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not-poignant · 1 year

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im finally sick of my brain being shitty enough to make an appointment with a psychiatrist, but in the meantime i thought i might ask you this: in your wonderful answer to my ask re writer's block you mentioned burnout, which im pretty sure is whats happening to me. i dont want to ask you to give me a long answer if you dont have the energy for it, but i would like to know your thoughts on the matter. its been head empty hours over here 24/7 for months, lol, i miss creating

Helloooo,

I actually have written about burnout quite a bit because I've gone through burnout er, quite a bit... In fact I'm going through it again right now.

I have written a fairly long post about it in the past, so that's there if you want to read it.

I've had different kinds of burnout. I've had 'I couldn't write for years' burnout (literally, after university I just couldn't write anything for years and just assumed it was dead and gone because I didn't want to do it either), I've had burnout that's lasted months (even while like...writing as I am now), and so on.

A lot of dealing with burnout is just...resting more. Taking the pressure off yourself more. Grieving that you can't create right now without guilt-tripping yourself for it, a sort of 'I mourn that I can't do it, but there's nothing wrong with me and I am not failing because I can't do it. I need rest and care.' You can try little writer's block tricks here and there when you want to prod again. You can try other kinds of creativity. I can't write like I used to write, so I tried fanfiction. I can't write like I used to write fanfiction, which is why I've never written another Game Theory, because I just...don't want to write another story like that right now (I mean specifically all the sex every chapter, not the politics lmao). I've been feeling an urge to write poetry lately.

For you, through burnout, low-stakes creativity may help. Stuff that can be automatic (cross-stitch kits, where you're just doing someone else's pattern and don't need to really think about it beyond the stitching), colouring books. Or stuff that's low-stakes for you. For me that's often poetry. For you it might be something else.

I also think of getting through burnout where I can't create anything as needing to 'refill the well.' I catch up on shows I've been missing (writing as much as I do actually gives me no time for reading / watching media), I read books, I watch movies, I listen to new music and comfort music, etc. If my well is empty, rest will partially fill it, but so will inspiration. Watching Studio Ghibli for example almost always makes me think 'I want to write the way this makes me feel' - even if I don't write it, that little urge is like, a pulse or spark of alive-ness that gives the well a drop more inspiration for when I'm ready to write again.

It's very different for everyone though. It's important to address the basics - sleep, medications, quality of life, hydration, being well-fed, health (as much as health is possible) etc. If you're anxious and have insomnia and skip meals and forget to drink water etc. then it's back to square one with just...doing your best there. If that's mostly covered, then burnout is often just about meaningfully resting your mind.

I'd also add that there's different kinds of rest. Physical rest (sleeping / stretching), sensory rest (unplugging from screens and social media and overstimulation), emotional rest (time and space to express your feelings), spiritual rest (connecting with something greater than yourself - going into nature, community, giving, meditation etc.), mental rest (breaks, journalling), creative rest (like the cross-stitch and stuff I mentioned above) and social rest (spending relaxing time with people who love you as you are now).

So it's also worth looking at maybe... you're only focusing on one or two kinds of rest right now. Sometimes burnout requires that you address more of them. <333

There's no easy way through, because rest is the easiest way through, and rest is very hard (and not always possible to the degree we need it) for all of us in this day and age. Be gentle with yourself. I wasn't going to write a post as long as this but actually as someone who needs to hear these things myself right now, maybe you might need to hear some of them as well.

The main thing is burnout doesn't last forever, it's cyclical, it's not like chronic fatigue, or other chronic illnesses. Even people with chronic fatigue (like me!) can experience burnout cycles. So this will pass! You may not feel like writing again in the same way, and that's okay, whatever new version of you evolves out of your current exhaustion, I hope you enjoy that version of yourself, and learn to care for and show compassion to the current version of your tired self as well <3

#asks and answers #burnout #creative burnout #pia on writing #look burnout is just really hard actually #there's no easy answers #like writer's block is hard but writer's block isn't hard like burnout is #because often in that exhaustion #we don't have the energy to care for ourselves properly #so do what you can #when you can #and be gentle with yourself

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shouldbesleeping24 · 1 year

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You know what language is supremely useful when working with toddlers?

"Did it hurt you or did it scare you?"

Because if you treat those two things as equal, that being hurt or being scared are equally deserving of comfort, you often end up with kids telling you "it didn't hurt, it scared me a lot". And in a lot of ways, those flash fears, the kind of fear that comes from being surprised by something you didn't want to happen, are easier to soothe than an injury.

The double benefit of less crying for you and more emotional awareness and comfort for the kids is a win-win situation. Since I moved from a kind of "move past the situation" attitude and started doing this, kids who used to sit and cry inconsolably for a long time can instead tell me "I'm feeling scared, I need a hug" and move on with their play.

#toddlers #teaching #we are all still growing and learning together #be gentle with kids #and be gentle with yourself #it just feels better

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classycookiexo · 3 months

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#be kind to yourself #honestly #gentle

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haunted-xander · 12 days

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Well, I guess you didn't have much of a choice either

#sooooo fucked up being a teenage boy just messing around with friends one day #and the next weird monsters are after you #and suspicious guys youve never met before start telling you you shouldnt even exist #and even the gentle girl who seems to know SO much that you met #says you have to disappear #all for the sake of this one boy youve never heard of #who apparently everyone loves and wants back #even if it means essentially killing someone else(you)#and youre expected to just. follow along and sacrifice yourself for him #even though you are also a real perosn with real friends (or so you believe)#and at the end you do it #because youre tired and confused #and part of you feels like it should do it #that its the right thing to do #even though you still dont know anything bc no one will tell you #except for the girl but everyone always goes out of their way to stop her #anyway im rambling the kh2 prolouge is so fucked up when u think about it #roxas #sora #kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts 2 #kh #kh2 #art #my art #xanders art #digital art #fan art

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shyranno · 25 days

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"Some day this quest shall cease; Some day, for aye, This heart shall rest in peace."

#star wars #darth maul #maul #tcw #sw prequels #fan art #this is a gift for CrimsonZabrak on Twitter!!!#A reminder to all to please be gentle on yourself and to rest if you need to

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yourhealingjournal · 1 month

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actually, to have the audacity to live, to take up space, is the scariest and most rewarding gift you can give yourself.

#cptsd recovery #gentle reminder #living with cptsd #cptsd healing #be kind to yourself #trauma recovery #self love #radical self love #positive self talk #actually cptsd #actually borderline #complex trauma #just cptsd things #healing #recovery #recovery quotes

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winewithdann · 1 year

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A gentle reminder.

#gentle reminder #healing #friend #confidant #mental health #mental wellness #life #hope #be kind to yourself #mental heath support #friends

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spiritualseeker777 · 7 months

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#self care #be gentle #self esteem #self empowerment #wisdom #guidance #good advice #be gentle with yourself #emotional healing #spiritual healing

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gleafer · 1 month

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Ever look at your old art and just…yeah.

BUT that’s unhealthy and toxic. Comfortable somehow in its familiarity, however not useful or helpful.

Be gentle with yourself (says the artist who gives herself a mental throat punch when she looks at old works) and know as long as you keep going forward, you’ll advance.

*twirls white beard and nods at Grasshopper*

Now excuse me while I attempt to take my own advice with gentle eyes and thoughts (Dodges mental knee to the groin.)

#illustrator #illustration #digital artist #artist on tumblr #art life #self criticism #be gentle #you’re not done yet #keep going #love yourself #aziraphale is adorable

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free-my-mindd · 5 months

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Please 🙏🏽

#be gentle with yourself #self love #stay positive #mindsetmatters #reminder

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hgduo · 5 months

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Horribly haunted by the mental image of q!Cellbit returning and finding out about Pepito and being told "Oh, you're gonna love this kid- Pepito's a lot like you!" and Cellbit being kinda worried at first because well... he knows the kind of man that he is- but then he meets Pepito and sees this tiny little sparky kid who loves coffee, plays chess, is afraid of spiders, and collects flower and and and-