What do you do if you're a writer experiencing burnout and need support?

Writers block or burn out is often when the work becomes a slog and life seems like a log ideally one should just give them some time to get back as writing is although a crucial aspect but consists of a multitude of creativity, energy and intelligence. One has rightly said that to articulate is scientific, mathematic and artistic.

It can be tough when you hit a creative roadblock, but remember, you're not alone. Sometimes just talking with someone who understands the struggle can make all the difference. Whether it's a local group, online community, or a friend who writes, sharing your challenges can lift a weight off your shoulders and help you find your way back to your creative spark. We all go through these tough times, but reaching out and connecting with others can be the first step toward finding inspiration again.

Facing burn out situation or writers block is quiet common and there is nothing wrong with it. We are human beings and feeling different kind of emotions is a part if us. Not always we can feel creative or productive in the field in which we are working. At times, we need to talk to others, take some rest, just to get back on track. If we join a group of like minded people, it often helps us to get out of that writers block situation. Seeking support is something that we should see as an advantage and not as a situation in which we are helpless. Often time, we are just one conversation away that can bring back that spark in us.

Writing can be a solitary experience, but it can also be a source of connection. Reach out to a mentor. When I've felt lost or I'm suffering from a severe loss of perspective, talking to someone I respect that is successful in a path I can see myself on has made me feel ten times better. It's hard to reach out when you feel low, but you don't have to bear every load alone. A mentor may offer direction, insight, or assurance that what you are going through is normal—they've been there before! Look for writing events or other creative events. Finding community is another source of support, perspective, and fun. A workshop, class, or retreat can help you refresh and remember what you love about your craft and the others that practice it.

During burnout, grounding techniques become my saving grace. I switch gears to mundane activities, like taking a leisurely walk or immersing myself in nature—especially near water. These moments reset my perspective, clearing mental clutter and revitalizing my readiness to engage with new challenges. Outdoors improves my head space to take in more.

I, as a writer experiencing burnout and having published two books, understand the restless and sleepless nights that often accompany the writing process. To address this, adjusting my routine becomes crucial. First and foremost, I prioritize self-care, recognizing that taking care of myself is essential for maintaining creativity and passion. I set boundaries around my writing schedule and incorporate regular breaks to rest and recharge. Experimenting with different writing times helps me identify when I'm most productive and alert, allowing me to structure my routine accordingly. Diversifying my activities to include relaxation techniques, exercise, and hobbies helps combat burnout.

Whenever you feel the burnout to be too much, or have creative blocks, Shift to some other thing. Try to change your routine.. I try to shift to LinkedIn, scroll through some posts, and then get back to work. Sometimes, I just walk around without thinking anything or having anything in mind. This gives me sudden thoughts like those in your morning walk or while you're bathing.

Routines are life savers when it comes to staying on track in life. The routine that gives you the energy to wake up in the morning. There is this book called "The Miracle Morning" by Hal Elrod. It illustrates how the S.A.V.E.R.S routine can change your life and I religiously follow that, and it helps. This will guide you for a morning routine. Similarly, curate a night routine that helps you unwind from all the work and call it a day. Creativity and productivity prospers when we are happy and healthy. Taking breaks in between work is necessary and not an excuse to not to work.

Feeling burned out is a sign that your writing routine might need a change. Try mixing things up by writing in a different place, at a different time, or even trying a new type of writing. Sometimes, a change of scenery or schedule can make all the difference.

Change your environment: Maybe working at home is feeling suffocating. You're tired of seeing the same things and feeling stuck. If the conditions in which you are writing are not allowing for productivity, you need to change these conditions. Go for a walk, sit down in a local business that brings comfort, find beautiful scenery. Changing the conditions of your writing practice can also positively impact what you produce, allowing your creative energy to flow freer. A schedule: Sometimes breaking a long chunk of writing time into more manageable fragments gets things going. Plan a 15 minute free write followed by a 30 minute sprint. Allot time for a stretch and a water break. Do a 45 minute sprint next. How does it feel? Adjust it.

Saying no to others for something that does not resonate with us or bring down your self esteem, is the biggest favor we can do to ourselves. I am still in the process of learning the same. There are times when I do not feel like writing, but I need to put up the blog the next day. But maybe nothing feels right to me, or I just want to go out, or I am feeling drained out. Still, I will sit and try to complete my blog. But doing so won't give the best result to my blog or to my well being. How can I deliver the best content if I am not feeling the same? This is the time we should say no to ourselves and do what feels right at that point in time. This not only brings balance in our life but also we can put our best in what we are doing.

I've learned three things about setting boundaries in my time as a content creator: 1) You have to set your boundaries; no one will do it for it. 2) Set your boundaries from the start; it's near impossible to reset them later. 3) You have to respect your own boundaries before you can expect other people to. I know it's hard. I've fallen in this trap to myself, but try to resist the urge to say "One more sentence, one more paragraph. Oh, I'll step away one I've checked this one last thing. Wait, I have to fix this." Because that train of thought is endless, and 45 minutes after your boundary is crossed, you'll still be sitting there.

I would browse for similar topics and observe how other people did it. It's fun to see countless, different ways of conveying the same message or story I'm about to write.

Read widely and voraciously. Explore unfamiliar genres, authors, and styles so you can get lost in the worlds and words of others. Be mindful of what sparks your curiosity, moves you emotionally, or challenges your assumptions. Pay attention to ideas, phrases, or insights that resonate with you. Engage with other art forms and media. Visit museums and galleries, attend concerts and performances, or watch films and documentaries. Let yourself be inspired by the creativity and look for ways to translate those insights into your own writing. Seek out new experiences and perspectives. The more you expose yourself to different ideas, the more fodder you'll have for your own creative work.

Those who of us are associated with any kind of creative work often feel demotivated or not so passionate about what we are doing. But we were the only ones who started to write or do that creativity in the first place. At that time, we need to re-ignite our passion to bring ourselves back on track. There are so many self-help books that help in bringing our spirits up to get that motivation to write again with full passion, just the way we started. There are podcasts, or music also that often help us to feel good. Ted talks are the primary examples to feel good because we see or listen to the people whom we can relate to. Keeping the feel-good factor in our life is an extremely important aspect when it comes to work or life in general.

Sometimes, writing isn’t so much about sitting down with a pen and paper (or that trusty laptop). It’s moreso about living. It’s okay to just be a human being for a while until you have more to say. Sometimes, you have lots to say—even too much to say. In that case, a very big lesson I’ve learned is it takes time and grace. I might have such great ideas and inspirations. But my mind hasn’t processed the experiences. I’m not ready yet. It’s okay to let yourself be—put it aside and take away the pressure to perform. It’ll flow when it’s ready.

Read. Read. Read. … and not just about the subject matter that’s relevant to your career. Spend time reading pieces on other topics you’re passionate about. Take a break to do something that you know re-ignites your passion and centers your mind. It could be journaling out all your idle thoughts, going for a drive and blasting some nostalgic beats, meditation or even 15 minutes of stretching. Exercise your mind in a different way. This can be for 15-minutes. You might find your creativity returning and risk of burnout decreasing.

In my experience, getting back into my body is the first step. I use slow deep breathing until I feel connected with the earth again. Everything calms down and I can then decide what self care I need. ....Do I need a coffee with a friend? .....A walk along the river listening to the birds singing? ......Or I ask myself the question......How will I feel when I go to bed this night if I finish and read the page I was working on? The answer is always: "Really Good". So I sit by the river, have a coffee and having rested, return to my desk. I usually end up writing more than just that page.

This should be number one! You and your health are the most important focus. “Pushing through” is not acknowledging and responding to your physical, mental, emotional, spiritual needs. You are saying something is more important than me. This is disempowering. Look at underlying causes of burnout and address these. Be your own advocate for your health and well-being.

Self care is one of my top re energizing strategies. If your brain is tired it is hard to focus. Doing the little things that puts you back in a good mood is basically selfcare to me. One of the ways I do this through relaxing by listening to music, taking walks and enjoying my favorite cup of tea.

This is such an important question. First of all, really dig deep and do an inner audit. Is it burnout that you are experiencing? Or could it be depression? Or are you perhaps overworked and sick? Talk to friends and colleagues. Ask them for advice. Speak to your family. Or you're still unsure then speak to a health professional. It's very easy bandying around terms like burnout and the suchlike. First, analyse and then act.

Journaling at the end of the day helps a lot. This is also writing but this is intensely therapeutic when it comes to the reflection of what we did and how we felt during the day. It helps in assessing as to what went wrong and what we can do to make that right. There are several prompts available Online that helps in understanding our own thoughts. There many question as "Why" that gives a clarity of our thoughts and then while answering you will see that the reasons as to why you felt in that particular manner, reduce down to 2-3 factors. Then it becomes easy for us to take actions and get out of a particular mental state, of course if that is a negative emotion.

Take some time off from writing or thinking about writing. Take some time to relax and recharge physically. Your desire to write will return when it's ready. Its better to wait and let your mind and body respond than to force it and produce lesser quality product.

Writing, after all, is a reflection of life; it has its seasons and cycles, its highs and lows. Recognition, acceptance, and the active search for balance can not only help us alleviate burnout but can also enrich our writing, infusing it with the depth and wisdom of our own experiences.

Okay, I feel obligated to clear some waters: writer’s block and burnout ARE NOT the same thing. Lot of people here, including the main article, treating burnout as a creative dry period. No! Writer’s block is part of our routine, burnout is a mental health issue. Writer’s block is when you can’t write the piece you had planned for today, burnout is when you’d rather have a fever than writing about anything. Writer’s block can be solved by watching a movie or going for a walk, burnout can only be solved with support. I speak from my own personal experiences, but also from testimonies from fellow writers. Levelling burnout and writers block on the same ground will only hurt further people having burnouts. Let’s take care of one another!

Burnout can be common for every writer. I personally face it. When it happens, do not lower your self-esteem. Think of it something like - Maybe you have stepped a level ahead in your career that you ran out of ideas or something. Try to be optimistic and confident about your skills. Tell to yourself that this is just a phase and you'll soon come out of this. Practice some of the measures like I mentioned in my previous response - LinkedIn, Walks, Talking to people, browsing through favourite topics, etc. If you ever feel you are burned out and want someone to talk to, do not hesitate to reach out to me. You have my LinkedIn. Just connect - send with a note - "BurnOut", and I will accept your request.

Sometimes support isn’t always available in terms of people with similar experiences or values, so there is a need to look inward to help with the burnouts. Writer’s block isn’t something that is real easy to get over, with the hectic pace in the life getting to our abilities and motivation. Sometimes a group gathering of writers help with the motivation, but there’s also a need of self journaling, having a small notepad on you, jotting down words, or even themes of ideas you observe in the world around you also help. No need to write on that at the spot. Simply collecting the thoughts over time in that notepad helps to get some perspective and small doses of motivation along a period of time.

As many have said on this panel, burnout is something most of us face, and generally people who love what they do and do things with a lot of fervor face on a pretty regular basis. This being the case, what we could do is to take this in our stride. It may take a little bit more will power from your end each day but it eventually will be completely worth it. Do what you can for the time being. Don't push yourself too hard, past your breaking point. Rest when you can. Sleep is a very powerful tool. Eat good food, which is good for your body. And lastly be mindful of what you are feeding your mind. Because ultimately, your body and your peace remain yours to take care of - no matter who is around you, or however successful that you are.

In my experience it has been wise for me to take a short break from writing and come back to it within a few weeks or so. However, long it may take depends on the person.