I doubt if there's anyone who doesn't experience burnout or blocks at some point in our lives. Each day, we deal with various responsibilities, both in our work and in our families. We try to put things in place. There are targets to meet, and this makes us get so busy that we forget to take a little step back to rest. We feel so exhausted and overwhelmed due to our workload, and then burnout follows.
Personally, when I am burned out, resentment is inevitable. I feel angry at myself and at anyone around me. Productivity will become a forgotten issue, coupled with this tiredness in my bone marrow and lots of other symptoms. As a writer, once I feel burnt out, writers block follow suits. It will look as if my brain is completely formatted. I could glare at my phone for hours without finding something reasonable to write about. Even a simple topic will look complicated to develop, no matter how I try. It will look as if someone used a knot to close the place where ideas used to flow, and I will look so empty upstairs. At this point, I knew that I must have subjected myself to much stress, and my mental health was also at risk.
The pursuit of success is great, but it's best not to neglect burnout when you notice it to enable you to keep up with your responsibilities. So below are some coping mechanisms I have been practicing whenever I experience burnout or blocks:
Rest and sleep: at this point, if I have been depriving myself of quality sleep, I do not hesitate to overlook whatever target I am trying to meet up with and do well to take a long rest and sleep. For instance, this morning, I woke up feeling so stressed out due to the huge workload I dealt with offline yesterday. I still felt I could continue my normal hive activities starting in the early morning. Behold, I picked up one topic to write about but had no idea how to handle it. It was just a simple prompt, but surprisingly, writer's block took over. I turned off my data and rested, completing 3 hours of sleep. I woke up, took a long shower, and felt so refreshed inside and out!
Take a long shower: For some people, this coping mechanism works for them while it doesn't for others. But there's this calmness that accompanies a long, cold, or warm bath, which triggers ideas on the process. Because I can't be writing down points while bathing, once ideas flow along, I turn them into a rhyme while in the bathroom. When I am done, I will quickly write them down on paper.
Reading articles from other authors: This tactic works like magic for me. I overcome writer blocks so easily by just reading from others, and subconsciously, ideas spark up from within, and viola, I am out of blocks.
Engaging in different activities: I have tried this coping mechanisms a good number of times and at the end, I returned with lots of unimaginable ideas through practical experience. It could be visiting a nice place, a friend, or an event, and feeling refreshed in my mind.
Rounding up
Burnout and blocks are just inevitable, but the emphasis should be on identifying them and seeking solutions. Different things work out for different people. You may try these or share how you overcame the experience with me, and that would be greatly appreciated.
This post was inspired by the #inleo community and my entry to the #Aprilinleo monthly topic Day 5.Please check out the announcement post to get involved.
Images generated by me on bing.com
Thanks for reading❤️❤️❤️