Jon Spayde

Fatigue often feels distinctly physical — and it is. But the mind, spirit, and emotions can still be driving causes. Long periods of overwork, significant personal loss, and mood disorders can all change how the brain allocates energy. In burnout, physical and emotional resources become deeply depleted by chronic stress. It can feel as if our body and emotions have gone on strike, refusing to keep up the breakneck pace.

When it comes to paid time off, American workers get the short end of the stick. In Spain and Germany, for example, full-time employees receive at least four weeks off each year, as mandated by law. In the United States, meanwhile, the average vacation policy for workers with a year of service offers 11 days, and it takes around 10 years of service to accrue up to 19 days per year. As many as a quarter of all businesses don’t offer any vacation time at all.

An exhibition at Duane Reed Gallery in St. Louis features nine works by the Ukraine-born artist. By Jon Spayde April 13, 2026 Digital Only Free To Read Janina Myronova with her menagerie of ceramic figures. In the window area of the St. Louis–based Duane Reed Gallery, there’s I Love Mushrooms, a 24-inch female figure in a yellow jumpsuit with a bright-red mushroom under one of her stubby little arms; her wide, narrow blue eyes look out on the viewer steadily, and maybe a little suspiciously.