Greetings, my fellow work-from-homers and creatives! I hope you’re somewhere comfy, cozy, and inspiring. It’s no secret that the WFH lifestyle looks different for everyone, but the risk of burnout is real across all industries. We’ll be exploring why that is, practical suggestions to help prevent it, but if you’re already burnt toast, we’ve included our personal tips on how to recover so you can keep nurturing your creative.

Why does burnout happen?

Life is hard. Life is complicated. The answer is likely a culmination of events and circumstances in life that require you to give more than you have. We have found these are the most likely culprits:

• work
• caregiving
• unhealthy habits

Burnout is not limited to those working from home. It doesn’t just affect creatives. It can happen at any stage of life and in any line of work.

How to spot the signs you’re more than just stressed

Working hard makes us tired, true. Normal stress goes away. If you go on vacation and come back feeling recharged and rested, that’s what I like to call “normal tired”. Hard project that pushed you out of your comfort zone? Yep, that’s normal tired too.

Here’s a handy list of warning signs and red flags to watch out for if you think it’s more than just being stressed:

• You know you shouldn’t work late, but you consistently push yourself. Rationalizing that if you get caught up, things will get better. 
• You think about how behind you are when you’re supposed to be relaxing.
• You long for a vacation. It’s been months, even years, but you can’t find the time to plan one.
• Your friends and family express concern for what habits they see forming.
• You’re sedentary.
• You’ve stopped giving to others, voluntarily – physically, mentally, or even emotionally.
• When you think of your inner battery as a scream canister from Monster’s Inc. and you know it’s drained, draining, or already empty.
• You start complaining more than usual about life

Already way past normal fatigure?

First off, I’m sorry. The amount of empathy I feel for anyone that has run out of so much steam that they consider themselves burned out is genuine. But, good news is, with the right steps, you can recover.

Advice on recovering from burn out:

• Speak up and ask for help. Your friends, your loved ones, your boss, your co-workers. They aren’t mind readers. (If you have an intiutive person in your life, you’re the exception.)
• Get professional from a therapist or coach
• Prioritize self-care.
• Practice mindfulness.
• Find a simple routine that refreshes you and stick to it. Fight for it.
• Zoom out from your normal day-to-day. Look at the big picture. Find one piece of it you can change. Change it. Then find another. Rinse and repeat.
• Track your stress levels. Journaling helps you find patterns or people in your life that make things worse.

Tips to avoid burnout in 2024

1. Do something creative everyday. If it’s for money or someone else, it must be something you get excited about.
2. Upgrade your home office. It can be small like a plant or print with a motivating quote. Or, go for a real upgrade with a standing desk or more ergonomic set up. You get bonus points for taking care of your body while getting stuff done!
3. Try a co-working space. Or phone a friend and go work at their house for a change of scenery – our writers love this one!
4. Rethink and revamp how you take on work. Especially if you are a freelancer. You don’t have to take on toxic clients. And you certainly don’t have to keep them.
5. Ask for help. If you know someone that can help, great. If not, invest in yourself and hire a consultant or business coach.
6. If you like tech and aren’t already implementing automation or productivity tools, there’s a bazillion out there that offer free trials. Just a word of caution, don’t let all the shiny new options distract you – it can quickly turn into a time sink.
7. If boundaries are an issue for you – set aside time to write down the ones you know will make a difference. Frame the post-it and put it on your desk if you need! These boundaries are valuable assets you can’t afford to forget about.
8. Like working around people, sometimes? Ask anyone you know that also works nomadically if they want to meet up. Coffee shops, libraries, and any other comfortable and cozy location will do. Bonus points if you meet up and work together outside for some organic Vitamin-D.
9. Increase or mix up your physical activity. If you’re already a runner, great, trying swimming laps. If you’re a couch potato, get a treadmill that can fit under your couch. Then you can still binge watch, while still moving.
10. Pick a vacation you can reasonably afford and only take with you the people you enjoy. If you’re a giver, this time and this money is yours, so don’t feel like you have to include anyone you don’t want to on this splurge. Why do so many of us wait to book a trip until we’re already close to burnout? Book it while you feel good 🙂

That’s a lot of changes…

True, but don’t feel you have to implement all of them at once. Some of the ideas above don’t work for everyone. But the main takeaway should be this:

Change what you can to be the healthiest version of you.
No one else will.