Creative Burnout: When the Work You Love Starts Exhausting You

I spent the last three years juggling two full-time loads, one as a photographer and one as a therapist-in-training. A month ago, I finally graduated (yay!), but I was left completely exhausted and burned out.

The strange thing about burnout is that I didn't quite understand it until it happened to me. And I'm still figuring it out. What's interesting is that I literally felt the sensation of burning on my body!

What does burnout actually feel like?

Burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that can develop after prolonged periods of stress and overwhelm. And for creatives, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and other people whose work is deeply connected to their identity, it can be especially confusing when something you genuinely care about starts to feel exhausting.

Some common signs of burnout can include:

• Feeling constantly tired or drained

• Losing motivation or enthusiasm for work you normally care about

• Difficulty concentrating

• Reduced productivity or creativity

• Feeling detached, cynical, or negative about your work

• Increased irritability or frustration

• Sleep problems, headaches, or other physical signs of stress

For me, burnout was a pretty clear sign that something needed to change.

Burnout is no way to live life, so I vowed to slow down and heal from this state of being. I'm already feeling so much better.

Here are the five things helping me recover so far, rated 0–10.

1. Not Living by My Calendar — 6/10

My calendar for the last few years was time-blocked by the hour and color-coded by category just to stay on top of my schedule. Every time I glanced down at the rainbow bars across my screen, I felt dizzy.

I still need a calendar, obviously, but I'm learning to be much more relaxed with it. Not every hour needs to be optimized.

2. Taking a Summer Sabbatical — 10/10

After wrapping up my clinical hours at a local mental health agency, I decided to give myself a three-month sabbatical before seeing clients again as a therapist.

My photography work is still there keeping me busy, but I wanted a chance to feel completely rejuvenated before sitting down to hold space for people again.

Of everything I've tried: 10/10. Highly recommend a sabbatical if life allows it.

3. Long Walks Without My Phone — 8/10

I've been waking up, grabbing my iced coffee and my dog, and taking long walks around my neighborhood in silence.

It's such a beautiful way to start the day. I work out thoughts, get ideas, and have small epiphanies, all in that first hour of the morning.

There's something about having nowhere else for my attention to go that seems to give my brain room to wander again.

4. Coffee Dates With Friends — 9/10

My social life took a hit during this period of my life, and my extroversion battery has been feeling depleted.

I've been reconnecting with old friends and having long chats over coffee. Burnout made my world smaller for a while, and reconnecting with people has been one of the simplest ways of making it feel bigger again.

5. Protecting My Mornings — 9/10

I learned to protect my mornings in grad school as I got into the rhythm of my work style and discovered that I get my best work done first thing. My brain is focused, and I don't feel the outer world pulling at me yet.

Now that I'm done with my graduate program, I could sleep in and relax, which I took advantage of for a few weeks. But I realized that I actually missed my morning schedule, so I've brought it with me into this summer.

I'm doing it in a much more relaxed way now (like writing in bed). It means I've accomplished quite a bit by 2 p.m., and I can genuinely relax in the afternoons.

I still have another six weeks of break to go, and I'll continue tinkering with what works for me.

When creative burnout starts to feel bigger than burnout

Sometimes burnout brings up larger questions about identity, perfectionism, work, self-worth, and whether the life we've built still fits us.

I work with artists, creatives, entrepreneurs, and other unconventional thinkers navigating burnout, ADHD, perfectionism, identity, and the complicated relationship between who we are and what we create.

Interested in therapy for creatives?

I offer therapy in Austin and online across Texas. If you'd like to learn more about my approach, you can read about therapy for creatives and artists or reach out for a free 20-minute consultation phone call.