How I Learned to Deal with Blogger Burnout the Easy Way
Hey guys! I’m back from a brief hiatus. I needed a break. First, I have to give a shout-out of thanks to my friends both online and offline for sharing your concern, comforting messages, and support. It really warmed my heart to see these words of encouragement at a time when I was feeling defeated, overwhelmed, and dare I say it, extra emotional. There has been a lot going on personally and all over the world recently.
There are a lot of changes and challenges we are facing. I’m all for change for equality and justice however, dealing with the impact of a pandemic and illness is still an ever-present threat and reality. This is a time in life when many of us have altered how we operate daily for the next foreseeable future.
Overload
I say all this to say, with all these factors combined and not slowing down, I reached a point of feeling like I had blogger burnout.
You know something is wrong when you are so tense that your shoulders are up to your eyebrows. You are feeling exhausted despite not getting out of the house. Exercise goes by the wayside. And during the day, you are guilty of staying parked at your desk and not taking enough breaks.
Lastly, you start to get extra emotional. And if you know me personally, being extra mushy is so not me!
Correction: The only exception is when it comes to kittens of course!
With everything collectively happening and my four-year blogaversary around the corner, I really think I experienced a bit of blogger burnout. So, I had to remember to put myself first and take a break. So what did I do to recover and reboot?
Here are 3 things I did to decompress.
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3 Things I did to Decompress
1. Get Unplugged
One of the first things I had to do to unclutter my mind and protect my mental health was to get unplugged from social media. If you follow me on social you know I can find me on various platforms. So I made a conscious effort to unplug online.
In the midst of browsing social media, it’s easy to be consumed with negativity in the world in addition to the news daily. We all know this! Too much news every day will make the most cheerful person depressed. So goodbye Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. I needed a break.
Getting unplugged every once in a while is good for the soul. It gives you time to clear your mind and get back to things that feed your soul. This brings me to my next idea.
2. Rest
Getting more sleep and taking time just to do NOTHING is great to restore your peace. Just listening to the wind whistle in the background while the sun shines bright through my window is heaven to me. I took a little time each day to get to bed an hour earlier than usual and slept in when I could.
It is important to get your sleep on, but we are so conditioned to always go, go, go! Well, my body was screaming for me to stop so I listened and took time out to just chill and relax. I caught up on some Netflix, KweliTV, reading, and also got back to my love of art.
3. Pastime fun
So while on hiatus I got unplugged and got some rest. Now feeling a little restored I had the time and desire to return to my favorite hobby – the arts! I normally would whip out my paintbrush and paints however a few of my colors have dried out and need replacements.
So, I decided to get out my Creative Cats Coloring Book for adults. I had previously started a few pages and thought it would be the perfect thing to bring me comfort and simple joy. Sometimes it’s the little things in life that mean so much.
Thanks to a dear friend, I had my collection of colored pencils and my coloring book ready to go. Here are a few snapshots of the book and completed pages I worked on.
If you are a fan of adult coloring books or care to give this one a try, you can get your own shipped right to your home or pick it up at Michael’s craft store.
Click on the hyperlink below to learn more.
Creative Cats: Coloring Book for Adults
Final Thoughts
So that’s how I learned to deal with blogger burnout. Three things I did to reboot and refocus my mind included getting unplugged from social media, getting more rest, and getting reacquainted with my love of art.
Let me know in the comments. Have you dealt with burnout before? How did you deal with it?
Share your tips below. Don’t forget to share and pin this post with a friend.
Post originally published June 15, 2020. Updated March 2022.