October has been a very busy month, which is to be expected as it is the start of the holiday season. And for all who know my weekly schedule, I have experienced the hecticness first-hand. Being at the paper five days a week and travelling to Nashville to work at a haunted house on the weekends, I have felt the burnout.

Don’t get me wrong, I am very blessed and grateful to be busy and to be able to work at both places. However, this month has me exhausted. I know I’m not the only one who has experienced this, and some may think I’m whining about working. And that is true, but I think it is okay to recognize that you’re tired and need to chill.

Luckily, my fellow news reporter Bethany has noticed my burnout this past week and offered to help with some of my responsibilities. I’m not the best at asking for help, but I am fortunate to have someone who can notice when I’m not asking for help but clearly need it.

Recognizing your own burnout is important for the quality of your work. This week alone, I have made a couple mistakes in my stories, and I don’t want to make excuses for those mistakes. But I have to recognize why I might be making those mistakes in order to rectify them.

In last Sunday’s edition, I mistakenly wrote that Mayor Ryle Chastain voted against a resolution, but if you listen back at the recording, he clearly voted in support of the resolution. In Friday’s edition, I omitted that Corker DeLoach was given a trial date, so it made it look like his charges were dropped in my original story.

These mistakes, I don’t take lightly. If anyone is upset by them, just know that no one is more annoyed by them than myself. And the funny part about my burnout is, I am the one to blame for it. I decided working weekends at night while working full time in the week would be a great idea. Again, I only do it because I enjoy both of those jobs and want to do my best at both of them.

For the record, I do plan to return to the haunted house next year, so the burnout will return. But I hope I am better equipped next year to deal with it so it doesn’t affect my job at the Standard as much. Not to mention, I’ve been asked if I’m okay on multiple occasions because I look so tired.

It’s because I am, but again, I brought that upon myself. I just want people to take it easy on themselves. It’s easy to beat yourself up about things you would do differently, but just be nice to yourself. If someone looks tired or worn out, maybe try to see if that person needs help. They probably do.

And this is directed towards me, but if you need help and are the tired one, ask for help. Most people, if they’re good, will be more than willing to help you out. Last thing, just take care of yourself. It’s better to be at 100 percent than wear yourself out to 50 percent.

Standard reporter Taylor Moore can be reached at (931) 473-2191.