Sharing – Mental Health Recovery Burnout Is Real and It’s a Problem
This article is from 2021, but I just saw it this week and it really hit home for me. This is something I learned, thankfully very quickly. Sadly it’s also something I have seen time and time again in the online advocacy space.
“The path to recovery burnout looks like reading nine different self-help books at the same time (and listening to even more audiobooks or podcasts), setting huge recovery goals and setting far too short a timeline for achieving those goals, and implementing new recovery habits like journaling on a rigid, daily basis with no flexibility.
After a few weeks of this, or even just a few days, you will surely burn out. “
Whether you want to talk about mental health recovery, addiction recovery, healing from abuse or other traumas, etc. there is no “quick” way to do it. I agree completely with Megan here. I can’t even count the number of people who have come blasting onto social media, Facebook groups, blogs, etc. talking about all the work they are doing, all they are learning, sharing it all, and then completely disappear within a few months. (If not sooner)
That’s not sustainable. We are not built for that. We all need breaks, and we need the ability to make small steps and then adjust, purposefully and thoughtfully.
There’s no time to be thoughtful and purposeful when you’re plowing through all of your “recovery goals” at once, and without those things, you won’t get there. They’re kind of required.
I’ve been heard to say in a few places that a big part of why I keep different blogs and social media profiles on different topics is because it keeps me honest. Yes, I am interested in those things and enjoy learning and sharing. But, I have been able to keep this little website going for over 20 years because it is just a part of my life, taking part of my time and part of my mental energy. It’s not everything. I know it doesn’t work for me if it is.
That’s important, and it keeps me from getting burned out.
