How to Take a Break
There is a big push in the business and creative world right now to focus on mental health and wellbeing. This is wonderful, and I fully support it. However, there are different ways we can experience “burnout,” “overwhelm” and “writer’s block.” They aren’t the same things. There are different kinds of breaks we might need, and different amounts of time we have to spend away from a project or situation depending on what we are struggling with. To start, is your frustration mental, emotional or physical?
Writer’s Block | Mental
Perhaps you have reached your creative capacity. Pushing through is not going to help. Even if you have a deadline. When you’ve reached a mental or creative block, it’s time to step away. This might mean a 10 minute break to get a snack, go to the bathroom or grab a drink of water. If you need something longer, a 30 minute meditation, or an hour long walk outside might do the trick. If you really aren’t feeling inspired yet, take the afternoon off to do something else. Go see a friend, a movie, visit the museum, read a book, do something that gets your mind off your project, and don’t feel guilty about it. Refueling your creativity is never going to happen on your own timeline. Just let the creative energy find you while you enjoy doing something fun.
Overwhelm | Emotional
This is something I find myself struggling with often. I find this happens when I am over-stimulated - too many things going on at once; too many people needing my attention.
Too many projects, obligations, or ideas demanding your attention at once can lead to overwhelm. This is when it’s important to pause and breathe. What absolutely needs your attention in this moment, and what can you de-prioritize?
A very mild example might be the dog barking, while talking to my husband on the phone, while trying to cook dinner that’s now bubbling over = momentary overwhelm. An easy solution is to breathe, hang up, turn down the temperature on the stove, and go see what the dog needs. Breathe again. Pause.
When something happens on a bigger scale, you might need to set some serious boundaries. After you breathe (always take a breath first), decide what is most important, and prioritize that. Then figure out what you can delegate, let go of entirely, or where you might need to draw some boundaries. Don’t neglect the things that are actually important to you, and don’t ignore the things that need to get done. Simply, don’t try to do them all at the same time.
Burnout | Physical
You hear horror stories about people who work, work, work and then have a physical breakdown, ending up in the hospital, and bedridden for months at a time. This is your body’s way of telling you to slow down. There are many societies that glorify hustle culture and workaholism. This is not healthy at all. Excess is always detrimental. When your body physically rejects your addiction, it’s time to listen to it. Ideally you do this before you reach that point.
The film and television industry is a great example of this. Filming usually requires a 12+ hour day, 5 days a week. Film industry contracts start at 12 hours, that is the minimum day rate. Then factor in travel time to and from work, a 30 minute to hour long lunch break, plus overtime. It is not uncommon to work 60-80+ hours a week. Does that honestly sound healthy? No, of course not. But it’s normalized in that industry. This is how people burn out.
Every body is different though. Working 35 hours a week might be more than you can physically handle. Listen to your own body. Do you need a physical reset? Time to actually unwind, relax and rest? Do it. And do not feel guilty about it.
Bodies are not robots or machines. They are living, breathing organisms that have specific needs: food, water, rest, sunlight, vitamins, minerals, movement. Depriving yourself of any of these will lead to burnout, overwhelm, writer’s block, chaos, and depression. Loving yourself enough to take a break when you need one, is the best gift you can give yourself.