Burnout isn’t just the cumulative effect of overwork. It can also be the result of creative stagnation – all the ways in which you haven’t been able to express yourself creatively, or the ways you haven’t been able to be fully be yourself. When you don’t let out what is inside, it weighs on you.
A lot of times, this bracing against what wants to be expressed is the result of external things – being made to feel like it’s not okay, or not safe, to be your spontaneous self, or to follow your heart.
The symptoms and signs of this might be an overall sense of listlessness, a lack of excitement about anything, or not having hope or a sense of purpose. It could also show up as cynicism or talking yourself out of things because it feels stupid or pointless.
Know that you aren’t alone and that you can find your way back to yourself. Even just by acknowledging all that you are shouldering and feeling shut off to is a start. There’s hope. Things can be different. Even just start there, imagining the change you might want to see, even if the how doesn’t seem apparent. As Lao Tsu says, “Way leads to way.” Start with kindness towards all that you are holding.
