Prevent Writing Burn Out

Prevent Writing Burn Out: Ellie’s Tips for Writing with Success

We have to look at our own inertia, insecurities, self-hate, fear that, in truth, we have nothing valuable to say. When your writing blooms out of the back of this garbage compost, it is very stable. You are not running from anything. You can have a sense of artistic security. If you are not afraid of the voices inside you, you will not fear the critics outside of you.” ~Natalie Goldberg

Burnout can be described as severe exhaustion, feeling depleted, running on empty and lack of inspiration and motivation.

You begin doubting your capabilities and the value of your work. Your enthusiasm and energy have vanished. Your ideas have dried up and you fear everything you write isn’t worth publishing.

Understanding burnout, can help you face your problem and refresh your writing and creativity.

What causes burnout?

Lack of down time
Feeling overworked
Too much responsibility
*Doing unchallenging or tedious work – Let’s face it, sometimes our assignment are just repetitive and that’s just the nature of the magnitude of the projects we have.  Don’t get stuck on this one factor and don’t give up hope.  Try on new voices or look up new vocabulary to make your writing fresh, creative, conversational, and fun again!
*Failure to socialize – a few of us have been tossing around the idea of taking our Friday lunches together as a writing team just so that we can get to know each other better and share our triumphs and failures.  Sometimes, a sense of community and some fun conversation can go a long way for improving our outlooks and energy levels.
*Demanding perfection – Consider these words of wisdom: “The artist who aims at perfection in everything achieves it in nothing.”  Eugene Delacroix  and “The perfect is the enemy of the good.” Voltaire.  The problem with obsessing with perfection is that we can’t take the first step because we fear it won’t be good enough.  We can’t make a decision because we fear it might be wrong.  We spend too long planning then run out of time.
*A negative view of yourself – Try to start out each day with a little self-love and positive talk.  It will greatly improve the quantity as well as quantity of the love work you will be able to produce.
*Unwillingness to delegate – Remember to use your human resources – your colleagues!
*Feelings of being overwhelmed – Again, with the urgency and magnitude of our work, it is easy to feel a bit overwhelmed at times especially as we are at the beginning of our learning curve.  Asking for help when you need it is a great way to decrease your anxiety and luckily, we have a seasoned team here that are always willing to answer our questions and encourage us.  We have also been blessed with coworkers who are willing to pitch in and help us meet our deadlines if we just ask them.

Symptoms can be physical, emotional or behavioral

Physical
Headaches
Poor sleep patterns
Feeling tired
Feeling sick

Emotional
Depression
Lack of energy
Irritability
Disengagement
Lack of motivation and productivity
Loss of meaning and passion

Steps to Enjoyable Writing

Use the following suggestions to bring the joy back to your writing and other areas of your life.

1. Clear your desk. A cluttered workspace influences your state of mind. A neat and sparse desk will help you stay focused and clear. Keep only the necessities in the open. Find a place for everything else or get rid of it.

2. Mind your own business. Don’t allow other writers to drive you. Don’t make too many comparisons. There will always be better and worse writers than you. Focus on improving your writing and enjoy the process.

3. Learn to accept constructive criticism. Everyone experiences criticism and rejection. Don’t internalize or take things personally. Improve your work and let the rest go.

4. Read books on writing. Read books on writing for enjoyment. Skip the “how to” exercises therein. See if you can relate to the author. If the author was sitting across from you at dinner what would you talk about? What advice would you want? What questions would you have?

5. Free-writing. If you want to enjoy writing, learn to write for yourself. Find pleasure in your writing, challenge yourself. The purpose of free-writing is to express yourself for your eyes only. It’s very liberating.

6. Chill out. If your bored, stressed or tired, deal with those emotions before sitting down to write. Take a walk. Write in your journal. Clear you head. When you are in a relaxed state begin again. You can’t do your best work when you don’t feel your best.

7. Connect with yourself. When you are tempted to fill up bits of free time with texting, checking emails, Facebook or Twitter, take a few moments to pause and breathe. Breathe in “calm” and breathe out, “peace.”

8. Become unreachable. The world doesn’t end when you disconnect. Take 10 minute breaks throughout your work day and walk away from everything digital. Go outside for a breath of fresh air. Sit silently and gaze out a window and daydream. Walk the track.  Shoot some hoops. Anything can be put off for 10 minutes and you’ll be more productive afterwards.

9. Decompress and reflect. Take a mental health break. When at home, Watch the sunset, spend a day in a museum or attend an art fair. Choose to do something unrelated to writing. It’s a great way to silence your inner writing critic.

10. Empty your brain. Do a mind dump by writing down everything that comes to mind on paper. Write down dreams, goals, memories, random thoughts, ideas, everything. Do this for fifteen minutes. Next, read over your list and look for future topics and ideas for your writing.

11. Mix it up. If you currently like to write essays experiment with list or how-to articles. Write about your personal experiences. Change the tone of your articles, be conversational, revealing, funny, silly or serious. Make experimenting fun.  This is hard for us to do but just 10 minutes of journal writing or doodling can reduce tension and free up your creative mind.

12. Communicate. Seek help and support from a manager, a coworker or family member. Explore your problem area and do what it takes to prevent burnout from happening again. A second party can help you turn things around and prevent future burnout.

13. Diet and lifestyle changes. Avoid sugar and caffeine. Drink enough water and get adequate sleep. Take nutritional supplements. Learn to  meditate or schedule a massage.

14. Make exercise fun. Do what you enjoy. Get up and move or stretch for a few minutes.

15. Expand your mind. Learn new things. At lunch or own your own time, study a second language, read about great philosophers, and everyday heroes. Avoid depressing news both online and off.

Be gentle on yourself. Remember there is no end to self-care and creativity. When you write for love and with conviction, joy leaps from every page.