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How To Heal From Creative Burnout 

Rekindling your creative flame.

By Barbara KingPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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How To Heal From Creative Burnout 
Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash

What is creative burnout?

Creative burnout is when you've exhausted so much of the creative energy that you just can not create any more. Whether this is in regard to writing, content creation, drawing, or any other creative pursuit you simply do not have the physical or emotional capabilities of creating.

Creative burnout is common in writers especially when they are in the midst of a project or nearing the end of, or have just finished one so they have given it all that they have until there is nothing left to give.

Burnout symptoms are different for everyone. When I experience extreme burnout I am unable to touch or even look at my computer for days at a time and my migraines tend to flare up to an unbearable level. 

You may be suffering from creative burnout if:

  • You begin procrastinating creative outlets (such as writing)
  • You begin dreading the idea of sitting down to write or the very idea of sitting down to write makes you feel ill.
  • You become irritable when you are unable to write 
  • You are physically exhausted or emotionally overwhelmed 
  • You become irritable when thinking about your writing 

How do you prevent creative burnout? 

The best advice I have ever been given when it comes to creative burnout is, "Treat the problem, not the symptom." Once burnout strikes the effects can last from days to weeks and in some cases months. Keeping you away from your writing or other creative endeavors until getting yourself back to it is as easy as speedwalking with your feet set in hardened cement.

Ways to prevent burnout include:

  • A healthy work-life balance 
  • Setting achievable expectations 
  • Take breaks and put scheduled distance between yourself and your projects so as to not overwork yourself 
  • Understand your limitations and don't push through them 

How do you heal from creative burnout?

If you've pushed it too far and now you need to heal there are a few simple things you can do to help your mind and your body ease back into creative pursuits without causing the cycle to repeat.

  • Don't feel shame for the way that you feel. It's perfectly normal and you will get through it at your own pace. Don't let anyone judge or criticize you for taking a break and taking care of yourself.
  • Don't work through it. Your mind is telling you it needs a break so listen to it.
  • Be kind to yourself, being negative will only make things worse.
  • Take some time to recover and slowly ease yourself back into your projects.
  • Practice self-care. Read, go for a walk, and/or watch a few episodes (or a whole season) of your favorite show.

If you still need to feel productive try a different creative outlet. If writing is too much try drawing or painting something related to your project as if it was for a middle school English class. I mean it, attempt to make it look like a middle schooler or elementary school student completed it. You're not looking for perfection, you are looking to have some creative fun. Just because you may be an adult doesn't mean every activity you do has to be done in a serious manner or in a way that if it's not perfection it's not worth completing. 

Find your inner child, they're the ones that control most of our creative spirits and they may be feeling neglected. Go and have some fun.

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Burnout can be overwhelming, but it's possible to get through it with a bit of time and self-love of yourself and your mind.

You're doing the best you can and that's all anyone, even yourself should be asking for.

Take a break and take a breath.

Write when you're ready.

With love, 

B.K. xo

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About the Creator

Barbara King

Barbara King is a full-time writing coach and novelist. King is a recent college graduate from Southern New Hampshire University where she earned her BA in Creative Writing.

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