How my wife and D&D saved me from a burn-out

I started playing Dungeons & Dragons a few years ago, because I wanted to try something new. I’ve always been a fan of fantasy, and I’ve always wanted to try role-playing. Asking a few friends to join me, we started playing every week. I was hooked. I loved the storytelling, the creativity, and the social aspect of it.

Then Covid-19 hit, and my workload exploded. Due to this and social distancing, we had to stop playing for a while. We tried playing online a few times, but it just wasn't the same. I missed the social aspect of it, and the face-to-face interaction. In the meanwhile, I became a father. Finnegan was born in June 2020, and work was still busier than ever. I was working 60 hours a week, and I was a new father. So sleepless nights were a given. I was exhausted, and I was struggling to keep up with everything. The combination of all these things almost threw me into a burn-out. The smallest things would set me off. I was getting angry at my friends, and I was getting angry at my dog. I was getting angry at myself. I was getting angry at everything.

Luckily, Evelyn noticed on time and took away most of my responsibilities. I was able to take a few days off, and I was able to relax. With some external help, I managed to take a step back and look inward. Slowly realizing that I was in over my head, and I slowly began to relax. Then the restrictions were lifted, and we were able to play Dungeons & Dragons again. One night a week, no work, no obligations. Just me and my friends, sitting around a table, telling stories, ordering some food, having a beer, and most importantly having fun.

These days I'm doing much better. I'm still working a lot, but I'm not getting angry at the world anymore. I'm just relaxed. I'm just happy. I'm just enjoying life.

Big shout-out to Evelyn for looking after me and being my best friend. And a big shout-out to my friends for playing Dungeons & Dragons with me. I love you all.