Five different ways that creative people burnout or crash, and what we can do to prevent this.

image of painted human figure, expressive.
work in progress, clay slip and charcoal on inkjet | © Lucy Wills 2018

We are all creative, and in our own different ways, yet for those of us who put our heart and soul into the work we do to earn a living, certain risks go along with the rewards. Or do they?

Why are there so many good articles about how to deal with burnout, but not so many that take a good hard look at how it can creep up on us?

Is it really right that burnout and related mental health issues are seen as the inevitable price that we pay for genius, and for doing great, inspired work?

Why is it accepted that creative people ‘think different’ but not understood that we might need to evolve how we relate to our works and ourselves?

We owe it to ourselves and to others to take a systemic view, and to examine the expectations and assumptions that might be getting in the way.

This blog post examines five of them.

Reframing Autism: The Role Of Positive Systems In Autistic Health And Wellbeing

Female doctor visiting patient in hospital room. Male patient lying in hospital bed with his friends and doctor.

The autistic spectrum is not, as is commonly understood, a line of severity but a cluster of impairments. Should the health issues that autistic people are prone to be considered alongside of, or as part of the spectrum? If so, why hasn’t this been spotted before now?

During the recent Autism Awareness month, there was much talk of the need for better awareness and support for mental health but very little discussion of physical health and how that might relate to wellbeing and capacity.

We now need to seriously consider whether some of the impairments and limitations we are used to accepting as part of autism have underlying causes that can be addressed.

This recent blog, produced for One Health Tech, asks:

“Do we really understand what autistic people need to ensure their health and well-being?” and “Why are patterns of comorbidity a specific concern?” and highlights the importance of framing the problem and enabling patient reported outcomes and citizen research in autistic health.