Self-Care

I don't think anyone should feel bad about leaving bad and toxic workplaces. While it is lovely if you care about the people you leave behind, do not forget: you always have to take care of yourself first. Otherwise you won't be able to help others in the future.

Sadly enough I have to remind myself about this. Although I probably try to care about others and other things to distract myself about the fact, that I should follow my own advise every once in a while, too.

Don't get me wrong, my current workplace is not toxic and I don't think about leaving the company. The above statement of the first paragraph was a response to a talk at this year's Euruko (a Ruby conference), the speaker mentioned that she felt guilty about leaving a place and thus leaving great people behind.

(And nowadays people can also suffer without an inherently harmful workplace. This pandemic has revealed a lot about ourselves, society, and culture.)

Later in the Discord chat the direction of the conversation shifted more towards if and how people can leave, but this is a completely new and huge topic to have. Just very briefly: I admit, I am extremely privileged¹ and can leave any time I want and also find very easily a new place to work, now with more remote-friendly companies out there even more easily than before. I know that not everyone is in this luxurious position. The only thing I can give to the less privileged: when you're completely burnt out, you will also suffer and probably loose your job, so don't wait too long for a change and try to escape that situation which is destroying you rather sooner than later. And talk to people, don't suffer silently, don't be too proud to not even admit to your very own family you try to care for and to protect, that you hurt. They probably need to know first anyway.

Whatever you do, take care! Self-care!