creative rut – Mind Beauty Simplicity

I’ve been experiencing quite the burn out lately in all aspects of my life. And I’ve touched on being creatively drained quite a bit on the blog; but when I found myself drifting into this feeling with my personal life, I knew it was time to reflect, make a few changes & of course write about it. My life has changed a lot in the course of the year – with battling grief & coming to terms with the changes of my dad no longer being here & how certain milestones & life has been because of that hurdle. But along side all of this, there has been the usual “new year new me” mindset of setting healthier goals, establishing better routines & focusing on self growth. In general, I want this year to be a time where I really evolve as a person & gain happiness in more authentic ways. In today’s blog post I want to share a few ways I’ve been managing my burnout & actively making changes in my life to better my mind & soul.

Change Your Surroundings

One of our goals for this year is to at least start the process in finding a new home. Whether it’s driving through different towns & new neighborhoods or searching the web, I want to start manifesting a new home for ourselves. For the time being, we have rearranged our furniture in our living room, decluttered a few items & added some new decor to spruce up the place. I’m really loving how the space is more open & appears larger. It’s funny how a simple change such as this really brightened my mood & gave me more motivation. Sometimes although you may be wanting to make a more drastic change like move to a new town, you need to first start with your present location. Ask yourself what would make your space more cozy. For me, decluttering sessions & reorganizing can really make a difference.

Take Social Media Breaks

I’m trying to learn how to be more present. This means spending less time updating my Instagram stories & more time away from my phone. I love documenting my life & sharing my interests online. But I think we all can get caught up in our digital personas. I can’t tell you how much time I waste scrolling through my feeds & other people’s stories. It has gotten out of hand. Ever since I started making the habit of hiding the app or putting my phone down, I’ve found myself being more productive & in a general better mood. Whether I want to admit it or not, I tend to play the comparison game or feeling the pull to constantly update people about my life for validation. And I’d much rather establish a healthier social media mindset where I post for my enjoyment only & allow myself to spend a few days a week unplugged. You don’t have to share every photo or moment of your life. You don’t need to post things right away either. You can practice digital mindfulness. Most importantly, spend time away from technology more often & give yourself a break from that world.

Don’t Forget About Yourself

You can be equally there for others while also prioritizing yourself. It’s not selfish. It’s crucial. Make those doctors appointments, go on that walk, take a nap, eat a balanced diet, reflect on your passions, apply to that job & learn something new. When we put time & energy into ourselves, we can actually be more helpful to others. When we are all one sided, we immediately feel off kilter & that’s when burn out can rear it’s head. I’ve been making small changes of making to-do lists & sticking to them. I no longer push things to the side & say “I’ll get to it when I get to it”. I’m more proactive in my day to day errands & business tasks. And in the process, I’m growing more as an individual. I’d also like to mention, if you need to rest – let yourself fully rest it out. I think we all tend to make ourselves feel guilty to take a break. We confuse this word with laziness & that mindset needs to stop.

Don’t Overfill Your Plate

When I’m creating to-do lists, I try to keep to the saying “I need to get these done, but not all at once.” Sometimes I get lost in the idea that being productive means being very busy, have a packed schedule & no time for anything fun. This is not the way to be. I have actually became more productive & motivated when I slow down & take my time. Even though I take things slow doesn’t mean I’m being lazy. I am teaching myself not to rush & that tasks can be taken care of in a timely manner. As someone who can get overwhelmed & anxious, I have mindfully taught myself to slow down on purpose. I choose a few tasks per day to complete & try not to make them feel like the end of the world. Easier said than done, I’m sure. But I have seen a positive difference in myself with these subtle shifts.

Declutter Your Space

It wouldn’t be a Mind Beauty Simplicity blog post without the discussion of decluttering would it? I strongly believe your space reflects your mind. When my home is disorganized & cluttered, I immediately feel out of control. As a practicing minimalist, I have successfully downsized my life in half. This removal of literal baggage is one of the main factors to my overall well-being. I tend to conduct seasonal decluttering sessions where I take inventory of all aspects of my life: my belongings, my home, my digital space, my social circle & my habits & ask myself “what is no longer serving me?” If you are feeling overwhelmed & burnt out, maybe this would be a perfect moment for you to do the same. And you don’t need to be heroic about it either. Start small & choose one area of your life that may need sorted. I can guarantee this small realignment will make a difference.

Have you been feeling burnt out lately? Let me know which tips you found helpful in the comments. If there are other ways you combat burnout, please feel free to share.

-B

Inspiration is all around us. You just have to look up & experience it. Most of what I write are from personal experiences – past, present & future thoughts. But even so, a creative rut can happen to anyone. It’s human nature. When this happens, it’s important to just take a breather & step back for a moment.

The blogging community can be a rather saturated place. One of the reasons I questioned blogging was because there are so many people out there doing the exact same thing. How am I supposed to stand out from the crowd? How can I be original? When I go through my feed, it’s hard not to see similarities in topics. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the title “What Every New Blogger Needs to Know” or “10 Ways to A Happier Life.” But after almost 7 months of blogging, I’ve learned the best way to remain original is to always focus on your own perspective. Sure, the title could be the same. The general premise could be similar as well. But a person’s perspective on the matter will always be unique.

There’s a fine line between finding inspiration through other writers vs. down right copying them. I understand the struggle of seeing another bloggers success & thinking to yourself, “I can do that too.” Especially, when you are in a slump, it’s easy to think this way. But the thing is, what’s the fun in following someone else’s journey. Why not focus on yourself & improve your own craft? While you wasted time trying to be that other person, you could have used that same energy to gain a skill & brainstorm on your own. Give yourself more credit.

The biggest reason certain bloggers “succeed” is because their followers fell in love with their personality & perspective as well as their craft. This is why I think creating this online persona is key in creative marketing. You want your readers to like you for you. And if this happens, chances are they will stick around regardless of what you write. Humans are extremely visual now a days. So, connecting with those readers is important (without giving away too much private information). Connection through your words is what draws people in. Others simply want peers to relate to. So, keep that in mind when you are writing your next piece.

Ruts happen when you yourself aren’t completely balanced. A lot of times, when I’m in serious writers block, it’s because I’m neglecting self care. I think a lot of creative people become frustrated when their talent becomes blocked. “Why can’t I be this magical creature who spits out ideas with a snap of my finger?” Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. Or in my case, ideas end up flying at 3 am on a Tuesday. Go figure.

The important thing to remember is not to give yourself such a hard time when you run out of ideas for the moment. It’s actually good you let your thoughts marinate. Step away from the laptop, open a book or listen to a podcast & let your thoughts run wild. Ask questions. Debate productively. Let yourself learn new concepts. You’d be amazed at how quickly those ideas start flowing on paper.

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How To Get Out of a Creative Rut As a Blogger