Oh NO, Jesse!

Teppy, are these hours all the time or just for a short period? You can probably power through if it's just for a week but if they expect this amount of work all the time, that is untenable.

All of last month and probably all of October. September was rough but I got through it because I thought it would just be the one month, but then my boss said that they're going to keep having me do the 2 jobs while the new person is transitioned into my job, which I understand and I want them to know I'm reliable and a team player so I do whatever they send me but it was literally more than twice as many hours in September than I've worked for them in any prior month. And I can't keep doing that but I feel like I can't refuse or they'll fire me. I don't really know what boundaries I can reasonably set and still stay employed. I mean, I get that I can set ANY boundary I want, but at the same time, they ALSO can say, well, if you won't do this, we need to fire you.

I just don't know what's reasonable. They're not unreasonable people, but doubling my hours is...I don't know if they're just not paying attention to the amount of work they're giving me or if it's just something I have to do or otherwise I get fired. And, you know, I need to be employed.

Jesse, that is so euw. I so hope that was followed by a swift deletion,

In car news, I just get approved for a credit card at my car repair place, so the new tires and heater core won't be such a big hit.

Steph, all I can add is, I work insane hours fairly often, and don't imagine that I don't complain about it! Because I do. My co-workers and I complain a lot! It's the nature of the beast, with my job and the way we do things; either the day's work takes three hours to finish, or 14 hours. But you still have to set boundaries. If the long hours are a temporary push, that's one thing, but if it's becoming a "normal" thing, to work more than 8-10 hours a day, then your employer is asking too much. You can't work that much all the time. I know; I've tried! It leads to depression and exhaustion and less-than-perfect work and messy houses. So if this isn't a temporary thing, don't be afraid to tell your employer it's too much work; you either need help or an extension of deadlines. You're not a whiner.

eta:

I just don't know what's reasonable. They're not unreasonable people, but doubling my hours is...I don't know if they're just not paying attention to the amount of work they're giving me or if it's just something I have to do or otherwise I get fired. And, you know, I need to be employed.

This is when you talk to the person who's giving you the work and be frank about your concerns. There's something in-between "do whatever they want and hush" and "refuse and get fired". Talk to them, tell them you want to keep the job but the workload is untenable, what can we do?

Kind of having a panic attack. Hyperventilating and seeing spots. I think I didn't have breakfast or lunch.

Do you have something quick and easy to eat, Teppy?

Steph, I don't have any professional advice, but this sounds like a good question for Ask A Manager, although I don't know how fast she responds to questions.

Also, go eat something right now. And take a breather. You need it.

Yes, people work long hours, but they complain and vent and they get burned out. At my store we've had several people quit because they were working at my store as a 2nd (or third) job and that combined with other things means they were working 11-12 hour days, with no days off for weeks on end and it was too much so they burned out and quit.

It may feel like everyone else is sucking it up and never complaining but they are.

The fact that you are freelance doesn't make your work or work situation any easier than someone who is going into an office. You're at home so you dont have a commute, but you are still putting in long days doing meticulious work where you need to be sharp.

I dont' think it would be unreasonable to say something like "I know my work load has increased during this transitional period, I wanted to clarify how long this transitional period is anticipated to last." or something like that. If they say "It should last until the end of October" or if they say "we expected it to last through the end of the year" you have a better idea and can talk to them about what you can reasonably handle.

I could have a banana or cheese.

Yes, or a walk or something involving enough that you're not thinking about work. Time to give the lizard brain a rest or at least a diversion.

Remember, too, Tep, that they already value you a lot to trust you with all this work. If you say it's too much, there's more chance they'll worry about you quitting than deciding to fire you. They hired you for a reason, you know?

Try to breathe.