I’m honestly burned out.

Lately, I’ve been really stressed with my current job. My mom just had her operation about a month ago and she’s still recovering, so I’ve been trying my best to support her while also helping with my little sister. But at work, we’re kind of forced to do 12-hour shifts as part of their so-called “culture.” The problem is, it’s not optional and it’s not even paid.

The pay itself is actually decent, but this setup just doesn’t work for me. It’s exhausting, and it’s eating up the time I should be spending taking care of my family, or even just myself. Sometimes, I don’t even have the energy to do anything outside of work.

What makes it worse is that our boss keeps saying stuff like, “I work overtime and on weekends, so if I can do it, you can too.” But that’s not fair. He’s the business owner, of course he has a reason to overwork if he wants. We’re employees with families, lives, and responsibilities outside of work. It’s not that we don’t care or aren’t dedicated, it’s just that we’re human, too.

I don’t know, maybe I’m just tired.