Rest Isn't Quitting: A Teen Musician's Take On Burnout

WHAT IS BURNOUT?

In today's blog, I will be sharing stories of myself and various other musicians who have struggled with burnout themselves, and how it is totally normal for any sort of artist, be it you or your favourite musician, to go through it. 

Let’s start with me. 

I am 14 years old and I have recently started playing the guitar. I am absolutely infatuated by it and spend hours of my day practicing it, not only because I want to get better at it, but because it’s what I truly enjoy the most. And that’s what I think many music artists forget: that at first,  they probably picked up their musical instrument or hobby as something that filled them with joy. But soon they start taking it as a burden and as something that they have to be the best at.  They start putting this unwanted pressure on themselves, which slowly leads to what we call burnout. 

Personally, when I started learning the guitar, it was simply because of my curiosity and love for it. But day by day, I started comparing myself to others and questioning my abilities at playing it, and asking myself: 

"Am I too slow?" 

"Will I ever be as good as her or him?" 

Soon, this comparison and insecurity deepened and led me to put unnecessary pressure on myself. I, who started as someone who genuinely wanted to experiment with this instrument,  turned into someone who took the guitar as a burden. If I took any rest, I would find a certain guilt in myself and feel as if I was doing unjust to my passion. I started thinking of rest as a crime,  something that would deteriorate my ability as a musician. 

Fortunately, my sir told me that one can only be successful at whatever they do when they are passionate about it and not take it as work. I eventually realised that rest isn't something that you should be guilty of. It is something that is the need of every human being, and there is nothing wrong with it. 

Rest is not a negative attribute in your music life but a positive one, which will lead to sustainable growth in your mental health as well as your success as an artist. 

I will further elaborate about rest and its benefits to musicians from credible sources. 

Many times, we aren’t even aware of our situation and how we are experiencing burnout.  So these are some signs which help you recognise if you are exhausted in your music life and how to recover from it, and lead to better mental health as well as growth as a musician. 

If you are getting frequently anxious: 

What I mean to say is that artists are naturally anxious in nature, and music is what provides us relief from that stress and anxiety. But the problem arrives when that music you love starts being the source of anxiety, and you do not find the comfort in it that you once used to.

Nervousness is totally normal before presenting your talent to an audience. But excess nervousness, and converting that nervousness into this toxic pressure on yourself is not healthy. Try converting that nervousness into excitement, which pretty much creates the same feeling in the body. The only difference is, this is positive, and that beats you down. Most importantly, try showing confidence in yourself. 

Depression in young artists: 

Many artists and even young artists deal with depression in their day-to-day life, which is not widely discussed, because people tend to think that kids are overreacting and dramatic with their emotions. But that might not be the case. During adolescence, hormonal changes play a significant role in the emotional well-being of teenagers and can contribute to the development of teen depression, especially when things seem out of your control or hopeless. When people start saying critical comments, be it your relatives, friends, your coach, or even strangers, which is totally out of your personal control, and when you start questioning things like the pace you learn at, it can lead to you feeling like you're in a black hole. As a teenager, you feel everything is the end of the world and the stakes are high, even when they might not be. 

The best solution to this would be acknowledging that you are depressed and consulting a therapist, talking to someone that you can trustfully confide in, as well as seeking help from any trusted adult that can provide you a doctor who can give you the medication you need. The most important thing is to get help and don’t wait. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about; our chemistry is complex. 

Self-doubt: 

Last but not least is something that I struggled with, and many other artists at some point in their life go through, which is self-doubt. 

If it’s self-doubt about your ability, you might want some professional feedback to help you grow or find out where you need tweaking. 

If it’s self-doubt about how the heck to make an impact and have a successful career, you’re not crazy. But unnecessary self-doubt, which doesn’t have an end, has to be brought to a stop. You have to realise that you are unique in your own way, and everyone has their faults and qualities. Your journey might be way different than someone you look up to, so you should never compare. 

To all the unhealthy yet normal situations that I listed above that are related to burnout, I have  found some simple recovery methods, which include: 

Accept that you are naturally anxious 

Do extra self-care rituals like yoga, salt baths at night, eating a healthy plant-based diet. Think healthfully and in a positive manner. 

Talk to a professional or just discuss things with someone trusted to decrease the burden of negative thoughts. 

Journaling, which is one of the most impactful methods to reduce stress

It’s tough to deal with stress. Don’t do it alone. Try to confide in your loved ones. 

Last but not least: 

There is always a way out of the toxic situation in which you are. You just might not see it,  especially when you’re burned out. 

Always remember: 

Rest isn’t quitting. It’s a part of sustaining creativity and the love for your work. You can check out the source down below, which I used for my research: 

https://caricole.com/the-10-most-common-burnouts-of-musicianshow-to-recover/