Rise From The Ashes
Identifying and healing burnout in ourselves, our communities, and the systems that got us there.
Something that I personally have faced for years, but have watched become a cultural norm within the creative communities: Burnout. As a matter of fact, as I sit here and write this, I am in the midst of it, wondering how yet again I find myself here. As a designer, what do I do when I feel curious or need to solve a problem? I research. I compile data. I compare ideas. Some of this research comes from the book Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Dr. Emily Nagoski and Dr. Amelia Nagoski. Obvious, I know, but nevertheless it gave me better language to grasp and describe what I have been experiencing for years on a loop. More importantly, it helped me organize and prioritize the things I could do to break my own cycle. As a designer and researcher, it helped me to understand a logical, left-brained explanation for things I felt and did. I have combined this research with my years studying and teaching mindfulness, meditation, and yoga. These things together have helped me formulate habits and rituals to work through the ebb and flow of being a working creative.
So, let’s dive into the flames. What it is, what it does, how it became a problem, and why now it is more important than ever that we shed light on it.
What Is Burnout?
In the book Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking The Stress Cycle, Dr. Emily Nagoski shares the origin and definition of the term “burnout”. It was first coined as a technical term by Herbert Freudenberger in 1975. It was defined by 3 components:
Emotional Exhaustion
The fatigue that comes from caring too much for too long
Depersonalization
The depletion of empathy, caring, and compassion
Decreased Sense of Accomplishment
An unconquerable sense of futility: feeling that nothing you do makes any difference
Ever felt like that? I sure have. This definition touches on the cognitive and emotional effects, but more often than not, over time, they lead to physical symptoms within our bodies as well.
In order to understand where we are, we have to look back to where we have been and what might have set us off down this path.
Origin Stories
Burnout isn’t something that happens in a flash; it is something that happens slowly over time. Its effects are cumulative, like a pipe that becomes clogged.
Small pieces of debris start to lodge themselves within the pipe; water still flows, but as more small pieces of debris flow by, they latch onto the others. The stream of water starts to slow down and thin out as flow is constricted. Then, a big piece of debris comes down the pipe and cannot pass: it is blocked by all the small pieces of debris that have clumped together. Now the water can no longer pass and the pressure builds, but the clump is too dense and will not budge. At this point there are only two results: the pipe bursts or the pressure pushes the water back from where it came. Neither outcome is welcome as both are restrictive and messy.
But, before that sequence of events, there is the moment that you abandon yourself. The moment that first small piece of debris gets stuck. You brush off the subtle alarms that are being triggered within you as the pieces compile and you soldier on.
Abandoning yourself will look different for everyone, and only you can define it, but here are some ways it can appear:
Pushing through work even when your body and mind sends you signals to rest
Taking on more work even though your plate is full in an attempt to prove your worth
Not taking breaks to eat, hydrate, use the bathroom, and exercise.
Pushing aside things you enjoy doing because you feel that there is no time for “fun” until you reach a certain level of success
Always being “on” or available to coworkers or clients. That means nights, weekends, vacations, etc.
Using other people’s definition of success to measure your own even if it doesn’t feel right.
Following a path that you no longer feel aligned with, but feel that you should continue because you invested so much time, energy, money, etc.
Pulling consistent all-nighters as a way of proving your dedication to an assumed identity defined by society and others that have come before you.
Not participating in activities that bring you joy because you feel that you didn’t earn them yet
Wearing your exhaustion as a badge of honor
Most of those examples come from my own experience as well as the experience of other creators that I have spoken to. Are any of these familiar or relatable to you? We can’t work to fix something if we don’t know what is broken and how it got that way. I encourage you to reflect on your own habits, processes, and values as they pertain to the work you do. Ask yourself if they are truly yours or if they were defined by something or someone outside of yourself. There are no wrong answers, just tools to shake the debris loose.
Everyday I’m Hustlin’…but Should I Be?
I’ve always hated the term “hustle” as it pertains to work and building a career, business, etc. It makes it seem as if we have to be constantly “on” all day, everyday or we aren’t really trying. To be clear, I am not saying hard work is bad; In fact, along with dedication, these are a necessary part of making progress in any endeavor—but there needs to be a better balance between “living” and “making a living”. There will also be times in our lives where we need to work more than one job or extra long hours to make ends meet and that reality exists within this one (we will touch on that later). That is not what I am talking about here. What I am saying is that the hustle mentality begins to weave our self-worth and well-being together with how productive we can be and how that defines who we are. It forces us to run a race that we can never win as the finish line is always moving.
“...the hustle mentality begins to weave our self-worth and well-being together with how productive we can be and how that defines who we are. It forces us to run a race that we can never win as the finish line is always moving”
We are surrounded by stories of “overnight successes” or “30 under 30” or co-workers and friends who brag about how they stayed up all night working on their side hustle (as they down their 5th coffee of the day). Instantly a comparison trap has been set. Do we measure up? Do we really want what we are working towards if we aren’t suffering to get it? Should we be freelancing and pulling 12 hour days? Should we have a side hustle? Is it enough just to work your 9-5 and go home? We can’t possibly be a good enough designer/artist/musician etc. if we aren’t consumed by our work 24/7 ignoring everything else in our lives, including our health. Right?
“Do we measure up? Do we really want what we are working towards if we aren’t suffering to get it?...if we aren’t consumed by our work 24/7 ignoring everything else in our lives, including our health. Right?”
So where does this come from and what drives it?
Enter Capitalism
We live within and participate in a capitalistic society. It is hard to escape. I am not saying capitalism is evil and we need to reject it and go live off the grid (unless that is what you want to do), but we have to start to examine how it affects our decisions and in turn how we feel about ourselves. This is the root of the disintegration of our self-worth and a spiral of comparison that can lead us to a very dark place.
For context, capitalism is defined as an economic system in which private individuals or businesses own capital goods. The production of goods and services is based on supply and demand in the general market. This is a simplified definition, but for more detail and history you can look here. More importantly, capitalism is only 200 years old and there have been variations of it throughout that time. That might seem like a long span, but in the history of civilization it is a blip on the radar. We currently live under vulture capitalism, a term which was first coined in 1985. That was only 36 years ago. At one point we lived under feudalism with Kings and Queens. Things can change.
I’m no economist so this isn’t a precise breakdown and is grossly simplified, but given the definition of capitalism, let’s look at this through the lens of a working creative. In this example, “art” represents any goods or service you personally create or collateral created to support a good or service, most likely done within a company. The latter is determined by the company’s goals and the demands it needs to meet in the market.
create art > sell art > make money
demand for more art > create more art > more money
produce, produce, produce
demand exceeds supply = working longer and harder
cost of supplies/production/living go up = need to make more art
Repeat 3-5 on a loop
Can you see the problem? We get caught in the loop. With no end in sight, we begin to deteriorate ourselves, our relationships, and the quality of our art form. We have the power to change this, we just have to take the first step.
Forge A New Path
As much as we might wish or be told, we are not robots. We are sentient beings that have basic needs that must be met, not machines measured by the quantity of our outputs. The goal isn’t only to survive, we deserve to thrive too. A huge piece of recovering and/or preventing burnout is identifying what brings you back to yourself. What fills you up? It is not the delirium from lack of sleep or the guilt from having stopped working to take a lunch break. It is the moments where you take a deep exhale and revel in the world around you. When you just let yourself be. Not always as easy as it sounds.
“A huge piece of recovering and/or preventing burnout is identifying what brings you back to yourself.”
This is where my study and practice of meditation has changed my creative process. I will share with you some of the things that help me get present and create in a sustainable way. I could write a whole separate article on this (and maybe I will), but these are just suggestions so take what resonates and leave the rest.
Get adequate sleep. 7-8 hours is usually best
Hydrate throughout the day
Take a few moments throughout the day to take a few deep breaths away from any distractions
Eat meals away from devices
Have a set start and end time to your work day
Communicate your daily availability to coworkers and clients and stick to it
Have a dedicated workspace. Even if it is just your dining room table.
Mono-task. Do one thing at a time with your full attention, then move onto the next.
Create an end of day ritual. Take a walk, make a specific beverage, tidy up your workspace, etc.
The common thread that weaves these suggestions together is switching from thinking to feeling in an effort to get in touch with what we really need and learn to listen. As modern humans we spend a lot of time researching, processing, and categorizing information. This is all happening in the left hemisphere of our brain. The left brain is more verbal, analytical, and orderly. Add that to navigating a world of constant distraction and we begin to live up in our heads like a hamster on a wheel. The funny thing is that our creativity lives in the right hemisphere of our brain. The right brain is more visual and intuitive. It’s the doorway to the elusive flow state we all search for and it is connected to our senses. We get glimpses of it occasionally, but unless you learn to set yourself up to access it, it will always seem out of reach when you need it the most. Like any new skill or habit it takes time to develop these things, but they all start with slowing down and listening to your body and mind. It all starts with you.
Forward Together
We are interdependent. We cannot survive or thrive without each other. The hope is that if we transform ourselves individually that we can begin to shift things collectively. After all it is the squeaky wheel that gets the attention. So if all the wheels are squeaking, action has to be taken to solve the problem. We have to know what kind of noise to make though.
“In our current society it is a privilege to have access to the time and the tools to take care of ourselves. It is not a level playing field. Systemic change is needed for everyone to have an opportunity to thrive.”
Earlier I mentioned that it is necessary for many of us to work more than one job to support ourselves and our families. I also said that part of healing burnout is taking care of ourselves by getting adequate sleep, eating regularly, moving our bodies, and taking time to tune into what we really need. But how can we do that when we are constantly in survival mode? This is one of the biggest disconnects we face collectively. In our current society it is a privilege to have access to the time and the tools to take care of ourselves. It is not a level playing field. Systemic change is needed for everyone to have an opportunity to thrive. This can look like:
Living wages
Accessible Childcare
Equal opportunities for investment
No free labor (internships, work for “exposure”)
Affordable Healthcare
Paid Time Off
Mental Health Support
Affordable, Accessible Education
“Individual success is built upon collective opportunity”
This is by no means an exhaustive list. A lot of these things are issues currently on display in politics. That isn’t a coincidence.These are the fundamental building blocks of a healthy society. Individual success is built upon collective opportunity. We each can contribute to these initiatives. Stay informed, share what you learn, speak up, and demand better.
This can be as simple as sharing what you learn or sharing (and crediting) the work of others within some of the aforementioned topics. You can get involved in organizations, write letters to government officials, go to protests, volunteer your time. One small drop can create a ripple that will turn into a wave.
Designing the Future
With as much turmoil and uncertainty that there is in the world right now it can feel like there is no way forward to the other side. But these times are fertile ground if we take a moment to pause and tune in. Take stock of what is working and not working. Not only for ourselves but our communities and the systems we live in. Something has to shift for all of us, and at this moment in our collective history we have a unique opportunity to redefine our relationship to ourselves and our work. We can build the future of our wildest dreams.
The article above does not constitute medical or mental health advice. If you’re truly in crisis, please call your local emergency services or seek time with a mental health professional.