Burnout: Proactive Prevention

As artists, we have the tendency to work ourselves into a stupor when we have a lot of projects to complete. It’s easy to think to ourselves “just one more page” or “just one more drawing” and get stuck in this loop of pushing yourself too hard. When this happens, our bodies and minds begin to get overworked and eventually when things get to be too much, you’ll begin to burn out.

“Job burnout is a special type of work-related stress – a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.“

Mayo Clinic, June 5th, 2021.

Burnout is a very common condition that most everyone will have experienced at some point in their lives. When someone is so overwhelmed by work or family life or distractions that they feel like they are drowning in stress, their brain will short wire and the symptoms of burnout will begin to appear. These are the most common symptoms of burnout listed below. You may not match up with this list exactly, but if you find yourself experiencing at least half of these symptoms, it’s likely you are going through burnout:

• Headaches
• Exhaustion
• Change in sleeping patterns
• Change in eating habits
• Easily irritable
• Endless anxiety
• Becoming physically ill
• Feeling negative/ extremely cynical
• Neglecting self-care
• Feeling numb/ apathetic

Fortunately, burnout can be treated and the best way to deal with it (and prevent it in the future) is to take a break and take care of our bodies and minds. Below is a list of different chemicals the brain produces to make us feel happy and relaxed, and the things you can do every day to make sure your brain produces enough of them.

Dopamine

• Eating food
• Accomplishing a task
• Getting enough sleep
• Taking a shower/ bath

Endorphin

• Exercising
• Laughing
• Listening to music

Oxytocin

• Socializing
• Physical touch
• Petting animals
• Helping others

Serotonin

• Sun exposure
• Nature walks
• Mindfulness (don’t think about the past or the future, focus on where you are here and now in this moment.)

Not all of these things need to be done every day, but if you can manage to treat this list like a checklist and do at least a few of them every day, you’ll begin to notice a difference. Making sure to take a break from your work is important for your health and following these guidelines will help you do better work when you return from your break!

The HoneyDripper is the Savannah College of Art and Design’s juried comics and illustration blog, dedicated to publishing, promoting, and showcasing the finest in student work.​