In The Community
These Artists Share How They Recover from Holiday Burnout
It’s that time of the year again when the days get colder, the nights longer, and our to-do list seems endless. For some of us during this season, our schedules may be booked up with family gatherings, parties, holiday pop-ups, and overtime. Exhaustion is the name of the game. Does this sound like you?
Even though we look forward to abuelita’s tamales, pastelitos, and our favorite tia’s coquito, the holidays and into the new year can also be filled with unrealistic demands on our minds, body, and soul. Battling with burnout can result from putting extreme pressure on ourselves and overly committing to things that lead to neglecting our own needs. The signs of burnout can look like overall exhaustion to extreme physical, emotional, and/or mental stress.
This will often trigger coping mechanisms like avoidance or procrastination of work, tasks, and activities that end up making us feel worse. Another sign is reduced performance and lack of concentration or being unable to stick to commitments. In many cases, mental health issues can develop as a result of burnout, such as depression or anxiety.
Rest and restorative practices are ideal for combating burnout. However, what happens when most of us can’t rest or restore due to financial circumstances, a demanding career, job, or over-committing ourselves to family and others, especially during the holidays?
Although we can develop self-care routines and manifesting rituals to help us gain self-awareness and stay grounded during these busy seasons, we may also find ourselves still combating burnout because we may feel like we have no other choice. For Latinas, especially those who come from immigrant households with patriarchal expectations, the pressure to say yes to everything is real. Therefore, many Latinas inherently gain the trait of overworking and never stopping until completely burnt out or sick.
Additionally, American cultural norms uphold and celebrate overworking and toxic work culture because we associate it with wealth and ambitious productivity. It wasn’t that long ago the multi-brand owner and socialite mogul, Kim Kardashian was quoted telling women in business to “Get your fuckin ass up and work.” Even though the comment caused severe backlash on the internet and in several communities. Kim, who was born into extreme economic privilege, was scrutinized for saying it, but the comment itself was often characterized as the right message, wrong messenger.
For many of us who were raised on comments like this by our Latino parents, we may find it triggering and it may even bring up our own internalized trauma. This leads many to compare their own perceived “commitment” to work during a time when the income gap is the largest it’s been in over 30 years to a wealthy CEO who already had wealth, Hollywood connections, and start-up capital.
Does overworking oneself and dealing with burnout pay off or is it just another vicious cycle we create as a result of various trauma? There is no doubt that staying focused and consistent on your execution and achieving your goals will pay off, sometimes in ways not imagined yet, but at what point do you slow down or even stop before the constant burnout leads to more severe health issues?
Finding a balance of work, play and rest can be hard, but with the right practice, it can be done. However, before any practice is put into place there must be a shift in our own mindset to break the cycles and the codependency to burn out.
La Brujita Del Jardin's Manifesting Mindset Guide can help you break down these traumatic cycles before you begin manifesting with rituals and affirmations. An important mindset shift is understanding how our own lifestyle and trauma patterns can lead to burnout. As well as understanding how much taking a simple break can benefit productivity and creativity.
It’s easier said than done to rest, but when you don’t know what rest truly is, where do you start? Go back to the beginning, childhood, and remember what rest truly looked like. Sleeping with no guilt or stress of the day, creative playing or just being outdoors. Nowadays we are so consumed by social media that it can often become another stressor and add to exhaustion. It’s important to go outside and be with nature and see the beauty of the world beyond the internet.
Another important mindset practice is understanding personal boundaries and setting them. This again for many Latinas can be very hard to do especially when we have not committed to setting boundaries with our own families. Establishing and setting boundaries can help tremendously especially when we navigate the holiday season. Saying no to others and yes to yourself when it’s needed is better than saying yes to everyone at the expense of your health.
Burnout Can Cause Creative Blocks
Another result of burnout can be creative block and for many with creative jobs, this can affect work drastically. As I was navigating and unpacking my own burnout recovery after falling victim to severe fatigue, anxiety, a cold, and lack of concentration, I connected with three rising Latinx artists and musicians making waves in their communities to see how they recover from burnout and stay creative during busy seasons.
Sometimes getting your ass up and just working when you are struggling to maintain your mental health and overall emotional well-being may delay the manifesting journey. It’s important to know when to stop working and creating and just surrender. Remember these are practices, they take time to learn and it will get easier to stay consistent the more you practice them. The key to a manifesting mindset is healing instead of reverting back to trauma cycles.
If you need a little extra love during the holidays check out the Stop Faking it and Start Manifesting It article that includes a step-by-step Self-Love Replenishing Bath Ritual.
Go M.I.A on Social Media, Rest, and Comfort Yourself
“In this creative industry we give so much that sometimes it’s good to give back to ourselves” — AMY CORREA BELL
Guatemalan and Puerto Rican singer, actress, and songwriter, Amy Correa Bell has an extensive acting background, with roles in popular TV shows like Dexter, That’s So Raven, and more. She also has multiple albums ranging from hip-hop to house dance beats and groovy soothing ballads. Amy recommends taking off a couple of days from social media to eat good comfort food, stretch, go for a relaxing walk, binge-watch your favorite show without guilt, and just simply overall resting.
Reset, Clean, Get Organized, and Implement Structure
“Cleaning and organizing bring me peace and back to center. I essentially do an emotional and mental cleaning out.” — JESSICA DARROW
Cuban-American actress and singer, Jessica Darrow is best known for her role as the voice of Luisa Madrigal in Disney’s Encanto and her top 10 billboard chart hit “Surface Pressure.” Much like her role as the strong sister and taking on all of the family’s burdens, the creative industry can overwork you with demands and set unrealistic standards that essentially deplete you.
Jessica recommends resetting, cleaning out, and organizing things you've been putting off first like your closet or refrigerator. Then assess your personal life and see what areas need to be cleaned out, organized, and restructured emotionally and mentally.
Focus On Creative Hobbies and Passions That Aren't Work-Related
“Hobbies and passions that don’t connect to your career are very important because they have the outlet and the peace without the added pressure.” — FIGGY BABY
Queer Mexican- American artist, rapper, and songwriter, Figgy Baby is not only breaking down the toxic masculinity standards of rap music, but they are bringing lyrical evolution and uplifting healing beats to new generations craving for change. Much like their music is ascending to new heights, Figgy knows in order to stay creative and productive even when you can stop, it's important to find hobbies and passions outside of work that still stimulate and align with your flow. They recommend dance classes, coloring, and finding a healthy and fun workout regime.
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