Mental health-wise, I'm doing better than I ever thought possible during and since burnout. I literally forgot it was possible to feel this functional and active.
Unfortunately, "functional and active" are not inherently positive, they are just higher brain speeds. Sure, that improves capacity for good things, but... [gestures around at the world]
A lifehack that I rarely talk about (except in the context of social media engagement, because I think that facet is very important in our times and occasionally other people even listen a little) is how much I control the amount of input going into my brain. I have spoken openly about using music as a mood-modification drug, but I also have dry, data-heavy projects that help me relax because they are emotionless, I have friends I keep around simply because I cannot anticipate anything they will say or do, I play quick board games online because they're easy to duck in and out of as needed for diversion, and I keep hundreds of tabs open because I think some day I'll attain the right headspace for each one AND actually deploy it.
I suppose these have always been stimming for me, or helping me mask, or some neurodivergent coping skill. Anything to get back to a calm baseline -- even though I don't think most people would actually describe me as calm? Did they ever? Hmm...
I suppose my sense of calm should also be contextualized as neurodivergent, if that's the presupposition we're working with. I can accomplish incredible things from it, but the further away I get from it the more useless I become. Even within it, my functionality is... relative. I'm too idealistic to make much money for myself or anyone else, but neither can I commit myself to self-sacrifice in the ways of ascetics. I need balance (the heart of my past affection for the Tao Te Ching, which I recently mentioned) and direction, even if I don't ultimately end up where I was aiming.
I think I have something new to ponder...