We Keep Calling It Burnout. It’s Actually Grief.
What we call burnout is often grief in disguise. Not exhaustion from doing too much but mourning a life that no longer fits.
This Is Us (But Funnier)
About This Is Us (But Funnier)
This Is Us (But Funnier) is Groundwork Daily’s cultural observation lane. It names the everyday
contradictions people are living inside and says the quiet part clearly, without turning the
moment into performance or moral theater.
The mission is simple. Restore perspective. Much of what passes for “normal” is simply unexamined.
This series slows the moment just enough to reveal the pattern underneath the behavior, the habit,
or the headline everyone is reacting to.
This lane operates like a cultural pressure valve. It relieves tension by naming reality plainly
and refusing to dramatize what is already obvious. No cruelty. No outrage choreography.
Just clean observation and timing that lets the truth land on its own.
Every installment answers three questions.
1. What is happening
The moment, behavior, or trend people keep encountering but rarely stop to examine.
2. Why it stands out
The contradiction, inconsistency, or assumption that makes the moment worth noticing.
3. What it reveals
The underlying truth about priorities, incentives, or human behavior hiding in plain sight.
This Is Us (But Funnier) exists because people cannot stay disciplined while carrying constant
low-grade frustration. Perspective clears the noise. Clarity restores movement.
This is cultural awareness without theatrics. This is truth delivered without a lecture.
This is noticing the pattern before the pattern runs you.
We’re Not Overcommitted. We’re Just Bad at Saying No.
We aren’t overcommitted because we’re generous. We’re overcommitted because we avoid the discomfort of saying no.
We Don’t Have a Time Problem. We Have a Permission Problem.
Busyness isn’t just a personal habit anymore. It’s a cultural permission slip that keeps people moving without choosing and occupied without clarity.
Everyone Says They’re “Busy.” Funny How the Same People Are Always Available.
“Busy” has become the most socially acceptable lie we tell. Being busy as an excuse sounds responsible. Ambitious. Slightly important.
We’re Not Confused. We’re Just Avoiding the Math.
We aren’t confused. We’re avoiding the math. This reflection examines how delay, misalignment, and soft excuses cost more than honest decisions ever will.