News Alert: Burnout is Very Real
Telling people, especially aspiring writers, otherwise is dangerous.
I experienced burnout at the ripe age of 28.
Picture this: A once enthusiastic and driven young professional coming home from a long day at the office, sobbing into the phone and telling her mama how she couldn’t do it anymore. She no longer felt valued or even equipped to do the things people were requesting of her. The cup she had failed to replenish over time had finally run dry.
Once a golden child in the role I currently despised and my job before, that was me. I was good at what I did, excellent even, but not having the necessary work-life balance and superiors who valued rest as much as meeting numbers had a dubious impact on my overall wellbeing.
Even as aspiring writers, we must choose balance.
I do my best to take everything with a grain of salt because an opinion is just that, an opinion, not fact. Even with this in mind, I was disappointed when reading an article from a writer I’ve come to admire telling readers that burnout isn’t real. Not only is this incorrect, but it’s a dangerous logic to push on people in a society that thrives heavily off capitalism and grind culture.
Psychology Today described burnout as “a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress…” Our professional endeavors aren’t the only things that elicit it, but everything from our home lives to relationships. Burnout is real, and telling people otherwise prevents them from making intentional choices that can keep them from running themselves into the ground.
Hello, my name is Kamil and I’m burnt out.
When I first reemerged on Medium, I had goals of writing every day, which I quickly learned wasn’t feasible for my lifestyle. However, day after day, I was bombarded with content on my feed of writers saying the only way to make an impact was to write daily, if not several times a day. Sounds good in theory, but is that healthy? I’m not knocking those who can do so and maintain their sanity, but I’m concerned with the impact of this being a prevailing narrative on this platform.
It wasn’t long into my Medium journey before I started reading essays on burnout people when it came to their participation on Medium and their writing in general. They were following the expert’s advice, pumping out articles like a writing mill, staying up beyond their bedtimes, only to be left dissatisfied when they didn’t receive an adequate return on investment. This process was no longer fun; if anything, it became harmful.
I’ve been a writer my whole life. Before Medium, I had my own websites where I wrote openly about mental health, faith, and life’s many ups and downs. I loved the stories I was telling, but sometimes I would go silent and not publish anything for months at a time. Sometimes I was uninspired, and other times, I was on a path to complete burnout. This burnout wasn’t just a result of the heavy energetic exchange my writing required but from life in general. Whereas my audience saw little to no engagement, I saw a woman struggling to get by while still doing her best to pursue her creative interests.
Here’s my two cents on the whole situation…
Whether you’re new to Medium or a more seasoned writer, you don’t owe this platform anything, especially at the expense of your wellbeing. What good is it to reach top writer status only to be so tired that you’re unable to enjoy it? What sense does it make to finally hit your monetary goal if writing has become such a task that it doesn’t bring you joy anymore? Come close and let me tell you a secret, friend. Respectfully, it doesn’t make any sense at all.
If publishing every day works for you, go for it! However, if your best looks like a few articles each month, nothing is wrong with that either. The goal shouldn’t be to write until your fingers go number. No; the goal should be to be disciplined in your artistry, while also being aware of when it’s necessary to step away and take a break.
How do you maintain your balance as a writer with everything else you have going on in your life? How do you know when it’s time to step away from the computer screen? Let me know in the comments!
I know Medium can seem like just a writing platform, but it’s so much more than that as Carmellita often reminds us. Here’s a few writers who I have enjoyed engaging with during my time on the platform.
Carmellita for her insightful pieces created to help us level up in all the ways.
Jan Sebastian for being inspirational while also creating content that makes me think.
Natasha Nichole Lake for her soul-stirring essays that always seem to hit the right spot.
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