Mental Marathon and Fatigue - (No, not an Olympics post).

Hi,

Do you have... 

Compassion fatigue?

dark-art-mental-illness Art by Rivka Korf

If you have compassion fatigue or 'mental health' burnout then maybe skip this. I get sick of my own voice on the subject at times. And there's so much talk about it now. Which is good though there's varying degrees of its intensity. Some suffer more than others. Some are more vocal. Some just want attention. Some think they have problems that are actually fairly light on. Some suffer in silence. Some forge through. Others don't make it. One thing's inescapable though, no one gets a bypass. 

This was written in March of this year, 2024.

Marathon

 

I’m keen to ‘let it go’

Though keener

To have it set me free.

 

One feeds the other

The Black Dog

Chases its tail

Or in my case

Runs from it.

 

I can laugh too

At that image

It’s as silly as it sounds

In the same way

That its heartbreakingly pointless.

 

I’ll take more suggestions

And practice them

As desperation initiates action

Though I’ve heard them all.

Thirty years

Delivers a lot of alternatives

Some of which clearly works

Or I wouldn’t be writing this

At 56.

 

It’s simply stopped working

The options have dried up

And that circular chase

Is more exhausting than ever.

 

Only so many sinews

In these old legs.

 

 

25.3.24

5.10 pm

 

It's almost a cliche. But I am very worn out. This year... so exhausting. Five months on, it is worse. I had some sort of breakdown in May/June and I'm still struggling to get back to my normal. Which wasn't fun to begin with but it's preferable to where I'm at. (Anti-depressant issues are a big player. They've screwed me up. Story here).

Sorry to be such a bore. Writing itself feels helpful. And these posts, as brief as they are. I write down something to be grateful for every day. There's always something, even if minor in the scheme of things. We all push on as long as we can. 

More Poetry

Here's something nice to end on. 

Hope you're doing reasonably well, if not great!

A.J. Langford Books

nb; just as I was finishing this post, it rained. I stood outside. It was beautiful.

Peace and love to you

Anthony