This comic was created by Elizabeth Pich, half of the talent behind War and Peas, for the Toggl Team. Often, we wear ourselves thin for our jobs, giving it all at the expense of our health and joy. It’s hard to say no. It’s hard to take a break. We attribute this frustration to having the wrong job or not doing what we love, but stressors can wear you down even if you have your dream job.

Stressors can wear you down even if you have your dream job.

It doesn’t matter what you do. Take time to do something different that makes you smile. It could be art classes or therapy or cooking a beautiful meal. Maybe you don’t know what that thing is yet. But what a treat! You get to try lots of things to find out precisely what makes you happy. Maybe trying new things is your thing! So take a break and make some nice memories.

A Job is a Job

Another day breaks, you pour out of bed.

Not a minute awake and in creeps the dread.

The dread of the world waiting outside your door

With its deadlines, appointments, its meetings, its chores!

You feel uninspired as you sit in your cube.

A few minutes of joy watching cat clips on YouTube.

When you’re colleagues ask a friendly “How do you do?”

You simply say “Fine”, but you’d like to say “Blue”.

You say to yourself, that’s the way it must be.

There’s duties and schedules, and your kid’s dentist fees.

A job is a job and a job must be done!

There’s no time to sit around and simply have fun!

So you slumpity-slump your way through each day.

And you gripe, and you type, as you labor away.

Now, this will not do. No, this simply won’t do!

Who’s running this show, here? It’s you, my dear, you!

It’s time to start asking what do you want to do?

Plan some time for yourself, two, three hours a day.

Leave your smartphone at home – go out and play.

Why have we stopped playing? How silly, how wrong!

To think growing up means being earnest all day long.

Remember, you liked to go out and dance?

You once played guitar in that weird indie band.

Or painting, whatever did happen to that?

Strange how all of those passions fell flat.

Now, a job is a job, and a job must be done.

But a you is a you, and you must also have fun.

So take a week off, one, or two, six, or eight!

This is your mental health – and that simply can’t wait.

But wait! It’s not easy when money is tight.

That’s true, but you can still take that art course at night.

If risks aren’t your thing, work part-time for a while.

In your new found free time, do things that make you smile.

Sure there’s bosses, and partners, and clients to whoo.

But in the grand scheme of things, you’re working for you.

And if they don’t get it – that self-care must be.

Well then, good riddance, there’s other job-fish in the sea!

Taking care of yourself is the first job of all.

If you don’t work at that, soon you’ll have no job at all.

So, eat a grand meal, sing a song, learn Malay.

Not just once in a while – do these things every day.

Yes, a job is a job and a job must be done.

But taking care of yourself is job Number One

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