Practitioner Burnout: A Neurodivergent Perspective
This post is the sister post to a more personal post that I will be drafting afterwards, however I feel as thought the more general reflection could benefit other practitioners. The topic is one I've written about before and I also see asked about often; burnout. This portion is about how burnout impacts my practice and how I work through it (or don't).
I will warn this is lengthy, it is not bite-sized, you will not be able to consume this in 30 seconds or less. I initially was going to trim it down substantially for brevity but I don't feel like doing so now. If you want the tasty bits you're going to have to forage for them.
I will also add that I am neurodivergent and chronically ill so the burnout I'm experiencing is fundamentally different in how it impacts my life. That being said there is still useful information here for neurotypical people and everyone else.
My approach for my craft is logical, what is the cause of the burnout and then how can it be remedied. I won't say this is easy to assess initially, or that you'll always be correct in determining the cause at first, but it is where I start. It is similar to... perhaps "Where do you want to eat tonight?" conversations. I often have to determine what I don't want before I can sort out what I do. Applying this to my craft I can find areas I'm avoiding or that are perhaps not interactable enough with my current state.
It could be as simple as an altar setup, or as complex as an unplanned result or negative interaction. Aside from unpacking the emotional baggage (this can be especially sticky if you have Alexithymia) you also likely need to change the physical hinderances or else it won't change. If it is too much maintenance for a shrine with several items just choose one. If it is too much to tend to a large garden simply grow one plant. If it is too much to study one topic at large break it into tiny pieces.
You will likely gain more doing this anyways because aside from actually doing it you will also be likely to forge better connections. The world is constantly telling us we need bigger, and grander, and more. It is our purpose, I think, to experience, not to rush through.
Using myself as an example a poor work-life balance is another such obstacle. I feel that if you are in the throes of capitalism as well this is very relatable. I have in these periods barely time for baseline care, be it for my home, my partner, and myself. This compounds when my ability to recharge is impeded (hospital trips, ill family, household management). It has not been easy, and I will not suggest this to anyone else, but I have left my previous employer and have had such immense relief (and guilt) since doing so.
In addition to "Just quit your job! Teehee" (I jest) it comes down to time management, mental health awareness, and procrastination (unless it's actually executive dysfunction in which case I have something for you further down*). If I spend 2 hours scrolling on social media I have two hours less to do craft related activities. I have never once done anything in my craft and thought, "Well that was a waste of time" but I frequently do when I'm doom scrolling.
This isn't to say that rest isn't important, but I'd argue not all rest is true rest. Bombarding my brain with information for 120 minutes is not restful for me. If my body is too tired I can read, if my eyes are too tired I can listen to a podcast or an audio book. If my brain is too busy to take in new information I can tend to the garden, I can go foraging, I can journal, I can look up astrological elections. *Having a list of these things can be helpful in the moment if your brain is full of else. Preparing a place where I can review everything "in the works" is helpful. I realize it may sound sort of silly if you've never felt this way, but my brain is atypical.
*I love cleaning shrines and rearranging for seasons or for events. This is how I approach my craft on days when I am 'stuck'. Building the routine can help, but when you fall off it can be difficult to get back into things. It is then when I must tempt my brain into the preferred activities so I can allow myself to do everything.
The old "bait and switch" is only one approach, some brains prefer things to be setup like games (do the task get the reward) which can easily be incorporated into dice rolling, card drawing, and any other pseudo-gambling activities in conjunction to lists. This can also be worked into a form of offering or "worship" for gods if that suits them. Setting time limits and alarms for activities can also be helpful for some. Learning what works for you will be key, and if nothing does trying new things is crucial. Seek out threads online where others suggest what helps them, they are an amazing resource. You can also try to find others to follow who experience similar, community is key.
I find there are seasons/astrological occurrences where I am more able, inspired, and able to connect, plan, and practice. If you are similar it can be helpful to prepare and store magic for yourself for times when this isn't so. I am not suggesting excluding anything, but practicality is a necessity. There are times when I'm wringing my hands looking for something to do, often times I will do magic or divination for others during these periods. I have also started preparing a "pantry" of completed work (and components) for myself.
There is a benefit to magic in the moment in many instances, but there is also a benefit to magic stored for later. Like wine, if designed to age and kept in ideal conditions, you can age your magic for potency. Sometimes all you'll be up to doing in a day is gathering materials (considering both harvest cycles and planar conjunctions for added potency). These allies will be far more for you even if you don't utilize them when collecting.
And lastly, remembering this is not forever. Do not compare what you are capable of now to what you have done before. For one, they're not even comparable (you are not who you were so why would you do things the same) and for another it isn't helping remedy the issue. If you're stressed about preparing everything for a holiday scale it back or push the celebration out a day. Prioritize what is most important to you and work from the top down. Celebrate over the course of multiple days, let yourself rest between and enjoy or reflect, record what was difficult in preparation for the next year before you forget.
I hope this was helpful in some regards, I haven't seen a lot of people share anything like the above (not that they haven't obviously) so the intention is thought provoking portions. Feel free to drop a comment or reach out via reblog for any input on the above I'm always happy to engage in dialogue or educate. I only ask that we keep it civil please and that you be wary of oversharing personal information publicly. While my intentions here are genuine I cannot say the same for others who may see and add to this.
Thank you those who read this far, I realize in such a fast world that content is longer it is often overlooked. I don't write solely for others so this doesn't dissuade or upset me but it is worth acknowledging those of you who thought I had something to worth to offer.
