Mt. Sensan-Ghi

Foreword

Hello and welcome, whomever you are, to this little indulgence on my part.

I never imagined, back in 2017 when I went into burnout, that this project would ever see fruition; nor did I ever think it would be so instrumental to my recovery. Finishing this book, much like working through burnout, has been a process of many years. Every creation along the way, every work included in this book, being a chronological manifestation of my state of mind through each stage of my journey. Now, writing this after completing the cover for that ties everything together, I'm not exactly sure how best to express my many thoughts about Mt. Sensan-Ghi.I have both great love and loathing for this book, and for better and/or worse this story is part of who I am today, better of than I could have ever been; back then and likely even today, had my burnout not happened. I can only hope I do justice to it here, before you too embark on my journey, and hopefully find your own journey ahead from here on out. Burnout is nasty. There is no way around that. It's also more prevalent in society than ever. More and more is demanded of us with smaller and small rewards, while we struggle to find things that give the repetition and grind a reason. Getting consumed by the rhythm of overwork and the crushing weight of the mental health issues you are left with can truly break you. Without hyperbole, I feel, that is exactly what it ended up doing to me. I didn't know I had reached my breaking point at the time of course, and even to this day I sometimes have to remind myself that the nagging feeling in the back of my head that I could have taken the pressure and just rolled with the punches as was expected of and by me is, in fact, wrong and at the root of the toxicity of what makes burnout so insidious.
I honestly still feel remnant effects of my burnout to this day. There are ways in which I am changed forever by it, then I remember how far I've come since, and that I am going in afar better direction than I used to. It is without a doubt unreal to think that at current time, March of 2023, six years have passed since my burnout and my life is so unrecognisable. This project was what allowed me to begin the healing process, but without the support I both sought and received along the way I would never have gotten where I am now. This story became the catalyst for a change in my life I desperately needed and I hope that reading it will provide something of value. Something good came of it in the end for me, and I hope it can do so for others too.

Don't be afraid to seek help, talk to friends and family, and most of all, take care of yourself.

- Julian Claeskens (kijknietlinks)