If you're wondering whether you’re just a bit tired or quietly combusting — you're not alone. This is what early burnout symptoms can actually look like for creatives. Or at least make you laugh before you cry into the slightly sticky pile of well-meant intentions on your desk.
Stage 1: Early Signs of Creative Burnout (Disguised as Productivity)
You tell yourself it’s just a dip. A wobble. A minor blip in the grand scheme of things.
Maybe it's just a caffeine rush. Or a run of late nights. Nothing serious. Completely fine. Probably.
You declare yourself “absolutely fine” while trying to absorb a YouTube tutorial on setting up an online business — with one ear — as you finally wash yesterday’s dishes at 1:37am. You sip your tea slowly, partly for comfort, mostly because the spoon’s still in it, and say, “just one day where getting dressed doesn’t feel like an achievement worthy of a certificate.” That’s all I need.
Then you make the list, stare at it, get lost in the middle of it, and start rearranging pens — because somehow, lining up pens feels more productive than deciding where to start.
You pat your printer like it’s doing its best. You thank your laptop out loud. Even ChatGPT has started replying with “Really?” and you’re not sure if that’s progress or a cry for help. But it’s fine. You’re absolutely fine.
Stage 2: Burnout Symptoms That Look Like Busy-ness
You whisper “I'm resting” while writing Facebook captions and googling how to sleep less.
You stare at the fridge, holding the TV remote, and wonder why the kettle won’t boil. You nearly pour tea on your cornflakes, stopping just in time — thanks to the dog giving you a look that says, ‘We need to talk.’ You stand in the middle of the room, trying to remember what the plan was. Possibly something to do with tote bags, but now you're not sure if you imagined that.
Meanwhile, your workspace looks like a craft store tried to escape. You call it ‘creative chaos.’ Somewhere under the chaos is probably a notebook you meant to write things down in. You’ll tidy tomorrow. Or next week. Or when the algorithm finally decides you exist.
You know that phase — where you insist you’re fine, just tired — while stress-eating toast and blinking back tears because the tea went cold before you remembered where you left it? Again. You know the drill. Definitely not burnout.
You’ve just had a few late nights, that’s all. Then the milk leaked in the fridge and, for a moment, moving out felt like a valid option. Still totally manageable — nothing a bit of denial and a bowl of cornflakes can’t fix. Right?
Stage 3: When Burnout Sneaks Up On You (And You’re Still Smiling)
A stranger says, “you’re doing great,” and you feel it in your throat — the sudden pressure of un-cried tears. You nod, say thanks, then immediately pretend to need the loo.
The Shopify cha-ching goes off and for a split second, you pause. Not because you're ungrateful — it's still a good sound — but it’s also a reminder that success occasionally shows up dressed as mild panic. You carry on, unsure whether you're succeeding or just really good at pretending not to panic.
You scroll past memes about burnout and think, “well that’s a bit dramatic.” Then you realise you’ve been in the same hoodie for four days and haven’t genuinely laughed at anything that didn’t involve a dog on a skateboard.
Still. Probably fine. Just tired. Definitely not burnout. Probably.
Stage 4: Recognising Burnout When It Stops You Mid-Task
At first, it just feels like another long day. Then the hoover clogs for no reason and you burst into tears. Or you catch yourself genuinely negotiating with a sock. Or maybe you briefly wonder if lying under the table counts as self-care.
That’s when it hits.
This isn’t just tired. This might be burnout — or something dangerously close.
Burnout Recovery Tips (That Don’t Involve a Bubble Bath)
- Drink some water (and no, tea doesn’t count — we’re talking actual water).
- Eat something that wasn’t ejected from a toaster or unwrapped with one hand while typing with the other.
- Let the job wait — whether it's organising your workspace, writing another post, or photographing your latest tote bag. Let anything wait. The internet will survive without you for an afternoon.
- Speak to a human who doesn’t say the word “algorithm” in casual conversation.
- Sleep. Not a pretend nap while 'resting your eyes' — proper, horizontal, dribble-on-the-pillow kind of sleep.
Burnout Wake-Up Call (AKA: Time for a Bloody Good Talking To)
If you’re nodding along to any of this — the cold tea, the missing scissors, the quiet rage over a lost sock or a kettle that dared to break — it might be time to give yourself a proper talking to.
Not the soft kind — the firm, ‘What exactly are you doing?’ kind.
You’re not a failure. You’re not lazy. But if exhaustion has become your brand, it might be time to rebrand. Preferably before you start crying over a teaspoon.
We can stop pretending toast and to-do lists count as balance. That’s not a routine — that’s barely coping in disguise.
Be kind to yourself — the real kind, not just lighting a scented candle while doomscrolling. Have a proper nap. Eat something colourful that didn’t come from a packet. Watch something that makes you laugh. Let the inbox sulk for a while — it’ll get over it.
And if the mood strikes, you can peek at my make-up bags. But honestly? They’ll still be there after your nap.
