Found Rare Stone. Lost Myself

They're calling our jadarite discovery a game-changer. 'Kryptonite's twin,' the headlines say. Revolutionary for EVs. I should feel proud. Instead, I'm staring at my reflection in the lab window at 2 AM, wondering why finding something this rare makes me feel so ordinary. The mineral requires perfect conditions—precise alkaline lakes, exact temperatures, everything measured like baking a cake. One degree off and it fails. Sound familiar? That's my life now. Every grant application, every experiment, every conversation with my advisor—it all has to be perfect or I'm worthless. We discovered something that could change Europe's energy future, but I can't remember the last time I felt excited about science. The jadarite formed under impossible circumstances. So did my burnout. Maybe that's the real discovery here. 🧪 #Science #LabBurnout #ImposterInTheRoom