Why My Brain Is Always Tired
Being a millennial and librarian is kind of a problem. I have never been diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder but if you were to guess that I have these tendencies and behaviors, then you guessed correctly. I once spent my spring vacation in college at the university library reading (and researching) everything I could find about the execution of The Romanov Family and Rasputin (it wasn't an assignment, it was for pure pleasure). By the time school was back in session, I was checked out. My brain never got the break it needed. And this is a daily habit, I'm not even kidding. Living in the rabbit hole and researching for hours on end (on any given subject) is second nature to me, I never stop to consider that it is a habit I need to learn to control. But I'm addicted, the need to know is just part of me (and most millennials). This perpetual state of curiosity is at the core of my foundation. So the fact that information is so easily accessible and that I have this degree (in library and information science) doesn't exactly help; it means I just know how to search information better and faster. We live in a world of information overload. Part of it is pressure because of the job. The other part, I just love learning. I'm a reading fiend, an information hoarder, hoping to one day be a walking encyclopedia.
But having access to so much information can also be a bad thing. I wake up to the sound of my alarm which is a curated playlist and then will usually switch to the latest episode of a favorite podcast while I'm getting ready and on my commute I revert back to listening to music. The work day is a combination of researching and reading, with a lunch break spent listening to more podcasts. Winding down at night is catching up with social media and reading newsletters or a book. My ears and eyes never get a break and it's important, you know, to chill out from time to time! For someone extremely introverted and who prefers to be alone to recharge, there is little silence in my day. And, that's part of the problem. My parents always ask how can I be so exhausted, I'm just a librarian?! Even if I'm not physically exerting myself, my brain is constantly working in overdrive. So learning to balance the amount of information I consume should be more of a priority. Here's a few really intriguing articles about information overload and how it's affecting us!
But having access to so much information can also be a bad thing. I wake up to the sound of my alarm which is a curated playlist and then will usually switch to the latest episode of a favorite podcast while I'm getting ready and on my commute I revert back to listening to music. The work day is a combination of researching and reading, with a lunch break spent listening to more podcasts. Winding down at night is catching up with social media and reading newsletters or a book. My ears and eyes never get a break and it's important, you know, to chill out from time to time! For someone extremely introverted and who prefers to be alone to recharge, there is little silence in my day. And, that's part of the problem. My parents always ask how can I be so exhausted, I'm just a librarian?! Even if I'm not physically exerting myself, my brain is constantly working in overdrive. So learning to balance the amount of information I consume should be more of a priority. Here's a few really intriguing articles about information overload and how it's affecting us!
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