Last updated on August 4, 2025 I used to think fieldwork would save me from the burnout I felt in the lab. Salamanders, mushrooms, birds—real things, not just data points. I signed up for every walk, every survey, hoping that if I catalogued enough life, I’d remember why I started this. But every time I logged another species, I wondered if anyone would care. The registration forms, the careful notes, the smiling experts—none of it made the exhaustion go away. Sometimes I’d stare at the forest floor, pretending to look for tracks, just to buy myself a minute to breathe. I want to believe that these walks matter. That someone will read my field notes and feel what I felt. But most days, it’s just me, a clipboard, and the silence between birdsong. I keep showing up. I’m not sure why. #Science #ScienceFatigue #FieldworkBlues