As writer’s, we’re lucky. If we’re not productive, we can blame it on ‘writer’s block,’ an ailment that doesn’t seem to exist for other professions. For instance, shoe salesmen do not get ‘shoe salesmen block.’ -Neil Gaiman
I’ve been writing again. Slowly but surely. Something completely different than my usual.
Sometimes changing our perspective, changing our goals and even changing the type of things we write (or paint, draw, sing) can help us push past that block of resistance.
Maybe Neil Gaiman doesn’t believe in writer’s block, but I absolutely do. I believe it’s our own resistance that blocks us. Sometimes when I’m in the middle of a story, I get blocked if I’m not following the story’s path. But lately I’ve been blocked because I got a little burned out and needed a break.
Burn out is absolutely real, and for me comes in the form of writer’s block. I’ve experienced burn out more than once and haven’t experienced it for the last time.
I work in an emotionally draining job. As an officer manager for a prosecutor’s office who sees some of the worst of the worst types of cases, my brain is on overload most days, every day during the work week. That while trying to enjoy my own life doing the things I love can get emotionally taxing.
There are days I don’t feel I get away from my job. I wake up on Sunday wondering where the weekend went and then remember it isn’t Monday yet. I dream about my job at least once a week, but usually more than I would admit. I often joke with my husband that I can’t get away from my job because I dream about it when I’m not there.
Sometimes, my burn out is quick and I overcome it after a day of rest and relaxation. Other times, it can last for days or even weeks. Or, I hate to say, months.
Burn out is different than just being tired and needing a break. A nice vacation can fix that, but it might not be able to fix burn out.
The first time I experienced burn out, it wasn’t well known or talked about. The internet was different, barely in existence, and there wasn’t a lot of information about it. I lost interest in the things that used to interest me, and I didn’t know what was wrong. I feel like I was in a rut, a large black hole, and it felt like something dark and heavy was on my shoulders.
Burn out is different than depression but can sometimes feel a lot like it and can even make you depressed. So how do we overcome burn out?
It’s easy to do an online search now on burnout and get instant results on what to do about it, but it isn’t always that easy, is it? Yesterday, I had plans to work on some creative goals, but couldn’t muster the energy to do so. Then I thought if I colored, that might get my mind into creative mode without having to think. I couldn’t muster the energy to do that either. I love to read but sometimes when I’m in that mode, I can’t even handle words!
So what do I do when I’m facing the worst of all burnouts?
Sit in silence. Take a bath. A shower. Get away from the noise, unless it’s noise of nature (birds chirping or frogs croaking is the best!)
Take a walk. Even a short walk down to the mailbox.
Go outside. Even if you just sit under a shade tree, a porch, or a rock. Soak up that Vitamin D! There’s nothing better than sunshine when you’re feeling burned out.
Stop overthinking. I’m no doctor, but in my experience overthinking and worrying can lead to burn out. Sometimes the best way to stop overthinking is to get a pen and paper and write down whatever is in your mind. I can’t always do that when I’m burned out, but even doing a mind map or brainstorm can help ease the thoughts in your mind leading to burnout.
Have a good cry. I don’t cry much, and sometimes when I really want to I just can’t. But there are times when having a good cry washes away all the humdrum feelings of burnout.
Do something different. Get away from your reality and do something completely different than normal. I’ve heard people say take a different route to work, but that doesn’t always work well. Still, getting out of town and doing something different can work wonders on your burnout!
There are a lot of other ways to overcome burnout, and an online search will point you there, especially burn out from work. But I’m not here to talk about work burnout (which I experience all the time) but burnout from your creativity, your life and just everything. Nipping it in the bud before it gets you down is important, and thankfully I’ve learned to do that since I experience it often. I know when it’s time to take a break, and if that means not writing for a day or two or working on my creative projects, so be it.
How do you best handle burnout?
Thanks for joining. Bye for now!