Laid off, then cortisone sent me into a manic productivity frenzy
Job Loss and Cortisone Mania
Til Schünemann lost his job during a restructuring, then fell ill and was put on cortisone for an autoimmune flare-up. The drug cleared his symptoms overnight but left him restless, racing-hearted, and sleeping badly — a wound-up frenzy he channeled into cleaning, organizing, and fixing everything in his apartment. He reflects on approaching 30, the strange clarity of forced time off, and what the episode taught him about priorities.
I felt like a wound-up toy, manic. I used this frenzy to tackle all the chores and tasks and projects and minuscule things, and yet I still kind of liked it. 110% productivity.