Let's Talk About Burnout

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about Writer's Block, that inability to write or to stay writing.

I had a few more thoughts on the subject that I wanted to share.

I think, for writers, burnout is a reason one can come down with a case of writer's block.

We call it burnout sometimes, but it means we're blocked in some way. Burnout can cause someone to be blocked in just about any career you can name.

You're written day after day for the longest time, and you feel as if there are no more words left in your brain. Overwork in any area without a break leaves one exhausted and stressed out—burned out. 

It's critical for people to take breaks from work. Remember the old axiom, "All work and no play makes Jack and Jill dull people."

Dull and subject to physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion which turns into overstress in all areas. I think mental/emotional stress is worst of all.

When one's career is in the creative arts, the emotional stress is intense.

There's fear of rejection, failure, or success, actual rejection in the ability to sell your creative project or in bad reviews of your creative effort. It all conspires to make one discouraged and/or lack the  confidence in your artistic endeavor.

The fear that one is not good enough can be paralyzing. It's easy to let it all get to you and erode your motivation to continue or to even feel good about yourself.

Yep, that's when you begin to feel the negativity of burnout.

TREATMENT FOR BURNOUT

No matter your field of endeavor, it all begins with your thoughts. What you think about external events and how you internalize that meaning.

You absolutely must cultivate a belief in yourself, your ability, and what you create.

The world is not kind to creative people because it's so hard to prove to the world that what you do is capable of earning you a living which is how most people judge a career as being worthwhile. You must believe in your soul that you are worthwhile and what you do is worthwhile.

If you need a little self-help, you might consider any of the excellent books on building self-esteem and eliminating self-defeating habits. Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior by Mark Goulston and Philip Goldberg is a good one to start with because it has 3,065 ratings averaging 4.5 of 5 stars. It's available from Amazon in Kindle, Audio, and Paperback.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

That means you must create your own yardstick for measuring yourself, your contribution to your self-esteem, your family, your world, and perhaps to the world at large.

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

Love to read? Sign up for my free Newsletter, I LOVE READING. Once a month, you'll receive exclusive content and news about giveaways, bargains, and new releases.