Beating Burnout

Blogger burnout, work burnout, school burnout, people burnout, whatever it is we’ve all been there. It’s when you’re exhausted, uninspired and maybe considering quitting. If you’re reading this hoping I have a secret that will guarantee that you’ll always be inspired and never feel burnt out again, I don’t, but if there is one feel free to let me in on it. In the meantime I’m just here to write about what I know and what works for me in hopes that you can apply it to something in your life too.

Doing too much of anything can burn you out sooner or later. This might be when you’re staring at a blank screen for hours hoping that at any second you’ll figure out how to fill the page or when you’ve been trying to make everything perfect for so long that it all starts to look like gibberish so you just delete everything, I’m not sure which is worse. Obviously continuing to stare at a blank screen is not going to spark anything. Take a break, eat, read a book, work out, or even just get a change of scenery and then come back to it. Sometimes inspiration comes as easy as breathing and sometimes it’s just not there. I keep a list of things to write about for the days that I need some ideas and sometimes I still can’t figure out how to start writing for the life of me. Staying or becoming inspired isn’t something you can just decide but don’t make it harder on yourself. Try to find something that inspires you everyday. It’s not time consuming and it can be anything. Honestly if you just become more aware of what happens around you then you probably won’t even have to look for it. Read books, they are filled with inspiration. It blows my mind that some people haven’t even picked up a book since they were assigned one in school (even then, maybe). Thankfully since you’re still reading this post you’re not one of those people, or at least you read blogs. But really, read everything. I also try to listen to podcasts or TED talks at least once a day. I suggest at least trying it even if it’s just your background noise, I can almost guarantee you’ll hear something that’ll stick with you.  

You can’t force creativity, it just will not happen and you will continue to burn yourself out by trying. Use what you know and try to reach for what feels almost impossible. If that sounds like a stretch, think about it. Doing things that are too easy will bore you to death and attempting something you aren’t able to do yet will kill your chances of even trying. Find the edge of impossible, it’ll keep changing as long as you keep pushing it and it will keep you motivated. There’s a million baby steps to wherever you’re going, don’t overlook them or try to skip them. You might think you’re so many steps ahead for a second but you’ll end up stuck because you don’t know what you don’t know. Then again, why would you try to skip steps? To get ahead of what? To impress who? Remember that what you’re doing is yours and remember why you started doing it. Once you start feeling like you’re in a race or like you have to fit into some box is when you become uninterested in it yourself. If what you’re doing starts feeling less like a passion and more like a chore, why are you doing it? Being passionate about something in your life is a privilege that some people never find. It’s a really beautiful thing for people to go after it and unfortunately so many people quit. The spot is yours if you want it. Once you know that it’s impossible to not get what you want, you’ll get it 100% of the time.

Thanks for reading ☀️☀️☀️

20 thoughts on “Beating Burnout

  1. We burn out in the same way we dehydrate, forgetting to sip along the way. When creativity is at a loss, simply read others, something foolishly simple until you can notice that cognitive thirst feels quenched and you’re back to your old self again.

    Liked by 3 people

  2. Pingback: Beating Burnout – Boiled apple

  3. Great blog! We can take a cue from the trees, who flourish in the spring, but go dormant during the winter. I like your list of things to do when dormancy hits, and it must hit. There has to be a time to recharge. Relax! Let it happen.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. This is true, gd time for me to read it too.
    Looking forward to more reading and listening, persuing certain things I haven’t been able to get my teeth stuck into, feeling inspired, feeling passionate maybe. 😁 Great read!

    Liked by 1 person

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