Overcoming creative blocks and burnout (with personal musing)

I had a hard time writing and creating content for my blog or doing the research I am currently doing. I felt disappointed that things didn't work out no matter how hard I tried to juice out my brain. I can't finish writing a blog or even think of a creative solution for my research. I always got stuck halfway to the content I was creating or with simple coding errors. I never lack ideas to blog, but I can't finish what I started. It was the same with my research. I had good ideas, but I had a hard time implementing them that I left them out unsolved. Maybe, creative block is hitting me.

I always remind myself that I should not be concerned, but I often worry about not being productive. We will encounter mental barriers from time to time, but it does not mean that we won't overcome them. It will take time. Most of the time, the reason behind feeling blocked differs from one person to another. It is not one reason fits all. Often it is due to burnout and stress or just mental exhaustion. Some of us felt blocked after finishing a project or juicing out all our mental energy.

Our creative block may not always be from burnout. Sometimes we are scared that people will not like it, or it will not turn out well. We trapped ourselves to the perfectionist syndrome that we often doubt what we do. That is what happens with my research. Everything seems too good to be true. But I can't help to invalidate what transpired. By doing so, I run in a circle and do the same thing, as if it was an unending marathon. I am a bit hard on myself. Although everything turned out good, it didn't feel good.

Some friends have that feeling too. We are unable to finish what we started. It is seemingly too hard to find a light in the cave. Two months ago, I was moving well with my research and blogging as well. Time management was perfect, not until my workload increased and have to work for long hours. I had to work more than 12 hours since we lacked some people to work for it. I am thankful for having it, but I find it very taxing.

The workload stress is getting into my nerves. I am a procrastinator but effective and productive. However, the schedule seemingly affects my creativity. I find the workday stress presses down and puts more weight. It keeps getting heavier. I felt I was about to burn out. Vacations alleviate and keep me afloat, but they seemingly did not help much with my creative block.

We all are familiar with burnout. It feels like we have little left to give. Being burnt out is considerably more severe than simply having a terrible day. When we don't burn out unchecked, the trade-offs are costly. It will affect our health, happiness, and even what we can accomplish. Many symptoms of burnout are close to depression. Although burnout link to workday stress, whereas depression, is much more than that.

We may find ourselves running out of gas. It resonates well with me. After having to deal with a lot of workloads, I felt mentally exhausted. I tried to write, but I ended up staring at a blank screen. Words were too scarce that I was not able to finish my blogs. I always end shaftway. My research got halted due to my inability to translate my mathematical algorithm into codes. I finally reached a point where I was not able to focus no matter how hard I tried.

I may not be in an extreme burnout state, but I noticed that I was almost there. It manifested to a creative or a mental block that executing a regular task like blogging and my research seemingly too hard. But what was weird is, I still function relatively productive for my day job. However, I have days that I find it too hard to get out of bed. Work has been more of a hassle than ever. We may find ourselves canceling plans merely because we lack energy. I did that with one of the technical webinars that I was supposed to give a talk.

I was obsessed with explaining what I was going through and what caused it. I did find my creative block culprit. It wasn't burnout but lack of sleep and long work hours. The long work hours drain my mental energy. For months now, I was not sleeping well due to hectic schedules with work and graduate research. I think straining and overexerting myself caused me to deplete my creativity and productivity.

Finding the cause of our creative block will not cure it, but it will help us understand why we're missing the passion and put us in a position to start working through it. We may get mental blocks because we are so overburdened with work that we don't know where to begin. I am glad that I unloaded some of my workloads. Taking a small task off our plate is one of the simplest methods to overcome a creative block. It helps me get into clear out my mind, which can assist with motivation and creativity.

When we strive unsuccessfully to overcome a mental barrier for a lengthy time, we tend to focus on our mental block rather than the task at hand. We fall trapped in our obsession for finding what causes and a means to overcome it. We need to take breaks to clear out our minds. We need to see it from a different perspective. For me, a cup of coffee helps. Finishing minor tasks can help us a sense of success. It may be enough to rejuvenate our minds.

Everyone has their limits. I forget that. Having to deal with longer work hours and a heavier workload, I always feel exhausted. While it is good to be known as the person willing to go above and beyond, we never want to bite off more than we can chew. We should not commit to tasks that can be overbearing to what we can only do. Overcommitting can increase our stress that may result in creative blocks and burnout.

I had a hard time writing and creating content for my blog or doing the research I am currently doing. I am recovering from my creative blocks and hopefully kickstart content creation. I felt disappointed due to my inability to be creative and productive, but It is not all disappointment. I still find a silver lining in what transpired. While mental blocks have much reason to occur, stress and burnout afloat. We should always strike a balance between work, life, and play.

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Feature Photos: All photo is courtesy of the author

Researches about Creative blocks and Burnout

1. C. Maslach, Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry, NCBI

2. Panagiota Koutsimani et. al., The Relationship Between Burnout, Depression, and Anxiety: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, NCBI