How do you manage emotional fatigue as a storyteller?

Storytelling requires creativity, emotional, and mental stamina. Recognizing the signs of fatigue is VERY important for maintaining the quality and authenticity of one's work. But there are days when all it takes is to look for a bit of random inspiration. Simple activities like observing a neighbor through the window, going to the supermarket, taking public transportation without a destination, or asking a child between 3 and 6 for their opinion can spark lots of creativity! The creativity of a storyteller is also evident in their ability to handle fatigue.

Self awareness is very important in understating yourself, your feelings and when you are in the best place. Aligning this to when you are storytelling ... aka communicating is an important step to take. Your mood can dramatically impact the energy and impact of your storytelling.

Fatique denotes a loss of direction and clarity, followed by a decrease in desire to continue. Although it is a difficult situation for any creative, we can overcome it. The first step is to accept it rather than resist it. It's a normal feeling. The second is to take a step back and observe the situation more clearly, like a stranger. Do something else. Allow yourself to experience different aspects of life. Family, new habits, travels, cooking, dancing. The world is a rich place for novelty. The third step is to listen to our inner thoughts, feelings, and bodies. Long walks or meditation may be helpful tools in this regard. Life is the food of storytelling. If you are tired, your materials have depleted, and you need to recharge them.

Being a storyteller can be emotionally tiring. I take breaks, do things I enjoy, write in a journal about how I feel, or sometimes talk to any of my friends. Thinking about the emotions in my stories helps me handle them better. I also make sure to set limits and take breaks when needed.

As a Storyteller one has to work a lot on rehearsing the story, polishing it, understanding the central emotion of the story and incorporate the same flavor in the telling and at times it leaves one drained. 3 Tips to manage emotional fatigue: 1. Stepping back - It's crucial to take complete rest, so whenever i feel emotional fatigue I step back from all tasks and just relax & rest. 2. Say NO - Saying “no” when necessary is an act of self-care and helps you protect your emotional well-being. I never over commit and say NO to ad hoc requests in case I am feeling emotionally drained. 3. Nature & Walk - When I feel emotional fatigue then i prefer spending time in nature, watering my plants and going for long walks & this refreshes my soul.

Lay out your structure, timings and work to that. Be flexible but know when you can accommodate. There will always be peaks and troughs - so just ensure you are able to manage both!

Content creators are always being told they have to be in the 'hustle' every day. But having done content for 20 years, the cadence is for you to decide. If you're creating content for social media, the feedback can be brutal. Submitting yourself to that every day isn't sustainable, so finding the pace that works for you is more important. Sure you may grow faster in the short term if you keep hammering it. But you won't be able to sustain it.

Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others.” – Brené Brown Setting boundaries is essential to prevent burnout. Brené Brown’s quote highlights the importance of self-respect and self-preservation in boundary-setting. Storytellers should define clear boundaries between their work and personal life, such as designated work hours and time off. This helps maintain a healthy balance and protects their mental and emotional well-being.

"No is a complete sentence." - Anne Lamott. Setting boundaries is crucial in managing your emotional energy. Decide how many hours you will dedicate to storytelling each day and stick to it. Also, learn to say no to projects that don't align with your goals or drain your energy. Protecting your time helps preserve your creative spirit.

Establishing clear boundaries between your work and personal life is crucial. Designate specific times for storytelling and stick to them. Avoid letting your work spill over into your personal time, which can lead to burnout.

Like anything. Have regular breaks, time outs, stay hydrated, be diverse in what you are working on to avoid repetition. Connect with others and reach out - sharing will also help.

After you've written anything, go and do something completely different. When we're so close to our writing we have no idea how revealing it might be, how exhausted we are by it, or whether it's the right thing to create now. By anything I mean take the dog for a walk, go into town, go to the gym. Go and be somewhere your content is different, and come back to it with fresh eyes. Same applies if you're a content creator on social media. Constrain the production to a portion of the day ensures you're not ruled by it for long periods.

Self-care is a fundamental part of managing emotional fatigue. This includes physical care, such as getting enough sleep, eating healthily, and exercising, which can significantly impact your mental health. Equally important is making time for activities that you enjoy and that relax you, whether that’s reading, spending time with loved ones, or engaging in a hobby.

“An empty lantern provides no light. Self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly.” – Unknown Self-care is vital for maintaining emotional and mental health. This quote reminds us that to be effective in their storytelling, storytellers need to take care of themselves first. Encourage them to engage in activities that replenish their energy, such as exercise, meditation, or hobbies. Regular self-care can prevent emotional fatigue and keep their creative energies flowing.

"An empty lantern provides no light. Self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly." - Unknown. Take breaks, engage in hobbies, and ensure you have 'me time.' This helps recharge your creativity and keeps your storytelling fresh and vibrant.

In the city where I live, I've found a community of fellow storytellers, and we gather regularly to share our learnings, our frustrations, and to have friends with common interests who can support one another. Having a storytelling community will help you feel less alone in your experiences, and you can share helpful tips with each other too.

Learn from the best. Stories become more interesting when passed down. Storytelling can be learned from the best and it's better to inspire and improve.

Connect with other storytellers or creative professionals who likely have faced similar challenges. Sharing experiences and coping strategies can provide valuable insights and remind you that you’re not alone in these feelings. Learning how others manage their emotional fatigue can offer new techniques to incorporate into your own approach.

"Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself." - Eleanor Roosevelt. Connect with fellow storytellers. Their experiences and coping strategies can provide valuable insights and encourage you to handle your own challenges more effectively.

Be inspired by others. Invest in learning. Associate with like-minded people through conference, convention and association. Speak to your mentor and coach regularly to help align our focus. Speak to your sparring partner in case you need to bounce off certain ideas.

Redundant, if “storytelling” is a passion not a day job — and commitment to storytelling is built on the foundation of “purpose” larger than one’s own rozi roti/ego🥇🤝

The best thing about storytelling is to see there reaction and impact that it has on the audience. So when you get those moments, do reflect on them and take great pride. It really helps!

I think defining what 'good' looks like is really important here. There are so few metrics when it comes to content creation - if we remove engagement metrics. Focus on what does 'good' look like this week versus last week. So if you wrote 500 words last week, is good this week 600 words? Or is it edit last week's words, and make it better? Or something else? Content creation is self-propelling. Whether I'm making video, podcasts, written content for a client or myself, I always try to ask myself, "how will I know if I've done enough for me?" It can help create a more sustainable practice.

Focus on progression, not perfection. Make small changes each day. Embrace on constant repetition. My motivation is to turn what I went through as potential stories in the future. It could be tough now, and it would be worth while some day. Believe in the process.

"Don’t wait until you’ve reached your goal to be proud of yourself. Be proud of every step you take toward reaching that goal." - Unknown. Every story completed, every draft finalized, and every audience reached is a milestone. Celebrating these moments can boost your morale and combat emotional fatigue.

Balance Emotional Content. While storytelling often involves delving into emotional content, try to balance this with lighter, more uplifting stories. This balance can help prevent emotional overload and provide a more varied storytelling experience.

We always need to keep in mind that we are not in a rat race. We shouldn't succumb to pressure. Taking a break is not a sin. Not only emotional fatigue but also every other emotion we experience reflects in our stories. So, storytelling should take place in an ideal condition/ environment, instead of under extreme stress or anxiety. Most of us storytellers also tend to become the characters in our story which eventually leads to emotional fatigue if that particular character is experiencing a lot of turmoil. So, we should also know when to detach. Always remember that peace of mind is important. Stories can wait. It's not selfishness. It's being self-aware of priorities, a healthy habit which is significant in bringing out good stories!

No one prepares you for creative work. Storytelling, no matter what platform requires commitment. For me, when I get knocked back by feedback, or the absence of it, I try and rely on a simple idea: "Do I believe the more I do this, the better I will get? Do I believe progress is non-linear, and can at times feel non-existent? But ultimately, the longer I do it, the more open I am to trying new things out, the better I'll get and the more opportunities will come?"