My Experience with Writer's Burnout
I’ve struggled with burnout for as long as I can remember.
When I started my writing journey more than 5 years ago now, I was struggling.
I would constantly start writing, researching, diving into my creative self, and then crash from exhaustion months or even weeks later.
I thought that I had to become tougher. That I needed to be stronger to cope with the strain of writing a novel while studying and working but in reality, I needed to learn how to relax.
In the first episode of my podcast, Let’s Write a Book, I decided to open up and talk about my journey and struggles with burnout. The podcast is an authentic look at my journey to writing my first novel. It’s not about how I have it all figured out, it’s an authentic look at the process I’m going through and what I’m learning along the way.
The hardest lesson: learning to relax
It sounds silly but the hardest thing I’ve had to learn on this journey so far is how to relax.
I’m someone that’s good at going the extra mile. I can push myself to my limits and beyond if I truly believe in what I’m doing. But over the course of this journey, I realized that not only is this unhealthy, but it’s exactly what prevents us from achieving our goals.
Hustle culture is rife these days all over social media. I bought into this mentality and actually got less done than if I had just taken the time to relax and recharge.
One day when I had spent hours every day for weeks on end researching and writing, I could feel my mind tire, and the need to relax arise. I told myself I would take a break when I finished my most pressing task.
Then all of a sudden, a lightbulb went off. I realized this was the core of my burnout. I was ignoring my own needs.
If I just took a week off to recharge, I could get back into it the following week. But if I pushed myself to exhaustion, it would take a month or more to recover from that, pushing my progress further into the future. This was the catalyst for me to change.
I didn’t master relaxation after this moment, but it definitely made me more aware. Awareness was key to forming healthier habits and a better relationship with my book and myself.
Forming a better relationship with your creative work
Through the course of my novel writing journey, I’ve had to consistently learn how to form a better relationship with my creative work.
Resources like Atomic Habits by James Clear helped me to form more sustainable habits so I could keep on a healthy path.
While keeping my expectations in check helped me to appreciate the small steps to success along the way.
Forming a better relationship with my creative work has helped me to make more consistent and sustainable progress, instead of glorifying going above and beyond all the time.
Taoist wisdom says that we should never use 100% of our energy on any one task. Energy is a finite resource and so we need to manage it accordingly.
Like how water erodes rock over time, we can also learn to take the path of least resistence and stop giving in to the absolutist mind that tells us our worth hinges on our achievements.
Listen to the podcast
If you want more tips for your next creative project, or you’re just curious about my process, then head over to stream my new podcast.
I’ll be uploading a new episode each month so be sure to follow the podcast or subscribe to my monthly newsletter for a reminder.