Luxury Beauty Worker Cries ‘Tears Of Joy’ After Resigning From The Dream Job That Made Her Feel Burned Out
She encouraged others to put their own needs first because no job should come between you and your mental health.
Prostock-studio | Shutterstock It doesn't matter if you're working at a job that directly aligns with your interests if it's taking a toll on your mental health.
Such was the case for an Australian woman named Aleska, who admitted in a TikTok video that despite working at her dream job, she ended up having to quit because of the toll that it was taking on her well-being.
She cried 'tears of joy' after resigning from her dream job which made her feel burned out.
"The tears of joy after having the courage to resign from the 'dream job' that led you to burnout," Aleska wrote in overlay text, wiping away her tears as she smiled from relief.
She pointed out that it doesn't matter how glamorous and exciting a job can initially be, if it's taking a toll on your mental health and personal life, then it simply isn't worth it.
Aleska, who worked in luxury beauty, explained that she couldn't understand what was happening to her until she ended up hitting the final stage of burnout at her job. She recalled that it began with excessive ambition, and while most people would assume that having something like that is a positive thing, it wasn't for her.
She felt a constant need to prove herself, especially when it came to working in a luxury industry.
Looking back, Aleska admitted that she couldn't tell if she loved what she was doing or if she was simply doing it because she had to.
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Soon after she joined the company, she noticed that she was working harder and even filling in for other people when it came to the responsibilities that existed within the company.
"Everything was fast-paced. I had to jump straight in. That generated so much stress for me in the first three months in the company," she said. "That led me to stage three which was the start of neglecting myself and neglecting my needs."
At first, everyone tried to reassure Aleska that what she was feeling was more than normal and that it would go away once she got more settled in at work. Listening to the advice, Aleska began working even harder to try and overcome the hump, hoping that things would settle down if she stayed on top of her assignments and got things done promptly.
Unfortunately, Aleska ended up working overtime, on the weekends, and for hours on end.
As a result, she stopped working out, stopped doing the hobbies that made her happy, she'd cry often, and started to gain weight from stress eating.
Aleska definitely isn't alone when it comes to feeling burnt out at their job.
According to a December 2023 report from Isolved, a human resources management source, about 65% of employees said they suffered from burnout last year.
Eighty-eight percent of employees said it’s become more important to have a job they find personally fulfilling. In addition, 53% want their employer to provide more opportunities to develop their skills, and 52% want a more flexible work environment.
She was initially in denial that what she was experiencing was a sign to take a step back from her role.
Aleska admitted that she didn't want to speak up about her struggles. She wanted to show that she was proactive and a hard worker.
It wasn't long before she began shifting her values and telling herself that having a life outside of work wasn't that important to begin with. All of the hobbies that she dropped weren't valuable anymore, and Aleska adopted a mindset that she should focus all of her energy on her career instead.
Of course, this type of thinking is extremely detrimental and feeds into the narrative that working 24/7 is the only important part of living when that's not the case at all.
There's much much more value in life outside of the office despite what hustle culture narratives would have you believe.
By spending so much time at work, you start neglecting and alienating yourself from the parts of your life that can make you happy, which happened to Aleska.
"I would daydream about resigning but would never have the courage to hand in my resignation letter. I just felt lost, I felt like life lost all its meaning. I didn't know who I was," she continued.
Everyone in Aleska's life, including her therapist, heavily encouraged her to resign if that was how she was beginning to feel.
After much thought and consideration, especially upon hearing that if she hit full-on burnout, it would deeply affect her mental and physical health, she handed in her notice.
Ignoring any symptoms of burnout, even if they don't feel intense, can be doing a huge disservice to your mental well-being in the long run.
No job is worth sacrificing your joy. Aleska encouraged anyone watching her video who might relate to anything that she was saying to consider putting themselves first and seeking help as soon as possible.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.