Are you feeling uninspired by your current writing project? Do you feel physically and mentally drained? You may be experiencing burnout.

We’ve all heard about burnout in the workplace, but, our goals- our personal and creative outlets- can also cause burnout. 

Many writers experience burnout at some point in their lives. This can leave you feeling uninspired or even guilty about your lack of writing progress.

Today, I want to share with you signs that you’re experiencing burnout and provide some actionable tips to help you heal. We want our creative pursuits to remain centred within our lives, so if you’re feeling off-balanced, this blog post can support your journey to feeling whole again!

Burnout is a state of exhaustion where you feel sapped of energy and unable to do anything you love. It can be easier to complete monotonous chores than the things that really matter to you at this point. 

For a writer with burnout, you have no desire to write. It’s more than a loss of inspiration. 

Many of us know that the wonderful place of writing when inspired is not always there. Writers write beyond those moments.

 Yet, when burnt out, the idea of working on your manuscript seems like a mountainous task that can’t be fathomed.

Burnout affects you physically and emotionally. You will know the difference between being physically tired and the exhausted state of your whole being. Here are just a few signs of burnout…

Physical Signs of Burnout: headaches, fatigue, feeling sick to your stomach, weakness

Emotional Signs of Burnout: feelings of hopelessness, detachment or self-doubt, a lack of motivation, forgetfulness

If you think that you may currently be burnt out, reflect upon which of these signs you are exhibiting.

Ask yourself…

Does writing seem like a chore right now? 

Am I uninspired and unmotivated to write? 

Does my brain feel foggy?

If you are eager to write, if writing feels like a safe, uplifting task then perhaps it is another area of your life that is burning you out.

Burnout looks and feels different for each person. Your signs will be unique. Catching them early will help you to take steps toward recovery.

Writing is not easy! We love it, but there’s so much to contend with, so many intricacies to figure out and a ton of worries that can come with trying to publish your work. 

Thus, there are a myriad of reasons why writers may experience burn out. Here are just a few…

As a teacher who is trying to juggle a full-time job, moving across the country, maintaining a blog, and getting around to publishing my novel, I am well aware that the more you spread yourself thin, the easier it is to become burnt out. 

Take an honest look at all the items that you have on your to-do list. There’s just not enough time in the day and maintaining balance can be tricky. 

If you feel like you are drowning beneath all of your obligations or that you can’t successfully complete some of them, it may be causing you to feel burnt out.

I am amazed by people who can maintain a weekly blog, post on social media daily, have a YouTube channel, and churn out a book every year. What?! Are you superhuman?? 

When you set goals for yourself, they should feel realistic and achievable. That’s why we teach students about the SMART goals technique. If you have goals that just aren’t realistic within the parameters of your lifestyle, you are gonna burn yourself out trying to keep up a rushed pace to accomplish them. 

Give yourself some breathing room. Plan for setbacks and goals to take longer than you think. Consider quarterly goals instead of giant year-long goals. An achievable time frame will have you feeling successful, not overwhelmed.

Social media is a double-edged sword. It can connect you to like-minded individuals across the globe, but you are also privy to everyone’s portrayal of their “best lives” and accomplishments. 

At 29 years old, I can admittedly become discouraged by the fact that there are so many writers in their 20s who are already successfully published with a following of avid readers. 

These comparisons to other writers can breed negative self-talk. And the farther we go down the spiralling staircase of diminished self-beliefs, the more likely we will burn out, confirming to ourselves that we don’t have what it takes to be a published author. Yikes!

As writers, we start off writing for ourselves. Loving the stories that we imagine in our minds, we put them to paper. Eventually, we aspire to publish these novels and share them with the world. 

But, books need readers and readers need to be convinced to purchase our books, so the path of a writer expands with so many more tasks to be completed. Thus, writing becomes a full-time career. 

If we veer too far away from our initial love for writing, this business can overwhelm us. Writing loses its spark. It’s just another day at the office with all of its tedious tasks. With the magic gone, burnout arises.

Do you find there is another writer-related reason that you are burnt out?

If we stay on the hamster wheel of emotional dysregulation, allowing the expectations of others to consume how we center writing within our lives, we may find ourselves stuck here time and time again. Yet, when we become aware of our unique early signs of burnout, we can take action toward healing so that we don’t spiral too far from our center.

Start off with some reflection time. I love a good journaling session! Writing all your worries, thoughts, and questions on paper brings so much into focus. 

Clarity of mind goes a long way toward clearing out the negative energy. When you’re feeling burnt out, start by asking yourself why. Try to get really specific here. Move beyond, “I just have too much on my plate.” 

I used to become burnt out so easily because of the mental games I would play with myself. I’d pretend that I was confident I’d one day be published, but in the back of my mind was that tiny voice constantly asking “Are you sure? It hasn’t happened so far. What if you go through life never moving beyond your dreams?” That mental battle was overwhelming and thus, I would seesaw between spurts of inspired writing and ages of hopeless burnout.

1. What do you truly believe about your writing journey? What self-doubts are you hiding from yourself?

2. Do you have reasonable expectations for your goals? (ex. Is your timeline doable?)

3. Have you built a sustainable writing routine?

4. When was the last time you celebrated/truly appreciated how far you’ve come?

5. Are you taking care of yourself?

If your detective work has provided you with an “aha moment,” write down what’s influencing your burnout. Circle it. Underline it. Commit to healing from here on out.

So, you’ve done some reflecting. Now, with your newfound clarity, you want to take steps to recenter yourself and become eager to write again. What can you do?

Have you been struggling with insomnia lately? Consider what you can do to start getting a good night’s sleep. 

Check up on your nutrition. Have you been fueling your body? 

Just like morning meetings and closing circles help a classroom community to stay strong, happy, and healthy, the way you start and end your day has numerous benefits for your health, confidence, and mindset. Take a look at your habits and readjust if necessary. Building self-care routines into your week influences success!

Have you noticed any patterns of negative self-talk lately? Can you start to catch yourself when you run into this downward spiral? 

One way to shift the momentum is to set yourself a small, easily manageable goal each day. This doesn’t need to be writing-related. Accomplishing one chore can refute your inner critic. 

Ask yourself: if I can only accomplish one tiny task today, what will make me feel successful? Start there. The goal is to rebuild your confidence in yourself. 

Once the good vibes are flowing, start adding in small writing tasks in much the same way as the tiny chores. Remember, you only need to accomplish that one goal. So, if setting your timer for a 5-minute writing sprint is all you can handle, do that. Eventually, you’ll notice yourself deciding to do more.

It is okay to take a break!

Are you connecting with others? Spend some time with friends and family. Reconnecting with the people who are important to us is crucial to our well-being. 

As writers, we can retreat into a cave, our heads buried deep into our stories. That isolation can affect us both mentally and emotionally. Let your friends distract you every now and then. Enjoy some time away from your written world.

Perhaps, you need a short break from your novel. Consider shifting what you are writing about or changing the deadlines you’ve set for yourself. 

If completing your manuscript is causing creative friction, try freewriting or journaling for a time. You can use ready-made prompts or just write whatever comes to mind. 

The habit of putting pen to paper, however mundane at the moment, can reignite your innate love for writing.

Do you feel scattered? Step back and look at your home and the space where you do most of your writing. Sometimes, we just need a deep clean or a reset. 

Reconsidering how your space works for you and building habits around how you organize your space, can support decluttering your mind as well. A cluttered room might make it difficult to get right to writing if you always feel the need to tidy up before you can focus. A decluttered space can provide a clearer mindset.

There you go! Take some time to reflect, use these tips to help you to heal, and most of all… be kind to yourself. 

Give yourself the time and the space to recuperate.

Do you have a hack that helps you to recover from writer’s burnout? Share it in the comments below.

Talk soon!

Julia