Let's Talk Burn Out - And How It's Linked To Consumption Culture
Thank you to Adrian Lopera-Valle for sending me down this rabbit hole with the question, "How can we better utilize storytelling to encourage circular behavior change?" This may not answer that question, but it felt like a valuable stream of consciousness regardless. When we strategize around behavior change, some of the hardest things to plan for are subconscious. In capitalism, consumption is everything. It's how we supply our families' needs. It's how we take part in hobbies. It's how we support our parents as they age. It's how we receive validation. It's how we gauge our worth. It's where our traumas are rooted, and by extension, all of our coping mechanisms. The wide variety of modern addictions are evidence of this - Shopping, social media, gambling. We want things, and we want people to know we have them. It gives us control, to own things. It ensures that we belong. When I get stressed or burnt out, I start to do more. To me, productivity
