Then Parajunkee said something which really struck a chord with me, and I think it can be applied to many activities, blogging included.
She writes:
Being a creative person, I tend to be two steps away from being bipolar — high on creative thoughts one minute, in a complete low point the next. When I’m high on it I’m producing like a freight train, writing, drawing, designing…when I’m in a low I find myself watching re-runs of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. It’s a common problem and it runs rampant with those of us that operate at accelerated paces. From what I’ve heard from “those knowledgable types” burn-out is your mind telling you to settle down and stop pushing yourself so hard or maybe find a less rigid pace to operate on.She goes on to recommend ways of dealing with the burn out. But what fascinated me was that I'd never even realized that the Buffy-coma was a symptom of my burn out. (But instead of Buffy-coma, I crawl into wondrously fluffy novels where I don't have to think, and I stay there until I feel better.) I only considered myself burned out when I started swearing and throwing things . . . and I mean that metaphorically. Sorta.
How do you know when you're burned out, and then -- bigger question -- how do you deal with it?
