We have all talked about it. It has leaked into discord servers, Facebook Groups, and Instagram DMs. It has creeped across anonymous message boards and has been whispered about between friends. Your favorite bloggers, vloggers, streamers, and influencers all eventually experience it. I’m talking about burn out.
If you Google burn out, you’ll find all sorts of articles on what it is and its symptoms. What is a bit harder to find is what to do about it. Sure, there’s cutesy articles on self care, but what do you do when an animal sheet mask doesn’t fix your problem? And how many times can we read to “reduce stress” in a single article? Sometimes self care just isn’t that easy.
Writing used to bring you immense joy; now you dread looking at your blog’s dashboard. Gaming used to fill your nights with laughter and jump scares; now your console has turned into a Netflix machine. Reading used to bring your imagination to life; now you can’t get more than a few pages in before you’re putting the book down. You can no longer find joy in hobbies you used to love. What’s a geek to do?
I wish I could tell you I had the answer. I wish I could say I took this magical pill and suddenly everything was thrilling and new again. In reality, I laid in bed crying one Sunday night to my husband, saying I didn’t know what to do. I felt pulled in every direction. He said I needed to take some time off, so I did. I took about a month off from blogging and YouTube.
What came next are the steps I’m about to share with you. I give credit to my husband for giving me the advice that turned into this process of getting over burn out. Will these work for everyone? Probably not. What they can do is give you the stepping stones to take a look at your situation and re-evaluate so that you can move past burn out.
Take a Break
This should be everyone’s first step. Anything that you can take a break from, please do it. Take paid time off of work if possible, alert your followers that you will be taking a hiatus, and give your friends and family a heads up that you will be absent from social media. Do what you need to make sure you honor your break, even if that means deleting apps and not participating in collaborations or challenges (because we know FOMO is a real thing). Take the steps necessary to bring your day back to simplicity and only do what you absolutely need to do.
Modify Your Current Schedule
Speaking of bringing your day back to simplicity… During your break, I highly recommend writing down your current schedule and crossing out everything that is not necessary. That means blogging, vlogging, filming, editing, scheduling posts, social media management, etc. Focus on what you need to do like eating, hitting up the gym, sleeping, going to work, spending time with friends and family, and, most importantly, taking time for yourself.
Don’t Force It
So many times when we find that hobbies don’t bring us the same happiness they used to, we try to force ourselves to continue to sit them those hobbies. It’s not fair to yourself or your hobbies to do this. Instead, I recommend taking a break from any hobbies that are no longer bringing you joy. You don’t have to give them up! Try focusing on other aspects of your life that may be lacking (like the gym or sleep). You will find the love you had for those hobbies will come back.
Rule of Three
I’ve seen this advice presented in so many ways, but my husband broke it down to me a way I hadn’t heard before when I was expressing my frustration with having 30 blog post drafts and zero motivation to finish any of them. He said pick three that I felt the most drawn toward and then narrow it down to one to finish. Continue that process, eliminating drafts I was no longer passionate about, until I have my drafts organized in a way that feels less stressful. Another way to look at the Rule of 3 is to do three things today on your to do list. Or take three minutes to do a chore around the house. It’s such a versatile way of doing things that you can really apply it in so many ways!
Dip Your Toes Back In
Now that your break is over, it’s time to get right back into the swing of things! Right?! Not so fast. It’s not wise to go right back to old habits when those habits burned you out in the first place. Instead, slowly start adding back to your modified schedule. See what you would like to prioritize (after your needs). Find what makes you feel motivated and passionate. Focus on that before adding back in everything you had on your plate to begin with. Once you are confident in how you are handling that, you can judge for yourself how much you’re willing to add back into your life and what you need to let go of.
I want to wrap this up with how I applied these tips do my recent mental health break in May. The first thing I did was take a break. No surprise there if you follow me on WordPress or any of my social media accounts. It was really hard to make the choice to step away when I feel like my blog is/was doing incredibly well. I knew that for my blog to continue to grow, I had to take a break. So I spent Monday crafting a post to explain my absence and then I posted that to all of my social media accounts.
When I went home that afternoon, I took a look at my schedule and crossed out everything unnecessary. This left me with work, minimal meal prep, time with my husband, sessions with my trainer, and walking our dog. Then I took an extra step and made a to do list of everything I have put off around the house and in my life because of my burn out. The goal of this list was not to make me stress out during this time away, but to use my new found time to get a few necessary things done.
With all of this new free time on my hands, I found that I had a little tiny sliver of motivation! Instead of forcing myself to play a game from my backlog or a game that I left unfinished, I turned to an old favorite: Animal Crossing. I also wrote when I wanted to instead of feeling like I had to just to meet my self imposed deadlines. I filmed more for my Let’s Play of Rule of Rose which felt really good, too. It’s amazing what happens when you have the freedom to do what you want.
My husband’s “rule of three” turned out to be the best advice I took during my break. I did use it to address my drafts folder, but I also used it for my YouTube video ideas! I used it when addressing my daily to do lists, sorting and listing my Poshmark inventory, and even while meal planning/prepping. I plan on using it often, even now that my mental health break is over.
The very last thing I’m doing is slowly re-introducing blogging and YouTube as well as my hobbies back into my life. I have no plans on completely cutting out anything out, but I do plan on coming up with new and better schedule for my blog posts and YouTube videos. I also want to start setting time aside for myself. If I want to play a game, read a book, thrift, or just catch up on Netflix, I am free to do those things.
Overall, my break was exactly what I needed and allowed me to look at my life in a different way. This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced burn out, and I know it won’t be the last, unfortunately. As humans, we often find ourselves stuck in a rut of trying to one-up ourselves, over achieving where we can, and people-pleasing. I hope anyone that is reading this that is feeling the effects of burn out can take my tips and apply them in a way that helps them overcome their own burn out.
If you are currently struggling with your mental health, please reach out to a friend/family member family and check out these resources:
- Hotline Numbers
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) – by State List
- Mental Health America (MHA) – by State List
- Top 25 HelpLine Resources
Have you ever experienced burn out? What did you do? Share some advice in the comments that has helped you!
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Good advice! Related to what you say here, I’d also advise people to determine what their own “saturation point” is as soon as they can, because burnout often comes when you’re feeling overwhelmed by things that you feel like you “have” to do.
You mention you had 30 blog post drafts on the go and didn’t feel motivated to finish any of them; I doubt I would either, so I make a point of never getting into that situation. I know that my brain focuses the best when I devote my attention to a single thing at a time, so I concentrate on one thing at once. One day, one post.
I might casually contemplate how I’ll handle the latest installment in a long-term feature, but I won’t actually put pen to paper until I know I’m good and ready to start writing, because I know that if I have even one outstanding draft rather than finishing what I start, I’ll start feeling overwhelmed! (Disclaimer: I think I’m in the minority in working like this, as everyone is different when it comes to multitasking, but that’s my approach!)
The video stuff has been a challenge for me, but I also enjoy it. I’ve cut back a little from what I was doing because it was just slightly too much, but I’m settling into a good rhythm of things now. I just need to make sure I make efficient use of my time and prepare things in advance as much as possible. Video is less “immediate” than blogging so it requires more time management, but developing those skills (and the focus required!) has almost certainly been helpful for me.
The best advice, though, is that if you feel like you need a break, take one. Don’t sweat the numbers or anything like that — your wellbeing (both mental and physical) must always, always come first.
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Amazing advice here Pete. “One day, one post” is a great mantra for those of who get overwhelmed with way too many drafts! That’s awesome that you’ve found a good rhythm for YT. I think I’m still trying to find mine but time management (like you said) is absolutely crucial. Thanks for taking the time to share your perspective and advice! This is exactly what I was hoping to get with this kind of post.
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I needed this. So bad. Thank you, Megan.
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For some reason your comment go tagged as spam! Bad WordPress. I’m glad I could help Alyssa. ❤
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I am feeling this so hard today, so this is perfect timing! I’ve struggled with this my entire life and never knew what it was until about a year ago. I’m lucky to have had the opportunity to take the time to understand myself a little more, and my limits. This morning I filled out my to-do list and stared at it for a while, glanced at social media briefly, then decided it’s time for an impromptu mental health day because I could feel it. I already feel a lot better just accepting that I can take a break. Thank you for your insight!
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So glad that I could help in some way, Starla! I think there should be way more impromptu mental health days. ❤
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I took several months off of gaming this year almost entirely because I was really bored with everything I was picking up after playing the phenomenal Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Instead, I switched gears and read a lot of books, even going so far as to start writing about books on my blog sometimes. Overall, I’m back to mostly gaming and reading is a bit on the backburner again (for now, but I’m sure I’ll be back to it again before the end of the year), but it’s nice to have a backup hobby to use to break up the monotony once in a while.
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A back up hobby is an amazing idea. Switching gears a a great way to get over burn out. Thank you for sharing with us Hannie!
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Rule of three is great advice! Think I need to start using that
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Thanks Michelle! I hope it helps!
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I completely understand this post. I get burned out playing video games at least once a year. I play so much and get involved in a game or maybe 2 that I eventually get tired of playing. So I take time off and don’t even touch my PS4. Overtime, my passion for playing video games comes back and I can focus on finishing or starting new adventures.
Great thoughts and ideas on what to do when experiencing a burn out of any kind.
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Thank you, Hannah! Taking a break is sometimes all you need. 😊
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Don’t Force It is really important. I sometimes get writer’s block and I find if I take a step back, I’m able to refocus.
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So true. I have to do that myself often even though I badly want to keep tackling it.
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I’ve been trying hard to give up on things I dont enjoy. Right now, I’m in the middle of wuthering heights and honestly, I’m thinking about quitting. In a weird way, it’s keeping me from reading other books, because I dont want to start another book before I’ve finished it, but I don’t want to read it. I also dont let myself feel bad for doing things I enjoy. If I have a guilty pleasure I revel in it. I read a whole bunch of books by the same author, and wondered if I should branch out, but I enjoy reading them.
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I think in a situation like that you have to tell yourself it’s okay to put the book down and move on to something else. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with reading several books by the same author! I believe there are book website that have “If you like ABC, you’ll enjoy XYZ” and that might get you started on branching out. 🙂
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I really like the rule of three idea…not just for burn out, but it might help me actually get chores done around my apartment instead of ignoring them. Thanks for sharing.
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That’s a great idea! I think the rule of three is super flexible like that. Glad I could help! 🙂
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This was not what I expected it to be when I first clicked on it but I’m so glad I read it! Thank you!
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You’re so welcome!
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Excellent post! Burn out is a real thing even for those of us who are passionate about writing. I loved your recommendation about narrowing down your articles to three.
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Thanks Darth! Burn out can happen anywhere and to anyone which can be pretty scary. I’m glad you were able to take something away from my tips. 🙂
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Thank you so much for sharing this, I’ll definitely use some of your tips! Take care 😘
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You’re welcome Caroline! ❤️
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