Good morning everyone. Here’s a brief update about some things that have been going on in my creative life
I mentioned in my last Pageturning Report that I am working on a new children’s book manuscript. Last week I finished the first complete draft of the book!
At first I felt elated and energized, like I was ready to tackle anything! Then the symptoms of burnout began to manifest: I felt physically exhausted. I became grumpy and short tempered. I began to feel depressed. I started to catastrophize about the future.
I quickly realized what was going on. This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced these symptoms. One of the greatest temptations I struggle with in my creative life is overwork driven by “the comparison game.” I see all the great things my colleagues are doing, their awards and accomplishments, and I begin to reproach myself for “not working hard enough.” Of course, this irrational guilt leads to anxiety, depression, and eventual burnout.
What’s truly insidious about this is that whenever I feel the burnout coming on and realize that I need rest, the reproachful inner critic becomes more insistent: You don’t work hard enough. You’re not good enough. Everyone else works harder than you. That’s why you’ll never be successful. You’re a failure.
On Sunday I tried, as far as it was possible, to ignore this inner critic and to take the day off as a legit day of rest. No writing. No recording podcasts. No planning out future projects. Just resting my mind and body while contemplating the goodness of God and all the blessings I have received. I made gratitude and recovery my only priorities for the day.
While I think I managed to stave off a full burnout, I’ll need to be very careful this coming week. I’m not going to take on any more major projects. In fact, I decided to take a break from writing any new freelance articles until the end of the year. I want to finish the next draft of the new book. Additional freelance commitments would simply be too great a strain and lead to a relapse into full burnout.
I’m grateful to God for the blessing of being able taking time off like this. So many working adults do not have that luxury. Please pray for me.
There will be another Pageturning Report coming later in the month, but I can’t make any promises about additional content until I feel I’m completely recovered from the burnout. Thank you so much for all your support; it means so much.
Farwell until next time.
Well done on recognizing the signs and making changes for your health, Thomas.
Rest is truly something we have to cultivate in our lives as a kind of spiritual practice that aids both body and soul.