For the Weary Creative

We all get weary at times. Even if we’re doing something we love and are passionate about, we can still get burnt out from time to time. It doesn’t mean you’re not as skilled as others because everyone goes through times when they are simply worn out.

It’s happened to me. It’ll happen to you.

A lot of times I find that it’s hard to identify when we’re burnt out. It’s easy to tell when we’re procrastinating and doesn’t take long to know when we’re facing writer’s block. But burn out? I’ve felt as though I’ve run into a brick wall before with my writing and still told myself to keep pushing and keep going. I was completely oblivious to the fact that I was going through burn out.

I’ve noticed this with other writers as well. For whatever reason, we can have a hard time knowing when we need a break. We feel lazy or like we’re not a competent writer. It never occurs to us that maybe all we need is some quality time away from our writing.

A few signs that you’re needing a break are:

#1: You’re physically or emotionally drained (this is the obvious one but even still we ignore it more often than not and push through our exhaustion)

#2: You feel stuck and have no idea where to go next in your story

#3: Lack of creativity and productivity

There are many more signs that show you may be going through burn out and I encourage you to look them up if you think this is what you have. Because once you identify that you do indeed have burn out, you can then move forward with treating yourself, so to speak.

First of all, the number one thing you need is rest. Take a break from your writing and allow yourself to read a book, listen to music, spend time with your family, or any other activity that fills your creative well. But don’t just spend one day at this and then go right back at it. Chances are, you’ve been going through burn out longer than you realize and, to come out of it, you need a longer break than you’d realize too.

Take the weekend or even the entire week off and don’t let yourself think about writing. Distance yourself from it and instead allow yourself to do something fun. Something creative. Something that maybe you haven’t had time for in a while.

Allow yourself to be free to do whatever instead of constantly living within the confines of a to-do list. During this break, we’re not going to worry about anything writing related and simply be ourselves. That’s the only way you can get out of a phase of burn out.

Your turn!

Are you going through burn out? Do you feel weary as a creative? How do you fill your creative well?

Blessings, Allyson

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