CAREER PATHS
I Didn’t Just Burn Out — People Die from Overwork
Did you know the Japanese have a word for work-related sudden death?
Not long ago, I used to work long hours on a high-demanding job, and my get-a-life routine was a time bomb ticking away.
I’d arrive at the office early in the morning and leave late in the evening. For days on end, I’d barely see the sun.
For my typical commute, I used to leave home at first light. Take a bus or a tram to the subway station. Then walk to the office, and back again.
In 2014, I moved to Brussels. Three months later, I was working in project management for an NGO running massive Europe-wide campaigns for the European Commission.
We had millions in EU funding, and a network of off-site collaborators but only a skeleton crew at the general office (there was a time I was alone).
As time passed, my duties increased, but the promise of over-the-top rewards seemed to be always one step away.
Every task seemed like a life-defining moment even if all I was doing was pushing a boulder up the hill while waiting for a bird of prey to devour my liver.
