LEVITATE

“Burned Out” is a creative nonfiction piece by Marcela Torres that revolves around the feeling of being burned out and the effects this feeling can have on mental health and creative motivation. The author uses personal experiences and a strong narrative voice. Throughout the piece, she expands from to personal to a critique of the large societal aspects of burnout and all that is expected from us.

This piece truly had me engaged from beginning to end. Torres deftly describes a feeling that may be familiar to many in a unique and honest way, often sliding into stream-of-consciousness while never losing its clear narrative drive. A particularly powerful section reads: “It gave me what, for the lack of a more precious word at the moment, I will call ‘overcooked spaghetti’ brain. It completely impacted my ability to think. Nothing stuck, everything slipped. Everything felt fluffy and slippery.” Here, I was drawn in by the surprising metaphor and also impressed with how the author was able to provide us such a visceral entry into her experience.

Further into the piece, Torres develops the idea of how much is expected from us, discussing how we are constantly in survival mode and there is always work to be done and deadlines to meet, but even though these things can damage our mental and physical health, we simply can’t stop because at the end of the day there are bills to pay and mouths to feed. One of the many reasons why I love this piece so much is because of how honest and reflective this message is. Rarely do we get a piece that holds so much honesty, so much personal emotion, and so much beauty.

Dayna Garcia-Ruiz, Lead Creative Nonfiction Editor