Dirty Little Secrets of a Workaholic

by Anna Sorokina

Our modern capitalist society seems to share a collective secret – how stressed and overworked we are. “Busy” is undoubtedly good, we tell ourselves, and there is no room for joy, and pure existence. These illustrations all reflect this secret of my own life and what seems to be that of many others’ lives, too.

It starts with dirty little secrets of a workaholic – how much time I spend in front of a computer. Many late nights, many open tabs, much too much caffeine and alcohol later, I say, “I feel unwell. I don’t sleep anymore. Why do my eyes hurt?” I go to the doctor to unveil all these medical mysteries, to look into my body and mind, to get to the truth. “Your eyes are fine,” I hear, “But maybe you should get a brain scan – just in case.” And I do. But beyond my hypochondriac tendencies, I know that the way I feel is something else entirely: it’s my mind that’s unwell. Self-inflicted pain of a busy human. When was the last time I let go and just played?

Burnout

Brain Study