โBurnout, like any difficult experience, is a great teacher.
My question is: What is it trying to tell you?โ
Dr. Rebecca Ray
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Hi friend,
Thank you for spending a few minutes with me today.
This Mid-Point edition kickstarts a 4-part series I will be sharing with you all aboutโฆ
Burnout
Burnout is a core challenge faced by content creators and people living with complex trauma, and it has a significant impact on mental health.
You don't have to have complex trauma to experience burnout as a creator though.
What is Burnout?
Burnout is defined as:
"A state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by prolonged and excessive stress, often related to work or creative pursuits."
In other words:
Exhaustion, chronic stress, fatigue
Burnout can affect creativity and productivity, along with overall well-being. This can lead to feelings of detachment, overwhelm, and lack of accomplishment.
It is common among content creators and people with complex trauma, because of hypervigilance and the constant pressure to perform, create, and stay visible.
Burnout is Universal
Creator burnout is the exhaustion resulting from the constant demand to create, but it can have deeper emotional roots.
Many content creators have experienced, or will experience, burnout. In fact, nearly 80% of creators experience burnout and 66% say it impacts their mental health.
As someone who lives with complex trauma, I've noticed similarities between the burnout I experience as a content creator and the burnout I experience managing my trauma symptoms.
Some of the overlap includes:
Emotional depletion, overwhelm, self-criticism/comparison, perfectionistic tendencies, and isolation.
How Creator Burnout Parallels Complex Trauma Burnout
Emotional exhaustion
Creating content can feel like an endless, spinning wheel creators have to keep in motion - the pressure of productivity demands:
Constant production of new ideas, engagement with their audience, maintain relevance (to avoid becoming a "has-been"), and perform on a tight schedule.
Creative flow can feel blocked, stagnant, dry, or paralyzed at times. They overwork themselves to avoid breaking creativity momentum.
Trauma burnout feels similar because it is a near-constant state of chronic stress. There is a constant pressure to maintain the progress of healing, stay engaged with one's therapist (or healing guide), manage the weight of unresolved emotions and emotional dysregulation, and cope with the daily demands of life. Overall, energy reserves already feel depleted.
Perfectionism and self-criticism
Perfectionism runs rampant among content creators because there is a constant push to produce the best work, go "viral", and gain (and keep) their audience's attention. Creators tend to question the quality of their work, wonder if it is good enough, and as a result, develop a harsh criticism of themselves and their work.
Trauma burnout is no stranger to navigating the harsh inner critic. It is often amplified by the person's feeling "not enough" due to their past experiences and history of trauma. This leads to perfectionism in an effort to seek worth and validation as a person, not just for their work quality.
Isolation and disconnect
Creators experiencing burnout might develop a feeling of disconnection from their work and audience, and lose sight of their passion (the driving force of their creations). Many creators work alone and burnout can exasperate feelings of loneliness, especially if a sense of feeling lonely was already present.
Disconnection is a direct outcome of complex trauma and many people with traumatic histories experience it. Not only do they disconnect from themselves and their relationships, but they might disconnect from their creativity. This fosters isolation, and is a familiar feeling because it resonates with the emotional numbness trauma survivors felt in their earlier years.
Recognizing the Early Warning Signs of Burnout
Feeling emotionally drained
Burnout often starts with feeling "empty" and unable to create with the same passion or joy. Overworking or unresolved trauma can be the underlying reasons for feeling this way.
Perfectionism creeping in
Heightened self-criticism and self-scrutiny are signs perfectionism is starting to creep in, creating an atmosphere of doubting the quality of every post, idea, feedback, etc. - all causing additional stress.
Procrastination and Avoidance
Perfectionism and procrastination are buddies. Where there is one, the other is typically near by. Feeling so overwhelmed by tasks can cause a creator to become unmotivated or avoid tasks altogether, perpetuating a cycle of stress and guilt.
Supporting Yourself Through Burnout
Self-compassion is key
One thing I am learning as both a content creator and trauma survivor is the power and necessity of self-compassion. Self-kindness is CRUCIAL. Whether the burnout is rooted in stress or deeper emotional patterns, kindness to oneself in moments of burnout is mandatory.
Set (compassionate) boundaries
Whether you are battling creation burnout or trauma burnout, setting limits on your time and energy is essential. Recognizing the need for rest and when it is okay to step back from the pressure to perform are healthy actions for self-support.
Self-care
A well cared for body and mind are more resilient to stress and less likely to experience burnout. However, during times of burnout, self-care is necessary for relief and activities such as inner/outer safety, digital detoxes, rest/breaks, routines/structure, exercise, sleep, eating well, and hobbies all contribute to habits that nourish and support you when you are not working. How we care for ourselves reflects in our work.
Reflect on Your Burnout Experience
Whether you relate to my story as a trauma survivor or simply as a content creator navigating mental health and wellness, it can be worth pausing to assess how burnout shows up in your life.
Think about your burnout experience in terms of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion.
Here are some prompts to get you started:
โ๏ธ What is your burnout trying to teach you?
โ๏ธ How do you support yourself during burnout?
โ๏ธ What are your personal warning signs of burnout?
โ๏ธ Are you pushing yourself too hard in your creative process?
โ๏ธ Do you find yourself in a cycle of perfectionism or overwork?
Re-cap
Burnout is a core challenge faced by content creators and people living with complex trauma. It has significant impact on overall mental health. It is also a source of feedback, as burnout is typically a message our body is trying to send us.
There are notable similarities between managing burnout as a content creator and managing complex trauma symptom burnout.
It is important to recognize the early signs of burnout so you can effectively support yourself through the experience with a strategy.
I Want to Know Your Thoughts
Did you find today's newsletter helpful?
Would you like to share any thoughts the burnout reflection prompts might have helped you recognize?
Looking for guidance in navigating your mental health as a content creator?
Please let me know! (You can reply directly to this email.)
Where to Find Help
โhttps://stressandresilience.com/โ
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