What causes creative burnout?

Anything that drains us of our physical and mental energy can cause creative burnout. We are all individuals with unique circumstances and personalities, so each person's reasons for being burnt out will differ.

However, there are some factors that contribute to burnout that affect most creatives at some point in their journey. These factors include perfectionism, procrastination, rejection (from gatekeepers, your audience or yourself) and having a harsh inner critic.

In addition, other aspects of your particular circumstances, beliefs, attitudes and habits may also drain you of your energy, even if they don't directly relate to your creative work. Identifying your unique constellation of contributing factors can help you decide how best to recover your energy.

But before we go any further, it's important to note that, while each person's contributing factors are different, the cause of burnout is the same in every single case. Without exception, all burnout is caused by stress.

Stress

Stress is a normal, full-body response to physical, mental and emotional challenges that is designed to keep you safe. It's an ancient protective mechanism that evolved to make sure that every one of your ancestors survived, and it is the reason you exist today.

So if it's meant to be protective, why does being stressed out feel so bad, and how does it cause burnout? To help answer these questions, let's consider what happens within our bodies during the stress response.

This is an excerpt from my free ebook, A Creative’s Guide to Burnout, which goes into much greater detail on the cause of creative burnout. To keep reading, click the button below to request your copy.