Self-Care or Slow Fade? Recognizing When You're Checking Out
Manage episode 501702171 series 3636467
Have you been quietly stepping back from your own life? The phenomenon of "quiet quitting" has evolved beyond workplace boundaries into something more pervasive and potentially harmful. I'm exploring what I call "Quiet Quitting 2.0" – the subtle ways we disengage not just from our jobs, but from friendships, hobbies, and personal growth while convincing ourselves it's just self-care.
The world has thrown countless challenges our way – economic uncertainty, technological disruption, social upheaval – making retreat feel like the safest option. But there's a critical distinction we need to recognize: are we truly protecting our mental health, or simply avoiding life's challenges? True self-care recharges you for tomorrow's engagement; avoidance just helps you escape facing tomorrow altogether. One creates space for renewal; the other slowly shrinks your life.
Drawing from personal experience opening a bagel shop with zero café experience (yes, it's been terrifying!), I share practical ways to recognize when you've crossed from healthy boundary-setting into harmful disengagement. You'll learn how to identify whether your reduced effort is temporary or has become a permanent lowering of your life expectations, and simple strategies to re-engage one step at a time. Because while our minds and bodies naturally seek the path of least resistance, true fulfillment comes from intentional engagement – even when it's uncomfortable. Safety without engagement leads to stagnation, which feels remarkably like burnout, just in slow motion. Join me to explore this balance between protection and participation, between merely existing and truly living.
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Website: www.themikemuldoonpodcast.com
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/mike-muldoon-podcast
Chapters
1. Podcast Introduction and Life Update (00:00:00)
2. Understanding Quiet Quitting 2.0 (00:00:56)
3. Self-Care vs. Avoidance (00:02:12)
4. Reengaging with Life (00:04:51)
5. Final Thoughts and Sign-off (00:05:51)
148 episodes