I really appreciated this newsletter today! Between just general hustle culture and then my adhd people pleaser parts, this is something I've struggled with for a long time. This year, I've really tried to focus on the fact that all my time at home on weekends doesn't need to be productive. Just because I'm home and there are important things to be done, sometimes I need to veg more to get through the week and not burn out. It actually ends up giving me more energy when I do go to do the important things and I get them done quicker and more enthusiastically
Apr 6, 2023·edited Apr 6, 2023Liked by Susan Dennard
Hi susan! Relate to this so much as I am currently writing my first book whilst in Dental School😂. One of the things I have planned to avoid burn out is to find a stable part time job and a fairly well-off partner. That way my writing will always remain a hobby and something I do for leisure, rather than a need to sustain myself. Of course, I’ve accepted that I may never be a successful full-time writer, but at least my kids will be able to see my work. I can also always release my work for free on platforms like AO3 and Wattpad :)
I wish I had advice. I’m so deeply burned out right now in my professional life, and I got brutally dumped a month ago. It’s a struggle to do anything, let alone create
This was so good and so needed to read, thank you so much Susan! Burnout is so real and when we’re used to flexing the guilt muscle instead of letting ourselves rest, it can become an even bigger monster. I’ve been using the analogy of humans being a battery so much recently, because of this very reason. We don’t expect phones to keep working when the battery is dead and yet we’re constantly pushing ourselves into exactly that. Exhausting.
I hope you’re able to figure out what’s going on with GI issues soon! Being in the hospital is no fun 🥲 and uncertainty is extra no fun. Feel better!!
Unrelated but related, I recently took Becca’s Write Better Faster class (it was amazing! Thank you for recommending it <3) and so much of what you said here resonated with what I’ve just learned, it’s amazing the difference knowing where your energy and needs come from makes :))
Wish I had advice to offer! I teach during the day, parent my intensely adorable and needy little kids in the evening, and then attempt to write at night (when I'm not prepping for the next day). So your newsletter was the validation I needed to be okay with my decision to watch old episodes of New Girl on the couch last night instead of struggling to draft a new scene. Thank you, thank you. And I'm hoping you get your GI issues figured out soon - that is no fun!
This rings true for me, too. I just took a week off at work to find joy in my life again and get stuff done around the house and also sleeeep.
I know started pottery – a thing that helps my main character in the story I'm working on about a mental health journey – and I feel more aligned already!
I'm sending you lots of love and good bowel movements instead of vomiting. You're gonna feel better soon, I'm sending all the vibes 🥰
The empathy well. Wow, that makes so much sense. The creative well made sense too, but empathy well resonates a little deeper because I have to be able to empathize with my characters to write.
I've been dancing on the edge of "am I just tired, or am I almost burned out" this week (definitely due to lots of Big Life Changes and grad school), so something I'm doing for myself is taking more time away from my computer screens and making food (been on a healthy smoothie kick) or going for a walk with my dog. I try to do something "productive" (look, yes, rearranging my bookshelves for the nth time is productive) or good for me so my brain is a little nicer about it. Sometimes I just sit on the floor and listen to music.
I hope you get some good rest and feel better soon <3
Great post😊I hope you rest well & find the balance you need to stay healthy. You are absolutely right that stress causes so many health problems. For me, I have noticed I’m getting burned out when I lose patience for everything & everyone, and especially when I feel the need to go far away from all people (happy INFJ here). I started regulating my writing time more to balance it, & that helps. Meaning I force myself to get up every hour to drink water & do something physical...then restrict my time to shorter sessions for days or weeks until I feel more energy while writing again.
OH MY GOSH am I feeling this post right now. Maybe for the past year...or two...or three. The work has been so incredibly demanding (don't do two books a year -- it's a trap!) that I've also wrestled with the empathy for story problem, and finding the energy just to look at the manuscript is so hard some days.
I try to really use the days that I feel good and able to work well. Because like you, I usually do get a lot of energy and enjoyment from working. I LOVE my job. But when I start sensing the burnout coming, it's time to do something else and recharge, even if it's only for a day or two. For me, that's usually knitting or spinning, while listening to podcasts or audiobooks.
This made me cry, I’ve been so burnt out and empty for the last couple months, and even though I know that’s what it is and why, the guilt is so real. It’s nice to know others understand. I’m going to try your thirty minute strategy, I really think that might help. And they way you put into perspective how much our characters draw from our well, how much energy we expend using our brains, that’s really helpful to think about too. Thank you for always being so encouraging :)
I seriously needed to read this at exactly this moment. I'm in the middle of IVF, a really stressful job, and have been pushing myself to keep writing through it all, but sometimes you just need a night off! Or five. Thanks Sooz :)
Really appreciate this article! I'm an aspiring/would-be writer who can only cram in an hour or two of writing into a few days per week, between full-time work and trying be an actually-present father and husband. Many days I'm just wiped out and think "there's no way I could write anything now". The 30-minute test is absolutely true! Sometimes I'll push myself to just get in front of that keyboard.... and 20-30 minutes later the words are just flowing and I'm so glad I got to it. But then other days I'll push myself and 30 minutes later I've only made it to Frustration City, determine to quit the whole writing endeavor. I have to remind myself that it's OK to back up, regroup, keep letting the ideas percolate, and give it a go another day. Thanks!
This felt like it was written just for me. I have struggled so far this year with stress-induced burnout that’s making it hard to do the things that help me take care of myself as a chronically sick person. Yet I feel awful if I inconvenience others so my shrinking capacity has been spent on overworking/supporting and not on recovering—which is just making things worse. I need to cut myself some slack. Thank you thank you for sharing this at just the right time for me to read it 🥰
A little late to this post. This is something I've definitely learned as a parent and during the pandemic. I had a root canal and I couldn't believe how tired I was afterwards. I keep wondering when I can get back to things, but I need to rest! The kid was sick and home from school. I think him seeing me rest helped him too.
I love this newsletter immensely. I also love that this happens to be the first one that I am reading from you. As a writer myself, this discussion surrounding the correlation of the two, how they differ, and to learn to identify one against the other is essential. One of my biggest tells when I am in burnout range is the lack of focus, the sense of losing control, and the increase in irritability.
I really appreciated this newsletter today! Between just general hustle culture and then my adhd people pleaser parts, this is something I've struggled with for a long time. This year, I've really tried to focus on the fact that all my time at home on weekends doesn't need to be productive. Just because I'm home and there are important things to be done, sometimes I need to veg more to get through the week and not burn out. It actually ends up giving me more energy when I do go to do the important things and I get them done quicker and more enthusiastically
Hi susan! Relate to this so much as I am currently writing my first book whilst in Dental School😂. One of the things I have planned to avoid burn out is to find a stable part time job and a fairly well-off partner. That way my writing will always remain a hobby and something I do for leisure, rather than a need to sustain myself. Of course, I’ve accepted that I may never be a successful full-time writer, but at least my kids will be able to see my work. I can also always release my work for free on platforms like AO3 and Wattpad :)
I wish I had advice. I’m so deeply burned out right now in my professional life, and I got brutally dumped a month ago. It’s a struggle to do anything, let alone create
This was so good and so needed to read, thank you so much Susan! Burnout is so real and when we’re used to flexing the guilt muscle instead of letting ourselves rest, it can become an even bigger monster. I’ve been using the analogy of humans being a battery so much recently, because of this very reason. We don’t expect phones to keep working when the battery is dead and yet we’re constantly pushing ourselves into exactly that. Exhausting.
I hope you’re able to figure out what’s going on with GI issues soon! Being in the hospital is no fun 🥲 and uncertainty is extra no fun. Feel better!!
Unrelated but related, I recently took Becca’s Write Better Faster class (it was amazing! Thank you for recommending it <3) and so much of what you said here resonated with what I’ve just learned, it’s amazing the difference knowing where your energy and needs come from makes :))
Wish I had advice to offer! I teach during the day, parent my intensely adorable and needy little kids in the evening, and then attempt to write at night (when I'm not prepping for the next day). So your newsletter was the validation I needed to be okay with my decision to watch old episodes of New Girl on the couch last night instead of struggling to draft a new scene. Thank you, thank you. And I'm hoping you get your GI issues figured out soon - that is no fun!
This rings true for me, too. I just took a week off at work to find joy in my life again and get stuff done around the house and also sleeeep.
I know started pottery – a thing that helps my main character in the story I'm working on about a mental health journey – and I feel more aligned already!
I'm sending you lots of love and good bowel movements instead of vomiting. You're gonna feel better soon, I'm sending all the vibes 🥰
The empathy well. Wow, that makes so much sense. The creative well made sense too, but empathy well resonates a little deeper because I have to be able to empathize with my characters to write.
I've been dancing on the edge of "am I just tired, or am I almost burned out" this week (definitely due to lots of Big Life Changes and grad school), so something I'm doing for myself is taking more time away from my computer screens and making food (been on a healthy smoothie kick) or going for a walk with my dog. I try to do something "productive" (look, yes, rearranging my bookshelves for the nth time is productive) or good for me so my brain is a little nicer about it. Sometimes I just sit on the floor and listen to music.
I hope you get some good rest and feel better soon <3
Great post😊I hope you rest well & find the balance you need to stay healthy. You are absolutely right that stress causes so many health problems. For me, I have noticed I’m getting burned out when I lose patience for everything & everyone, and especially when I feel the need to go far away from all people (happy INFJ here). I started regulating my writing time more to balance it, & that helps. Meaning I force myself to get up every hour to drink water & do something physical...then restrict my time to shorter sessions for days or weeks until I feel more energy while writing again.
OH MY GOSH am I feeling this post right now. Maybe for the past year...or two...or three. The work has been so incredibly demanding (don't do two books a year -- it's a trap!) that I've also wrestled with the empathy for story problem, and finding the energy just to look at the manuscript is so hard some days.
I try to really use the days that I feel good and able to work well. Because like you, I usually do get a lot of energy and enjoyment from working. I LOVE my job. But when I start sensing the burnout coming, it's time to do something else and recharge, even if it's only for a day or two. For me, that's usually knitting or spinning, while listening to podcasts or audiobooks.
This made me cry, I’ve been so burnt out and empty for the last couple months, and even though I know that’s what it is and why, the guilt is so real. It’s nice to know others understand. I’m going to try your thirty minute strategy, I really think that might help. And they way you put into perspective how much our characters draw from our well, how much energy we expend using our brains, that’s really helpful to think about too. Thank you for always being so encouraging :)
I seriously needed to read this at exactly this moment. I'm in the middle of IVF, a really stressful job, and have been pushing myself to keep writing through it all, but sometimes you just need a night off! Or five. Thanks Sooz :)
Really appreciate this reflection! 🥰
Really appreciate this article! I'm an aspiring/would-be writer who can only cram in an hour or two of writing into a few days per week, between full-time work and trying be an actually-present father and husband. Many days I'm just wiped out and think "there's no way I could write anything now". The 30-minute test is absolutely true! Sometimes I'll push myself to just get in front of that keyboard.... and 20-30 minutes later the words are just flowing and I'm so glad I got to it. But then other days I'll push myself and 30 minutes later I've only made it to Frustration City, determine to quit the whole writing endeavor. I have to remind myself that it's OK to back up, regroup, keep letting the ideas percolate, and give it a go another day. Thanks!
This felt like it was written just for me. I have struggled so far this year with stress-induced burnout that’s making it hard to do the things that help me take care of myself as a chronically sick person. Yet I feel awful if I inconvenience others so my shrinking capacity has been spent on overworking/supporting and not on recovering—which is just making things worse. I need to cut myself some slack. Thank you thank you for sharing this at just the right time for me to read it 🥰
A little late to this post. This is something I've definitely learned as a parent and during the pandemic. I had a root canal and I couldn't believe how tired I was afterwards. I keep wondering when I can get back to things, but I need to rest! The kid was sick and home from school. I think him seeing me rest helped him too.
I love this newsletter immensely. I also love that this happens to be the first one that I am reading from you. As a writer myself, this discussion surrounding the correlation of the two, how they differ, and to learn to identify one against the other is essential. One of my biggest tells when I am in burnout range is the lack of focus, the sense of losing control, and the increase in irritability.