I have been working stressful job after stressful job over the past half decade. Got 2 degrees before that and thought that I would eventually start earning enough money to afford good life. But as the pay slowly increased, living costs increased a lot faster. There is nothing rewarding about working hard just to pay sky-high rent and bills for a one-bedroom apartment, with hardly any money left over for nice things.
Ever since seeing and experiencing the way employers treated people during the lockdowns, I have been feeling increasing disdain towards the system. I also found that I was working harder for less in return. I finally began to experience burnout, which messed up my sleep and caused early periods. As a result, I started to fuck up at work and could sense they were considering getting rid of me. Handed in my notice before they could do that, then they offered me gardening leave which I gladly accepted.
Instantly after accepting gardening leave, I felt enormous relief. I had gained weight during the lockdowns and had joined a gym after they were lifted to try and get rid of it. However, stress from work meant that I had no time to prepare healthy meals and ended up comfort eating. Now I have been able to restrict alcohol and junk/carby foods to one day a week. I've had more contact with family and friends, and have been able to support the people in my life better because I'm not swamped with so many of my own issues. It's also great to be able to focus on actual hobbies. I'm rarely idle despite that I'm not slaving away for hours to make money for some corporation. Haven't felt this free since university days (though it's not going to last beyond 2 months).
Capitalism is bad for both our physical and mental health.