I work nonstop as an attorney, 12 hours a day, 5-6 days a week, and am effectively on call 24/7. I went to an Ivy League school. I am now more depressed than I ever have been and take medication + the occasional edible to just make it through the day.

The only reason I bother is because of a deep drive to have a family. I work, at minimum, 2000 hours a year, which translates to an average of 5.5 hours every single day of the year. I do it because my family, partner, and social circle expects me to and, again, because I am desperate to have a family (and always have been). I have no way out of any of this that doesn’t end up with me being alone and ostracized from family and friends, so instead I am just perpetually tired and sad, and what little energy I have goes towards trying to mask the latter. Don’t end up like me.