Creativity VS Burn-out

"burn-out" (noun; plural: burn-outs) - A state of mental exhaustion resulting from prolonged stress.

This can happen in many different ways: at work, home, as parents… But also due to various circumstances: too much work, too little work, being ignored and feeling helpless, parental/home-related stress, feelings of guilt, perfectionism/never feeling good enough/always wanting better, not coping well with being highly sensitive (HSP).

In other words: too much is too much. Often, it’s too much in our head, feeling rushed, feeling low, guilt and failure feelings, forgetting things.

Feeling like you can’t go on but still pushing yourself forward.

"Creativity" (noun)Defined by Van Dale as "the ability to create." Creativity is the ability to produce new and/or unusual but applicable solutions for existing problems.

Creativity is something we lose in a state of burn-out. We can no longer create or even think about how or what to create. It’s empty and depleted.

What happens when you are burned out?

Often, it’s about excessive overload: too much thinking, too many demands, too many expectations of yourself. In a burn-out, you have lost contact with your feelings and body for a long time.

What do you lose first? Your creativity.

But what if I tell you that creativity does not come from thinking, but from feeling?

Ideally, we want to feel alive, energetic, happy, and full of inspiration. But as we experience life in all its polarities, we all also know the feeling of being listless, exhausted, and “bleh.” In a burn-out, it seems like nothing is possible anymore. Your mind is noisy; you want to scream and lash out, but you hold it in, suppress those feelings because they seem useless, and drag yourself onward.

We rarely stop and ask ourselves: How did I end up here? What does my body want to tell me?

The Western world we live in no longer has time or space to create mental room. Everything must happen quickly and now. No time is made to pause and do nothing, no space is created to be creative, or to find our own ways to feel and express emotions. No time to just sit still and be. To empty ourselves and be bored.

How many people nowadays watch screens all day long? Eight hours at work on your computer, your phone during breaks, in the bathroom, while waiting for the train, and TV in the evening to “relax.”

We so often don’t allow ourselves to do nothing. Who still can? Who does? When we can constantly keep ourselves busy and distracted? When society constantly tells us to keep going, push harder, work more, distracts us, makes us feel guilty if we do nothing, and rewards us for burning out?

Who allows themselves rest anymore?

A burn-out points to a lack of mental rest and that something of your values, something of yourself, has been ignored or unseen for far too long in your job/life.

What is not seen in you? What is not felt in you?

My own lessons

I’ve been there too. I was stuck in an endless stream of “musts.”

When I had just started working independently, I set the bar far above my head. My mind was never allowed to be quiet, never. I always had to be doing something and it all had to lead somewhere - a social media post, a blog, clients, newsletters, workshops, reading books...Until I suddenly noticed that the tension headaches didn’t just show up at night but from the moment I opened my eyes in the morning. I became aware that when I sat still, I couldn’t just be; otherwise, my mind would flood with thoughts like: “Shouldn’t you… update the website, send that newsletter, write new workshops, gain exposure, learn more, check courses, reach clients, prepare, do marketing, be a mom, be a friend, grow yourself…?” So whenever I was still, and to avoid hearing those thoughts, I always took my phone to scroll mindlessly and “do nothing.” But the more I did that, the more my head hurt and the less I could do - because I never gave my mind the rest it needed.

My ideas stopped flowing, my creativity stopped flowing, I stopped creating, and I became very irritable. No space was made. And because the flow stopped, I put more pressure on myself. Because who am I as a coach and therapist if it doesn’t flow for me? So I had to make it flow! I read and learned even more, hoping to finally feel that liberating and freeing feeling. I kept searching everywhere and pushing through. Because I would find it somewhere, right? Until one day, again pushing too hard, I had to lie down due to dizziness. My body literally said: stop.

Only when I really sat still - without screens, without distraction - did I realize: there is no space without rest and no inspiration or creativity without space.

It was hard at first, because my mind screamed: You don’t have time to do nothing! But precisely by doing nothing, I made space. Space for rest, ideas, and eventually: creativity and inspiration. New energy.

Since then, I give myself more time. Time to grow. Time to discover. Time to experiment. Time to fail and learn. I now recognize the signs in myself when it’s too much and then I slow down for a while without guilt.

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” – Lao Tzu

STOP. SIT. REST. BREATHE.Close your eyes and do nothing. What? Do nothing? I can’t! – Ah, that resistance. Our critical inner voice. The voice in your head that speaks shame and guilt, telling you you’re not allowed to rest. Turn your back on that voice; it has no power anymore. It’s just a voice in your own head, it’s not who you are. Most importantly: honor that resistance. Let it be. We no longer fight it.

By allowing the listless feeling, feeling it, and at the same time not losing yourself in endless thoughts and analyses, you invite the light back in.

The most challenging task is often to remove yourself from that space and just let it be for a moment. To rest, to allow yourself to rest. To be.

I discovered that my tension headaches only eased when I allowed myself to breathe. To drop my shoulders. To not have to think for a moment and allow myself to do nothing. To remove all screens, be present in the moment, and breathe deeply.When I could look around again and truly see the world. Even if only for one minute, there was relief. That’s how I knew this was the way. I had to practice it.

In such moments, everything comes in, and then you may feel what your body has been screaming to be felt for so long.During and after feeling, there comes a “nothing” moment, an acceptance moment, and then the creative flow returns.There is room for input, images, ideas. This can take days or even weeks before that flow, new energy, or inspiration gets going again. Give yourself that time.

How can being creative help?

We as humans are creative beings. Yet many believe they are not creative. Most people stop creating around the age of 8—the age when you become aware that it’s “not pretty” or “not good enough.” Becoming so self-conscious that we stop. But stopping being creative is stopping to express yourself, to show yourself, to dare to feel yourself.

Creativity is not just painting or writing. It is also dancing, cooking, writing, singing, redecorating your home, the way you move... These are moments when you show yourself, feel your emotions, and give them space.

By doing something creative, like drawing, painting, writing, or even cooking, you give your brain the chance to switch off from that constant stream of thoughts. It literally creates space in your head and lets you drop into feeling.

Give yourself the chance to feel feelings and emotions, to express them, let them move through you and become visible. This is crucial in our lives if we don’t want to get sick.

When do you really give yourself rest?

When was the last time you really listened to your feelings and gave your body what it asked for?

My challenge for you

Give yourself a moment every day to do nothing. Put your phone away, breathe deeply, and feel. It might be uncomfortable at first, but that means you are on the right path. Only by being still can you make space for what really matters.

Discover that your way out of burn-out is not about working harder and doing more, but simply about being.

Feel your body - welcome the space in your head and body - let inspiration flow - be creative.

P.S. I was inspired to write this because everyone who came to me for career coaching was either in, recently out of, or on the verge of a burn-out. I was shocked by how many people struggled with this and how long they had been disconnected from themselves.

P.S. 2 Creativity is not a magical cure for burn-out, but it is an essential tool to bring your mind and body back into balance. By embracing your creativity, you can not only heal your burn-out but also discover a new, more inspired version of yourself. Dare to rest, dare to feel, and let your creativity (without focusing on the end result) guide the way.

Do you have questions?

Do you want to learn to feel your body, listen to it, and explore together ways to find relief?

Contact me