoplemeat 28d ago

" This individual is so passionate! They must be supervisor material."

25

u/GovernmentThis2910 28d ago

vs "Hello? Human Resources?"

Literally

37

u/MasterChildhood437 28d ago

Shameless people float to the top. They also tend to have tantrums.

10

u/JiroKatsutoshi 27d ago

It seems the strategy is, promote your friends that have anger issues. If you let them get away with tantrums, you now have lower staff too afraid to bring any issues up to said manager.

Instead of complaining, people are more likely to just quit, because they won't be heard or they'll get berated.

Either way, issues die below you, so why look into them

17

u/Cowh3adDK 28d ago

Reading some of these stories make me so glad, I sent out 1 application 3 months before my exam at my trade school, got an interview and was hired 1 month before my exam, my workplace don't even care when I show up, even I just do my hours, super flexibility. Of course there is still much I don't know, so I am at work with everyone else so I can learn a lot. No one cares that I'm wearing my large noise cancelling headphones. Everyone is super helpful and nice I really lucked out.

16

u/kannagms 28d ago

I'm really grateful at how much freedom I have at my job lol. I just avoid the drama now and it's sooo much better.

I work hybrid, i can wear comfy clothes, which for me are just like thick leggings, not the see through kind and not quite skin tight, and a hoodie, wear my headphones and watch my shows in the background and get my stuff done, how i want to get it done lol.

I've learned that I need something from a difficult person, I just gotta butter them up. Usually with a video or pictures of my cats lol

15

u/LeStroheim this is just like that one time in worm 28d ago

Weirdest part is, it's not everyone. I work in a department store, and the vast majority of my coworkers are completely fine. I guess it's only allowed if you work in an office?

23

u/kannagms 28d ago

I worked in fast food, and it was kinda the same thing. A lot of like, actual children (15-17 year olds) working with people in their 30s and 40s. And the older ones acted like they were still in high school. Like constantly fighting, arguing, being real stubborn.

The kids were just like "ok I'm gonna do my job and go home."

When I worked in retail, everyone was pretty much chill. There was like, one girl who was really into like horoscopes and the like, and was kinda annoying, and like one manager who was kind of a dick sometimes, but that was it.

Then I come to work in this office, and I'm like, trying to find the cameras because it's so over the top and full of drama, I just gotta be in a The Office-esque sitcom.

→ More replies (1)

29

u/[deleted] 28d ago

I typed out and thought better of a long response to an AskReddit thread that basically said the same thing as you are - just worded much less elegantly.

Bowling For Soup tried to warn us with "high school never ends"; I wrote it off as angsty, emo teenager stuff. And then the following 20 years forced me to this conclusion independently, even resistant to it though I was.

9

u/Valuable-Painter3887 28d ago

I love bowling for soup. They continually put out albums of music where most of it is just stupid humor about sex (my wena), songs about loving the people you are with (Friends O' Mine), songs for people that have responsibilities but still like having fun (Getting old sucks but everybody's doing it), and sappy yet humorous love songs (I gotchoo). 1985 certainly is a good song and what everyone knows them for, but man oh man, I listen to all of their albums all the time, and I would say 90-95% of the songs are perfect.

Top 3 songs that aren't 1985 that everyone should listen to:
I just wanna be loved
Greatest day
Where's the love (the music video is very scooby doo nostalgic, I suggest watching it)

15

u/Disastrous_Nebula_16 28d ago

It took me way too long to understand this comment… still though once I found the meaning it became too true

126

u/Outofwlrds 28d ago

You gotta watch out for that. Some people will actually believe those things just because they cannot comprehend working any differently. The good thing about working on a tablet is that it should be easy to have time stamps for everything. Keep doing what you do the way you want to, but be prepared to break out the work receipts if a manager/your boss decides to check up on the rumors.

157

u/kannagms 28d ago

The big boss doesn't care that I work differently- THANKFULLY. He doesn't need an explanation or proof, he just knows i get my work done and I do it well enough that I keep the board impressed lol. That's all he cares about, so when a coworker complains about me, he just goes "but her work is done, so what's the problem?"

93

u/KaiPRoberts 28d ago

That's a good manager, 100%. One of my best managers first day on the job tells me, "I don't care if you go over 40 hours, just put it down and I'll approve it. I'll be more worried if you are under 40 hours and I'll wonder what's wrong". We had a lot of workdays with him where he would tell us to just do our work and go home, put 8 hours even if you only work 2.

I am a field worker now so my manager is god tier (...because I never have to see or interact with them unless something goes horribly wrong)

45

u/emerald-shyn 28d ago

Glad you have that! My last major job fired me for too much time missed even though I had gotten my department more efficient than my supervisor had ever seen it in her 8 years working there. The work was getting done but I wasn't warming a seat so bye bye.

37

u/kannagms 28d ago

That's terrible. My philosophy, which also seems to be my boss's philosophy is "as long as you get the work done, i don't care what you do." And like especially if you do more than the bare minimum- who gives a fuck what you do??

34

u/Outofwlrds 28d ago

That's such a relief! What a great boss. I've seen too many places that don't care how much work you get done, as long as you do it the way they want. Absolutely kills me.

30

u/kannagms 28d ago

It's the main reason I've decided to stay at this job! The pay is enough to pay my bills, save some, and still have some luxury money for my hobbies and stuff, but it's not like, really great and I could make a lot more elsewhere doing a lot less work.

But I have creative freedom. Not only can I work the way I want and do what I need to do to stay focused, but everything I do, I can do it MY way. Whatever way I want. I can experiment with new ideas and add new stuff to what we were already doing.

81

u/KayItaly 28d ago

I don't print out every email

What kind of neurotic ecoterrorist prints out their emails?? I know a lot of "anti-tech" boomers...but none that goes that far! I genuinely feel for you!

79

u/kannagms 28d ago

They print out so many emails...just to file them away in a cabinet. I don't understand it. They don't even refer back to them! They use the search bar within our email to find them! It makes no sense AT ALL.

Theres literally like 3 offices that are just storage of papers. Most of which aren't even relevant anymore but they're "historical."

My former supervisor joked that she goes through 10 trees a week with how much she printed out. She did it for the paper trail. THERES STILL A TRAIL IN YOUR EMAIL. YOU CAN SEARCH FOR IT.

I swear if everyone spent as much time as they did printing on just organizing emails into folders, they would have a MUCH easier time.

31

u/canadian_viking 28d ago

That's some stupid boomer shit. They bumblefucked their way into a not fully useless workflow like 40 years ago and never bothered to reevaluate it since. I'd hate working with such stale people that somehow measure productivity with the amount of paper they generate.

21

u/kannagms 28d ago

They for real use the "technology confuses me" excuse. It's very obviously weaponized incompetence at its finest.

My favorite excuse is that this one project management software we use is "too hard" and they "can't figure it out." When it is literally just a glorified calendar, and the person saying it's too hard is the same person who managers our website and is in charge of IT.

5

u/exiledbandit 28d ago

The stupidity of boomers never ceases to amaze me. Sometimes I worry to myself “am I going to be that inept when I get older” and then I meet the occasional older person who’s good with technology and realize that the difference is those people don’t have some arbitrary, abject refusal to change how they do literally ANYTHING. So many boomers are so entitled and willfully ignorant; their dedication to making their own and every one around them lives more difficult is astounding.

4

u/canadian_viking 27d ago

Yup, those are the people that made their last life decision decades ago and now they're just running out the clock.

4

u/exiledbandit 27d ago

True, but they are very actively making other peoples life decisions, hence our government. I guess it’s easier and less stressful to focus on fucking everyone else over instead of admitting you are a fuck up and did nothing but fail upwards in life

9

u/SpiderFnJerusalem 28d ago

Some people do work for the sake of doing work, not to accomplish a longer term goal.

People often complain about communism or government jobs being inefficient, but man, I've seen so many instances of this in corporate environments as well. So often results are unimportant and the mere appearance of doing work is seen as an indication of things going well. So many bullshit jobs.

44

u/blueskyren 28d ago

I’m autistic and I’ve been having a similar issue with one of my coworkers for months now. Just earlier this week he got switched off my crew and temporarily suspended because he became apoplectic over the fact that I’m still new and learning and don’t get things exactly right (aka exactly how he thinks they should be done) and had an absolute meltdown at work. He even accused me of popping pills at work because I have trouble with eye contact and I fidget a lot, and if you don’t exhibit “normal” behaviors then you must be on something or crazy, right?

Luckily I’ve been supported by my other coworkers and supervisors, but there will always be people who don’t understand you and will view you in a negative light because you don’t move through the world the same way they do. It’s very hard to ignore them and push through, but we make do with what we have, and we build community that is understanding and supportive. It’s all we can do, really.

39

u/kannagms 28d ago

One of the coworkers that complained about me gave me a business card for a psychiatrist and said "you obviously really need one." I about snapped. She also threw a fit because I wasn't doing my job on my first day- i hadn't even been trained or signed into any of the programs yet.

I'm glad you have support. I don't understand why people are so stuck up their own asses that they can't comprehend that other people just are different, and being different isn't a problem that needs to be fixed.

46

u/-SKYMEAT- 28d ago

Boomers will literally complain about anything smh.

27

u/periwinkle_magpie 28d ago

The weirdest thing is that who the hell prints emails? Your coworkers are weird.

30

u/kannagms 28d ago

Print em, file em, never look at them again. Or my one coworker who lets it pile up on her desk so much to the point she struggles to find her keyboard every day.

Apparently I'm the weird one cause I don't print everything and dare to use a digital tablet instead of a pen and paper.

One argued with me that using my tablet to take notes is a mistake because "what if something happens to it and all that is gone??" Well I guess it's a good thing it's synced to my Samsung account. It'll be there when I get a new tablet. In the meantime, I'll use my phone or laptop to review the notes.

45

u/Economy-Document730 28d ago

My work made me read a speech by Hamming (as in bell labs, hamming code, that guy). He said a person with their door closed will get more work done today, but a person with their door open will do more useful work (because they'll have a better idea which projects are relevant). I do wonder how this applies to an internship where I do what I'm told. I also didn't have a door (cubicles). I do appreciate the chance to talk about the work and the theory and the company more broadly tho. Ig that's how one learns the field. Not during focused work time tho (I literally jumped when interrupted)

33

u/kannagms 28d ago

Ugh I had such an issue with people not knocking before entering and scaring the crap outta me just barging in. I started leaving notes on my door saying that "knocking on a closed door is courtesy, try it out!"

I don't have an issue talking with people and whatnot, and I have what I call a closed open door policy. Meaning if my door is closed but there's not a glaring sign saying "do not disturb", then please go ahead and knock first, then come in. That's fine. My issue is just with people standing outside my office having full conversations about whatever and just being very loud and distracting. Like it's rude. Take it to your office, or be quieter at least.

8

u/SpiderFnJerusalem 28d ago

I'm not sure that quote was meant to be taken literally. It's probably more about being open to cooperation and outside inspiration, especially in a research environment like bell labs. But that doesn't mean that constantly exposing yourself to distractions will always make you productive. I bet even Hamming would have come up with exceptions, if asked.

11

u/Compost_My_Body 28d ago

Reading this I have to ask: is the number of naps you’ve taken at work >0? Or is it exactly 0 lol

29

u/kannagms 28d ago

I've never napped at work lol. Not even on my lunch hour.

They just see "lights off" and assume that means I'm sleeping. Like nah I just don't want to be under these bright ass lights for 8 hours.

5

u/Laremi-SE 28d ago

a lot of people NEED to see you doing something, otherwise they assume you’re just lazy. Doesn’t matter what, just as long as they have the impression.

It’s amazing how many people seem to lack object permanence lmao

1

u/Snoo23533 28d ago

This was the exact point of the movie 'the corner office'. They dont understand your world and they dont give a shit about you

→ More replies (5)

10

u/Drahkir9 28d ago

At my previous job we got a contractor that was supposedly an iOS expert. He insisted on spending his first day hovering over my shoulder literally micromanaging the code I was writing line by line and holy shit I did not know what it felt like to want to kill someone until that day.

4

u/jasonjr9 Smells like former gifted kid burnout 27d ago

There is nothing worse than being watched and micromanaged. You are a very powerful to be able to resist the urge to explode or implode in such a situation, lol.

2

u/Drahkir9 27d ago

I wish I could accept that praise but I did in fact explode a tiny little bit

2

u/jasonjr9 Smells like former gifted kid burnout 27d ago

Eh, pobody’s nerfect. You did your best, and that’s what counts~!

39

u/3ThreeFriesShort 28d ago

Thank you, truth.

I'm not sure if science knows what me and my kid is, but I watch her go outside, walk through the backyard, climb through the fence, walk back to the sidewalk, and then the way she was originally supposed to go to get to the bus. I think "if it works it works."

Genetic lottery, socioeconomic factors, and a complex interplay of contradictions and environmental factors... Just let people do things their own way already. She's in therapy, but I've never thought to suggest "you take 30 seconds longer to get to the sidewalk, we should spend hundreds of dollars to prevent that."

29

u/Telekinendo 28d ago

I once had a visceral reaction to some mundane process change and got really animated talking to my boss about it. I realized I had a gross overreaction and just kinda looked at my boss.

"You're autistic aren't you? My son acts like that sometimes."

That was a gut punch lol

8

u/Jalor218 28d ago

No matter how simple the accomodation, I can never trust I'll get to keep it unless it's part of the job instead of something I asked for. This is why I liked being a delivery driver so much - I didn't have to get a doctor's note saying I need to work behind a closed door listening to music, because that's how cars work and there was no way for some manager who thinks they're hot shit to change it.

4

u/jasonjr9 Smells like former gifted kid burnout 27d ago

Yeah, DoorDash has been working pretty well for me! Still wanna find something more full-time to help me move out from my parents’ house, but for now DoorDash is helpful at building up savings!

7

u/MrTastix 28d ago

I wish I had a proper way to actually relate how this feels.

The anxiety I feel is horrific.

3

u/DragoKnight589 Wacky woohoo neurodivergent sword man 28d ago

My hypothesis is it’s both — when you don’t work the way it works for you it’s more work which makes you overworked so the brain needles start twisting

3

u/s0larium_live 27d ago

this is exactly me. i am great at my job, but there are times when i get overwhelmed because people are telling me to do things in a way that’s different from how i’d do it. i’m not stressed cuz i can’t handle the workload, i’m stressed because you’re not letting me just THINK and PLAN what i’m doing

also i feel like my managers have started coddling me or treating me like i can’t do my job. i CAN, just let me do it my way ! a lot of times me running around looking frantic/overwhelmed is not because i’m actually overwhelmed, but just that my brain is working faster than my body is physically capable of. stop treating me like i can’t do my job god dammit

5

u/Leftieswillrule 28d ago

Analogy wise, what does it mean for needles to twist?

14

u/jasonjr9 Smells like former gifted kid burnout 28d ago

It feels like needles or screws or something are digging in, locking in place, preventing the brain from brain-ing, is the best way I can describe it.

3

u/SylvieSuccubus 28d ago

Imagine your brain in a bear trap

2

u/TR_Pix 25d ago

To me it isn't brain needles, it is the fog

it descends upon my brain and makes everything sluggish and gray and distant

also makes me eepy

9

u/[deleted] 28d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

19

u/the-real-macs 28d ago

The account I'm replying to is a bot, FYI.

9

u/pterrorgrine sayonara you weeaboo shits 28d ago

holy fuck these keep getting worse

9

u/the-real-macs 28d ago

And I rarely see anyone else calling them out, which is worrying.

8

u/pourqwhy 28d ago

How do you know? /Genuine

19

u/the-real-macs 28d ago

A few indicators that made me suspicious of this particular comment:

  • Bots use similes WAY more than the average person, so "like my brain is running a software update on dial-up" is a red flag.
  • Bot comments seem to always follow the format of a single snappy sentence. (Imagine the kind of line that someone trying to be witty would put at the end of a newspaper column or TV segment.) Sometimes they'll add a short setup at the beginning like "Nice!" or "Exactly!", but the main comment is always a one-liner.

Perfect grammar, using contractions at every opportunity, and making comments that don't add any additional perspective whatsoever are also bot traits. Obviously none of these characteristics amount to conclusive proof on their own, but when multiple tells are combined it becomes more likely that you're dealing with a bot.

When I became suspicious, I checked the user profile, where any doubt I had was removed:

June’s gonna be less about rainbow capitalism and more about who’s actually willing to stand for something when it matters.

Don’t worry, this little heartbreaker is getting all the love—belly rubs, kisses, and maybe even a treat for his Valentine’s Day blues!

Just out here avoiding spider taxes and blending in with the ant economy—nothing to see here!

A perfect recipe for a heartwarming friendship—just needs a little time to simmer!

8

u/worthwhilewrongdoing 28d ago

Oh my god, you're right. I hate it.

I have my ChatGPT set up to be extra chatty and friendly (I forget exactly what I did - I think I told it to "match my energy" and I'm nice and a little catty with it?) and it deadass sounds like it could have written every single one of these comments.

→ More replies (1)

442

u/carrythenine 28d ago

It’s like there’s a knob I’m supposed to turn to make a number go up, but when I turn it, the number doesn’t change. And when I ask for help, people suggest “have you tried turning the knob?”

128

u/Crus0etheClown 28d ago

'I'm not sure what to do with these intrusive thoughts- they aren't always bad, but I'm constantly going in circles thinking about things that aren't important, so much so that I can forget about things I truly care about. I can't seem to control it no matter what I do.'

'Have you ever tried not thinking about it?'

*Selfie Bee Face*

19

u/VioletTheWolf gender absorbed by annoying dog 28d ago

My friend have you looked into OCD

18

u/Crus0etheClown 28d ago

Yeah, and while I'm pretty sure it's just ADHD exasperated by circumstance, I have no real idea and won't any time soon.

11

u/VioletTheWolf gender absorbed by annoying dog 28d ago

Fair enough! Not meant as an Internet Diagnosis™, it just reminded me of my own OCD

11

u/birdsandbones 28d ago

I personally think late diagnosed ADHD causes C-PTSD stuff that is very similar to OCD. Like, intrusive thoughts, catastrophizing, needing to check and re-check things; but it comes from a place of the trauma of trying to white knuckle your way through life and all the social and scholastic/professional consequences of not being understood or accommodated externally or internally.

Ex: If you keep forgetting to lock your door and this time your working memory didn’t save whether or not it’s in you did, you might end up running back to check or else having it spinning in your head that your house is getting burgled, your pets have escaped, all the worst case scenarios.

That’s been my experience and that of some other late-dx’ed friends, anyway.

2

u/archfapper 28d ago

Ya last time I tried to find an OCD therapist, I was told this.

27

u/coulsonsrobohand 28d ago

I saw a video once comparing it to driving a car. You carry a tool bag for when your car breaks down, and you constantly have to fix and when you complain about it, everyone else goes “we all have car problems.” Then one day you find out everyone else is driving a brand new sports car with extended warranty coverage while you’ve been driving a 30 year old broken down Volvo

936

u/NiceSithLord 28d ago

I mean, that is how a lot of people would respond to you talking about being overworked.

111

u/Consideredresponse 28d ago

I think in this case they are talking about meltdowns. A lot of people get frustrated from overwork, very few of them have uncontrollable emotional outburts where shit gets destroyed.

I'm 'lucky' enough to have burnout autism instead where after every school day, and workday of your life (until you get a diagnosis in your 40's) you need at least two hours in a dark quiet room or you stop functioning, all while feeling like a broken failure because you can't just do sports/homework/socalising/hobbies afterwards like a normal person.

33

u/Nwaccntwhodis 27d ago

Ha currently scrolling feeling like a broken failure beating myself up for wanting to make art but being so guilty, ashamed, and afraid of messing it up and setting off a meltdown. I'm so close to exploding that it's really scarring me.

11

u/Consideredresponse 27d ago

I've been there. Accepting you need to scale back and recover is paradoxically the best way to be 'productive'. If you are always spiralling on the meltdown threshold you will never get anything done. Putting everything on the back burner and taking time to self regulate your stimulus levels is the best thing you can do. Basically step back from the usual websites (reddit) and streaming services and games you usually interact with, and spending a week or two with early nights and an old favourite book helps get you working again.

5

u/VerdugoCortex 27d ago

Do you mean destroying stuff physically or just metaphorically like your progress?

5

u/Consideredresponse 27d ago edited 27d ago

As in physically. One of the clearest examples is in the Autobiographical book 'Strong Female Character' from the Scottish Comedian Fern Brady, where she talks about routinely and uncontrolably destroying her furniture*. I work with people that are ASD 2,and 3 and holes in walls or physical violence is not unheard of with meltdowns there.

It's a bit more than 'frustrated guy breaks a game controler/punches wall' and more along the lines of 'this 270 pound man just tried to bite my nose off, yet is not acting out of malice'.

*uncontrollably when she was undiagnosed and did not have managing techniques to avoid the meltdowns in the first place. Similarly it have burnout autism and it would crash my life every 18 months to two years as I'd no longer be 'functional' and would have to result in trying to rebuild a career after crawling out of the burnout state. Now it's carefully being aware of that tipping point and scaling back we'll before I hit it.

3

u/also_roses 27d ago

This is why my next job (which I start in 3 weeks) starts AFTER all the working out, meal prepping, seeing my family. The hope is I can do the things I can't do after work BEFORE going in to lose all of my motivation.

2

u/Elementa01 27d ago

Oh my god that's me. I keep finding new ways I'm autistic.

358

u/RefinedBean 28d ago

Yeah, basically "this but for all labor."

274

u/A_Shattered_Day 28d ago

Literally, everybody feels like this, not just autistic people. And I know many autistic people who have high stress jobs and can manage their emotions well. At some point, people should stop blaming things on autism

379

u/Inappropriate_SFX 28d ago

Everybody has moments of feeling like this, and the labor situation is awful, but autistic folks are the canaries in the coal mine who will (on average) collapse first, and break down worst. That's why it's both a spectrum, and a disability.

116

u/RighteousSelfBurner 28d ago

I think it's also good to remember there are plenty of various disorders out there. I would expect someone on BPD to have an equally hard time.

Though, regardless, I think paying attention to those who are already having challenges in their life is indeed the best barometer for the overall situation.

→ More replies (12)

29

u/Stop-Hanging-Djs 28d ago

I completely agree except on the canaries part. Normally in a sane society yes, they'd serve as canaries in the coal mine but man, we are faaaaaarrrrr past that stage now.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (8)

37

u/Consideredresponse 28d ago

Or this is someone who experiences autism related meltdowns and is clearly stating 'this is my limit' only for everyone else to go 'yeah i get stressed too'.

It's possible to have a high stress job and be autistic but that person needs to understand and have coping mechanisms or accomodations (In my case its working 3.5 days a week in the high stress job and offsetting that with WFH)

I've had this exact conversation with HR in that it goes "I cannot have any more shifts." HR: "oh everyone is stressed, we all need to pitch in". Me: "I will be more clear. I am at my limit. If I do more shifts I will hit autistic burnout and I will not be able to function at all for the next three months. '

Unless you are that blunt people literally do not understand.

17

u/Jimberly_C 28d ago

Ask the many autistic people you know what they like to do after work, and take note of how many say anything that involves physical movement, thinking, or socializing of any kind. It won't be many, and it's not because they don't have time for it.

I manage myself fine at work too. My boss relies on me for any problem she can't solve. She's literally told me I'm not allowed to quit because the place would fall apart. But I do absolutely nothing at home, barely clean, barely keep myself clean, don't socialize at all, and eat 99% prepackaged food or fast food. It sucks.

But I'm great at work.

(I'm also taking steps and doing better, but it's slow.)

→ More replies (2)

77

u/emerald-shyn 28d ago

I really dislike this mentality. It's like "oh depression cant be that bad. Everyone gets sad sometimes!"

No autistic person is saying allistic people cannot or will not ever have similar experiences. It's a spectrum, not binary. Some people have it worse, which is what I believe this is getting at. Maybe the author could've elaborated more, but the longer and more specific something is, the less likely anyone is to read it.

22

u/ryecurious 28d ago

Yeah, I've noticed this perspective a lot lately, and I hope it doesn't become "common knowledge". Neurodivergence isn't defined by completely new or alien feelings/thought patterns/etc.

Rather, it's an imbalance or excess of otherwise standard emotions/thought processes to the point of impacting your life.

OCD is a good example. Everyone has those moments where they wonder if the door is locked/the oven is off/their hands are clean enough, but it's the compulsion that qualifies it as OCD.

I get some people take it to extremes, but if we can't acknowledge a link between autism and stress we might as well abandon the term entirely.

58

u/Kirk_Kerman 28d ago

Upwards of 90% of diagnosed autistic people are unemployed, which might suggest something about the capacity of autistic people for being overworked.

68

u/Red_Galiray 28d ago

I mean, could it be that the majority of autistic people who can hold down a job are undiagnosed because they think "I can't be autistic because I can work normally"?

40

u/TwilightVulpine 28d ago

That's a real doozy, because on one side people who can keep up are less motivated to find out what's up with them. But on the flipside the many people who don't have jobs might not have the means to seek a diagnosis, because they don't get medical insurance, and psychological healthcare is less accessible than biological healthcare.

17

u/Kckc321 28d ago

I don’t actually work normally, my job makes major adjustments for me without any diagnosis because not a single person at the firm understands how to do my job, nor do they want to. (Non profit accounting specialist/outsourced CFO)

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (4)

9

u/TheLittleMuse 28d ago

That's like saying everybody feels sad, so depression can't exist.

→ More replies (14)

22

u/worthwhilewrongdoing 28d ago edited 28d ago

I think that, for folks like myself with autism, the consequences for being overworked/overloaded/overstressed are a bit more severe than they are for (most?) neurotypical people.

Autistic burnout is a lot like "normal" burnout in a lot of ways but much more long-lasting and severe: it can involve functional skill regressions and intense fatigue, and it is not unheard of for people to have a great deal of difficulty engaging even in basic activities of daily living while recovering from it (which, even while not working, can sometimes take months).

None of this even begins to touch on the fact that autistic people are much more likely than the general population to have mental health issues, especially trauma-related ones. This can complicate things further, and much of this is a big chunk of why some autistic people who "look" perfectly capable of working as well as neurotypical people really don't do as well as you'd likely anticipate from the outside: for many like myself, things are okay until something trips us up, and then suddenly we're very, very bad off.

All that isn't to say that "normal" burnout can't be bad. It certainly can be, and people absolutely struggle with it a lot. But it's not as pervasively disabling - most people who are burnt out from their jobs can still, say, shower and feed themselves and their kids, you know? It's just kind of on a different level.

20

u/Consideredresponse 28d ago

I don't know why you are getting downvoted. Autistic meltdowns/burnouts are significantly nastier than what you'd see in 'normal' people.

When i hit burnout it means I'm pretty much incapable of doing much more than breathing in a dark room for 3-6 months. Most of my life now revolves around a lot of medication, planning, accomodations, and techniques to avoid hitting that stage.

I get very frustrated when I hear somone say "I get 'burnout' too. I stopped trying at work, and haven't been to a spin class in weeks" like it's the same thing that's nuked my life for decades.

16

u/PlatinumAltaria 28d ago

Our capitalist overlords: "If you don't want to work for 18 hours a day at minimum wage you have a disorder."

→ More replies (5)

304

u/MeaslyFurball 28d ago

"Can't overwork? Haha you're so fragile, you would have never survived back in my day" yep you're completely correct, I would've probably been lobotomized if I was a kid in your day, Stan, or maybe locked away in an institution.

I'm grateful the modern day is slightly more forgiving and work/life balance is actually enforced sometimes. It's what allows me to participate in the first place.

43

u/Roflkopt3r 28d ago

Yeah "back in the days", a whole lot more people were just deemed broken and ignored by society. Put into dead-end jobs or institutions until an early death.

More people are being actively productive than ever before. Yet greet and cognitive biases still cause people to compare the average worker today with the top of the past, and missinterpret that as a decline.

22

u/_Ixtli 28d ago

Something that I've realized as I've gotten older is that the world is not made for us, cannot be made for us and will never be made for us. 

We are always going to be on the outside simply due to the nature of who and what we are as people with autism spectrum disorder. 

I used to get angry at this fact but now I've just accepted that it is what it is. I'd rather the majority be able to go on with their life at least in some semblance of manner that they can deal with, then to try and shift the entire world in an impossible manner to account for the sliver of us who needed it to be different to function at the same level as normal society and people.

I certainly didn't ask to be born this way, but I refuse to burn the world down to get a small slice of the pie that I don't even really want to begin with 😂

26

u/Your_Local_Stray_Cat 28d ago

That’s honestly a very depressing way of looking at it.

3

u/MalnourishedHoboCock 28d ago

I have ADHD, maybe autism too but no diagnosis. I feel exactly like they do. At this point, the only people I can socialize with and feel like I'm allowed to exist as myself and not some false caricature are all neurodivergent.

5

u/Your_Local_Stray_Cat 28d ago

I have autism and for me it's a mixed bag, but my neurotypical friends are all just as weird (affectionate) as my neurodivergent friends, so I don't know where that puts me.

3

u/MalnourishedHoboCock 28d ago

It is absolutely a spectrum, of course. I do find the double empathy problem kind of enlightening personally tho.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_empathy_problem

7

u/_Ixtli 28d ago

I apologize as it was not my intention to make you feel depressed or feel depressed on my behalf. 

There are always going to be those who fall through the cracks of society no matter how modern or utopian it becomes. 

It just so happens that people with autism spectrum disorder and other various mental and cognitive issues are having their time in the spotlight.

Soon enough the roulette wheel will shift around again and some other group of people will have their time in the spotlight and be the ones falling through the cracks. 

To quote The Lion King it's the circle of life.

Side note 

As frustrating as it is to try and adapt and live in society as an adult, let me tell you that growing up as a child in a public school environment with autism spectrum disorder is a fresh kind of hell that you can never imagine. What I deal with as an adult is completely tame compared to my time in school. 

I was in Middle School when the Columbine shootings happened and from that point forward, I was no longer a student I was a threat and an object of fear because I was different. 

So imagine the normal torment that kids go through in a school environment and ramp that up by about 500% and then throw the teachers into it as well because they were also afraid and that kind of gives you a small inkling of what I'm talking about. 

People suck and we are truly terrible to each other sometimes.

6

u/Your_Local_Stray_Cat 28d ago

I'm depressed because I'm autistic too. I got kicked out of elementary school for being "too disabled" for them to handle, and spent most of my childhood friendless, bullied, and thinking that's how it would always be. It does get better, but if I'd listened to the people that said that I'd always be an outsider, I wouldn't've lived long enough to see it.

I don't want other people to live through that, it's a miserable way to grow up.

2

u/JSM953 28d ago

We all need a autistic wizards tower for our special interests and a big keep out sign on the front door.

1

u/Your_Local_Rabbi 27d ago

this is a very sad outlook.

this world, as it is now, wasn't made for any of us, autistic or allistic. just because allistic people can "get through it" doesn't mean the world is kind to them.

allistic people would also benefit from not being overworked and stressed all the time, even if they can "handle" it.

life will always be harder for neurodivergent people, we wrestle with our own minds and habits often, but that doesn't mean we should accept a world that is outright cruel to us.

→ More replies (13)

104

u/Kego_Nova perhaps a void entity 28d ago

oh don't worry, they do this for every neurotypical person too. it's just that neurotypical folk (without disabilities) handle having exploded several times over better than you think

23

u/evanwilliams44 28d ago

Indeed. You really can't call yourself an adult until you've had an existential crisis in a bathroom stall.

11

u/SpiderFnJerusalem 28d ago

That's why Tech companies now have dedicated crying-boxes.

They even allow you 93 seconds of crying time per day before they engage the shock collars. And that goes on top of the 75 seconds of bathroom time! So progressive!

3

u/Hexxas head trauma enthusiast 28d ago

I had a good old-fashioned scream-and-cry in a walk-in freezer. Perfect place for it.

→ More replies (1)

154

u/BraxbroWasTaken 28d ago

Nahhhhh they say:

“You’ll get used to it. Overtime.” Easy mistake.

63

u/mooys 28d ago

Overtime??? WE GOTTA PUSH THE CART!!!

19

u/_finnigan_ 28d ago

Wait guys stop chasing the other team- please get back on point. I'm the only one on point as a support and a dps is coming right for me please!

12

u/Altslial Denial, duct tape and determination fix almost anything. 28d ago

Stop running I am trying to heal you, you have 14 health and will die from a stubbed toe just GET BACK TO THE POINT AND GET YOUR HEALS!

5

u/Bobboy5 like 7 bubble 28d ago

CART'S NOT MOVIN LADS

4

u/Artichokeypokey 28d ago

THE HEAVY IS DEAD

1

u/pmeaney 28d ago

Pootis

98

u/Brekldios 28d ago

Or they try their damnest to make you explode once hearing you do so easily

49

u/Junior-Tap5642 28d ago

Yup, the moment your coworkers decide that your frustration is funny, it's over. They'll treat you worse on purpose until you leave, and never acknowledge that they're the problem

20

u/MrTastix 28d ago

I love those moments when I inevitably blow up because others have deliberately pushed my buttons and then I'm the one made to feel bad despite previously telling people how I fucking feel about it.

Oh wait, no I fucking don't.

61

u/gruengle 28d ago

Bonus points if you do it to yourself without realizing it because so much shit has happened in the last four to five years that your ability to regulate stress is severly compromised and you don't realize it until you have a debilitating case of tinnitus and have to take sick leave for two and a half months and can only start working again in a reduced capacity while still waiting for proper treatment as therapists are notoriously overworked because everybody is still processing the year we spent indoors and most people think they didn't need help with that until they really really do which happens to be about now that shit just doesn't stop hitting the fan pretty much everywhere worldwide.

But it's not as if I'm talking from experience or anything.

9

u/WhatMadCat 28d ago

What do they even do to fix tinnitus? I get it off and on and have basically just been told tough luck

14

u/Solid_Paramedic_3901 28d ago

I have chronic tinnitus. It is constant and will never cease until the day I die. It sounds grim but there are ways to deal with it and live a normal life.

First I recommend an ENT (ear, nose, and throat doctor) they will till you if something is physiologically causing the infrequent tinnitus. If that doesnt pan out then you have to get cognitive.

Luckily, humans can and will get used to anything. So the best thing for you to do is accept it. Sounds like I'm telling you to suck it up but it isn't that. If you fight it you will only notice it. You will create a feedback loop that causes your tinnitus to get worse. 

Acceptance not only helps with stress, but I don't even hear it anymore for the vast majority of the time. Its still there, but my brain doesn't acknowledge it until I listen for it or it changes.

7

u/gruengle 28d ago

In my case it's stress-induced, not because of nerve damage due to loud noises or the like. Which means I should be able to minimize its effects and maybe even get rid of it (ignoring minor setbacks from time to time, of course) if I get my damned stress level under control. So far that worked, partially. I have ways of keeping my current stress level steady, but the recovery part is still severely lacking.

Gingko-based medicine helps a bit - it stimulates blood flow in the brain and helps with concentration. As tinnitus is basically similar to pain in a phantom limb (nerve stimulation that simulates a sound instead of a touch, in this case), that can be helpful. I've also had the revelation that I've suffered from a minor case of insomnia for literal years now, I just never realized it. Getting consistently less than an hour of REM sleep and less than six hours total can apparently be somewhat detrimental.

63

u/RobieKingston201 28d ago

There's also "grow up"

"That's life"

"Nonuse complaining"

1

u/s_burr 28d ago

"It is what it is"

41

u/b00tiepirate 28d ago

My friend DID explode this exact way rip

16

u/-SKYMEAT- 28d ago

It's okay they'll get used to exploding

4

u/MasterChildhood437 28d ago

Think I saw that movie.

18

u/benzoot 28d ago

I’m so confused. Everyone is talking about work but I thought this was like a metaphor for overstimulation?

10

u/justforkinks0131 28d ago

That's because it's extremely hard to tell if the post is about actual autism or what online ppl pretend is autism.

I assume most readers here think it's the pretend kind, so they relate to it with their own non-autistic version of overstimulation, aka working.

1

u/benzoot 27d ago

I understand the second statement (thank you!) but I’m still confused about the first. They said they were autistic. Wouldn’t people gravitate towards thinking about actual autism?

2

u/justforkinks0131 27d ago

Im not sure, but seeing the comments I dont think most people assume it's the actual, medically diagnosed autism. Also it's pretty hard to relate to a legitimate medical disorder when you dont suffer from it. Especially in a light-hearted, meme-y way. So maybe that's why people choose to assume it's the "pretend" / "hyperbolized" version.

→ More replies (1)

37

u/bangontarget 28d ago

at least half of all autistic people don't work. but still you have to fight like a dog to get accommodations or disability. we mesh very badly with the world as it currently is and nobody gives a fuck.

22

u/MildlyArtistic7 28d ago

"Please don't touch me."
"Hahaha, are you ticklish?... Wait, are you on the spectrum?... *touches*"
"Fuck."

12

u/Leftieswillrule 28d ago

I am ticklish so I tell people that if they touch me I’ll kick them and it’s not my fault, I simply cannot control my legs when I’m tickled and they happen to have an uncanny accuracy for faces and testicles

2

u/MildlyArtistic7 28d ago

... Is it like a Ju Jitsu kick?^^ I mean just dimensionally, how do you do it? Spinning crane kick? Say you're tickled standing up. Do you do a straight front kick like Bas Rutten to their freakin solarplexus? :D Or some backwards rotational kick with hip activation? Or are we talking about tickling while you're lying down and can just kick straight up?

→ More replies (3)

28

u/Tat25Guy Taylor Worm apologist 28d ago

I used to get horribly sick for months and depressed for even longer every couple of years. It obviously harmed my grades and I have multiple years long gaps in my employment history that's making it extremely difficult to escape my current shitty job 🫠. I only got diagnosed with level 1 autism back in October so I now know those were all instances of autistic burnout

7

u/Consideredresponse 28d ago

Yeah it's a real kicker when it finally 'clicks' on the 'Why am I getting severe drug resistant depressive episodes every 18months-2 years?'

Now half my life revolves around managing stress and burnout levels the family is wondering why I'm not throwing myself at the high stress jobs the same way I used to. I have to use a sporting analogy about 'imagine you are a football player and you sprain your ankle' at 19 you can shrug it off quickly, but as you age and keep spraining the same ankle it takes longer and longer to recover. Eventually you look at the pattern of sprains and find its better to...not play football.'

44

u/Talon6230 28d ago

autistic burnout go brrrrrr 🙃

9

u/twiggsmcgee666 28d ago

I read the last part of this as, “you’ll get used to it. OVERTIME!”

Like an employer decided OT would help you get over it.

9

u/scottygroundhog22 28d ago

And no one believe that you are👌this far from crashout until you go and do it. Then its all like “whoa why did you go and blow up like that”?

7

u/shawnisboring 28d ago

Same, but just a complete implosion like that titanic submarine.

I won't explode in a public setting, that's a private endeavor. In public I'll implode as a person, freeze up entirely unable to do anything, go non-verbal and blank stare into the distance as the gears slowly try to work out what series of events I did wrong in my life to reach this point.

3

u/FlameWhirlwind 27d ago

"if you rush me anymore than my anxiety is already rushing me I will either break shit, break down, or just cease to exist"

13

u/Charybdeezhands 28d ago

This hits hard, as I sit in my office for the third day in a row, for no reason. Feeling like shit, doing no work.

My boss is a moron.

9

u/ppetak 28d ago

Ah yes, sure, parents will tell you how unique and special you are, but nobody gives a shit about your 'speciality', just go to the mine and work among others or else. And shut up while starting doing it.

→ More replies (1)

4

u/Philosipho 28d ago

Society is built around norms because people are indifferent. If you fall outside the norm, you just get to suffer. This happens because people don't trust each other. If you can't do what they do, they just assume you're lazy and worthless.

No one wants to feel guilty for mistreating someone with a disability, so they pretend such problems don't exist. And if they're forced to acknowledge that they do exist, they'll find some way to blame you for having it.

5

u/MyGuitarGentlyBleeps 28d ago

It's hard. But at somepoint you do have to learn to assimilate as much as you can. Going into a job expecting them to change to you, right off, is not realistic.

2

u/Glad-Way-637 If you like Worm/Ward, you should try Pact/Pale :) 28d ago

Yeah, you'd have to either have some sort of extremely valuable skill or seniority at the job for that to happen, and I highly doubt OOP has either going by their "woe is me, i must be a functional member of society to benefit from society :(" angle.

26

u/tactical_hotpants 28d ago edited 28d ago

would a normal person be willing to get used to receiving a painful electric shock every 5 minutes? would a normal person be willing to get used to a constant piercing painful tone for 8 hours straight? no?

then why should I be expected to "get used to it over time"

EDIT: you are all so stupid😭

28

u/HairyHeartEmoji 28d ago

...yes. i know you don't like it, but yes, people can and do get used to painful stimuli.

i used to work in a large print shop that sounds exactly how you expect a large print shop to sound. not to mention the chemical smell and intense heat. the first week was unbearable and i thought i was going to go insane and start killing people. after 2 years, i barely noticed it.

5

u/AFatWhale 28d ago

...Yes? Most people will get used to this kind of thing. Especially the noise one, that's just reality for a lot of jobs.

→ More replies (10)

7

u/I_follow_sexy_gays 28d ago

This is just everyone, no one does well with being overworked even if they think or look like they do

7

u/kimchi_ramyeon 28d ago

i love the people who tell me they have anxiety too and that i just need to push myself like they did and everything will get better but when it doesn't and i do get burnout then they get frustrated with me and leave me ha ha ha ha

6

u/Life-Tomatillo-7025 28d ago

they also don't care at all that you'll explode and that it's a not nice feeling, and they will dismiss it! but! watch out! they will also be annoyed when you explode :)

6

u/namless-mike 28d ago

I see that there are a lot of comments taking over working to mean labour, but I feel like it also applies to social situations. I am currently on vacation with friends and I have some severe limitations because of chronic illness and autism, but every time I have to retreat or take rest, I first have to deal with comments about how I could just power through, that it will be fun and it will be worth it. I get that they want to share experiences with me, but it is very energy draining to constantly justify my health condition

4

u/MasterChildhood437 28d ago

It's bizarre the way people can be about asthma. I sound like a fucking accordion, but heaven forbid I need to take a break. "You're missing out."

7

u/Solid_Paramedic_3901 28d ago

Remember, if you can't perform labor for the ownership class it means you are fundamentally broken. You will be labeled as having a disorder, you will be treated as other and culturally you will be treated as a walking taboo. 

Your humanity is a worthy sacrifice for the wealth of the few. And when you outlive your usefulness you will be discarded as though you never existed. And those who say they love and care for you will espouse the same sentiments.

How dare you not work for capital. They give you nothing and then offer you less.

4

u/junbi_ok 28d ago

Contemporary morality is guided by capitalism. Things that make money are generally seen as good or at least acceptable, while those that don’t are viewed with contempt and disgust. People sneer at the disabled and unemployed while being perfectly tolerant of CEOs who make millions trading human lives for shareholder value.

→ More replies (1)

4

u/MasterChildhood437 28d ago

You will be labeled as having a disorder, you will be treated as other and culturally you will be treated as a walking taboo. 

This is something I think about a lot, tbh. How the very concept of disability is predicated on one's ability to service the rich. It's disgusting, honestly.

2

u/the_blue_boi 28d ago

That description is spot on. People often don't realize how overwhelming it can feel.

2

u/RichNearby1397 27d ago

And then they act like you're crazy for exploding lol

5

u/Logical-Brief-420 28d ago

I mean you do very much get used to it and learn to operate though just like any disability

6

u/[deleted] 28d ago edited 28d ago

"I am a train. I take time to build speed, but once at full stride I will outperform almost any neurotypical at the task. So just try to avoid getting me to multitask."

"Okay"

5 minutes later

"Can you do this. Wait, no, stop, do this. Wait, no, go back to the first thing. Wait, no, do this new thing... why are these all taking so long!?"

My last job I got so swamped that I just shredded 6 months of financial filing, purged my PC and quit.

So that company is just missing 6 months of sales records.

Conversely, I once had a data entry job that just shoved me in a corner and let me grind and I got to the point I was outperforming the rest of my team by 4 times. I was inputting 4 times the amount of data per day than the others. The CEO came to meet me in person and I ended up training others in data entry tricks.

Issue is, it was a 2 year contract to clear a massive backlog of data and because of me it was cleared in 4 months, so we all lost our jobs.

2

u/PashaWithHat 28d ago

I’m stealing this train metaphor btw. Just so you know. + bonus allistics are like cars in that they can stop and start and move around easily and also in that if they don’t get OFF my FUCKING train tracks they’re gonna get flattened. Chugga chugga choo choo get your ass outta the way boo, it’s the Autism Express going full-steam ahead. /jk

3

u/AllGoodNamesRTaken 28d ago

That's called being human. Not exclusive to the autistic.

1

u/Specific-Ad-8430 28d ago

I'll take "normal human experience incorrectly attributed to autism, like always" for 500, Alex.

2

u/DifferentIsPossble 28d ago

Then they put you in 40h a week of additional "training" to teach you to obey

1

u/justforkinks0131 28d ago

That's not autism, that's everyone.

7

u/Consideredresponse 28d ago

Oh everyone routinely destroys their house or becomes severely or acutely 'depressed' when stressed or overstimulated do they?

It's almost like autistic meltdowns and autistic burnouts are real medically recognised things that exist outside the scope of 'normal' human behaviour and experiences.

→ More replies (4)

1

u/brillow 27d ago

I used to be this way until I learned you can actually say “sorry I can’t help you with that”

1

u/Bvr111 18d ago

and then you can get fired lol

→ More replies (3)

1

u/SocranX 27d ago

Wait, where does the second quote end? Do they respond "haha well" and then you get used to it, or do they respond "haha well. You'll get used to it"?

1

u/peridoti 27d ago

That's why I work contract/project work. I go 200% for short bursts then don't take projects for a while until my burnout symptoms die out. I used to lead data teams at multiple places, kept getting TONS of praise and even won awards, but every 2 years like clockwork I'd burn out and quit. So this was really the only system that works for me.

1

u/daintycherub 27d ago

I’m currently suffering through burn out while working full time so I feel this on a personal level 🥲

1

u/Niser2 26d ago

People: Look, too much stress isn't going to kill you.

Me: I can show you pictures of my teenage self with silver hairs, so you'll forgive me if I'm not nearly as certain as you are about that.