I wrote my first blog post on this very blog 19 years ago, which makes be feel kinda boss and kinda old at the same time. It’s like a meme of Cher I watched recently - it was from a commercial she was in recently, where someone saw her roll in looking incredible in her super tight black outfit and yelled, “Hey, she’s both old and young at the same time!”. That’s blogger me! I’m an original blogger and have been around long enough now to see all iterations of apps, content, marketing and the never-ending quest to be liked, shared, and followed.

I’ve grown my entire career from my blog - including books, courses, products, a magazine, podcasts, so I can’t complain or say these 19 years were a big waste of time. Quite the contrary, I reached my dreams to relocate permanently to Europe, have a child, and write books for a living and become a designer. I freaking did it all because of having decor8 back in the day, a blog that earned enough revenue on blog ads alone for me to reach these dreams - not including what I earned on everything else I was up to.

And sure, I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, but the ups far exceeded the downs and I’ve pressed on regardless.

Yet, the pressure to constantly produce, innovate, and engage with mostly strangers every single day (and hour of the day) can leave creators feeling all sorts of things - and many of them negative. And that’s what I want to address in this post.

But here’s the good news: we don’t have to feel any of those things if we don’t wish to - we can control our mind (unless someone suffers from depression or mental illness, then that’s not possible without intervention) but for most of us, we can tell ourselves a better story, practice resilience, re-frame how things look for us currently.

Our creative journey online doesn’t have to become something that we dread waking up to each day because part of it involves content creation on social media.

To be successful online you have to understand business, marketing, branding, strategy, the importance of showing up, having focus and commitment, and so many other things but one of the biggest that lots of people struggle with is emotional intelligence and sensitivity. There are huge amounts of people online doing business who lack empathy and have zero people skills. They don’t hear their audience, they are unable to pick up on vibes and trends, they only care about money, fame, and more money.

There is a lot to being a content creator for instance whether to create content as your business or as part of your business. What do I mean? Well, a content creator can be a person who focuses on a topic like interior design and they produce content only about interiors with a focus on their home - renovation projects, DIY stories, organization tips, etc.

A content creator is also a person who runs a business - for instance, they have a small local shop in a busy city. They’re looking to target more customers locally and have an Instagram account and a newsletter with a website for that purpose. They seek to engage with others through these channels and create content for this purpose - to show what’s new in their shop, to share trending items that their customers love, etc. They may take photos or videos, or even go live on Instagram to share new things from their shop - such as unboxing new products that just came in. This is how they are also creating content.

Content can also be teaching online courses - and content is needed to develop a Substack or blog that is profitable or even a newsletter. Most people think it’s easy - “They can do it, so can I”, but the truth is there is nothing easy about running your own business online and creating content for it, or being a content creator as a profession. It’s challenging, frustrating, rewarding, hard, overwhelming, but never would I say, “easy”.

Understanding Content Creator Burnout

Frustration and burn out are not just about feeling tired or experienced on those days when you’re ready to throw your smartphone against the wall. It’s really about mental and emotional exhaustion, loss of motivation, and a deep sense of being disconnected from your passion.

Content creators, which so many of us who work online are these days, often experience burnout due to a combination of factors such as:

• Creative exhaustion: The need to constantly come up with fresh ideas, produce high-quality content, and keep up with trends can deplete your creative energy.

• The pressure to be constantly "on": In an age of social media and real-time engagement, it can feel like you have to be available 24/7.

• Overwhelm from balancing multiple roles: As a content creator, you may be managing everything from content creation and editing to marketing, email lists, and community engagement. It’s a lot!

• Lack of boundaries: It’s easy to let work spill over into your personal life when you’re passionate about what you do. But without clear boundaries, you risk burning out.

• Unsure where to put your energy. This is a big one. Do I keep my Substack? Do I stay on Insta? Do I try YouTube or TikTok? Do I go back to my blog? This is one of the topics I hear the most lately with Meta and X aligning so closely with the current administration in the USA and how so many people feel that support Meta is supporting things they are absolutely against - so where does that leave those who built their entire career on a Meta platform like Instagram?

Recognizing the signs of burnout early is key to preventing it from taking over. Whether it’s feelings of apathy toward your content, a constant sense of exhaustion or dread, or struggling to find inspiration, knowing when to pause and reset is vital but after the pause - knowing how to get back on track without all of the overwhelm and stress is key to developing a sustainable, profitable business.

Tap Into Your Way and Your Why (and other strategies)

Prevention is always better than cure, and the best way to manage burnout from social media is to take proactive steps. Here are some that I’ve personally found helpful, especially the first one:

1. Tap into the way and why. I learned in the coaching program I was part of last year with Mel Robbins that research shows you need two things to achieve a goal - the way and the why. The way is the HOW of behavioral change. It involves a plan, a timeline. The why is the motivational and emotional aspects of behavioral change - the why is the activation energy, the dopamine reward.

2. Set Realistic Expectations: You don’t have to post every day or engage with every comment. Be honest about what’s achievable for you and communicate those boundaries with your audience. Quality over quantity is essential. It’s better to be consistent 3x a week than to show up 5 days in a row and then disappear for a few months.

3. Create with Intention: Get back to the "why" behind your content. What are you passionate about? What brings you joy? Aligning your work with your values will help reignite that spark.

4. Take Breaks: It might sound counterintuitive nowadays, but rest is key. Take regular breaks to recharge—physically, emotionally, and mentally. Stepping away from your work can lead to greater creativity and productivity when you return.

5. Delegate and Automate: You don’t have to do everything yourself. Outsourcing tasks like editing, social media management, or graphic design can free up your time to focus on what truly matters—creating. If you don’t have a budget for support, try paying for ChatGPT and turn it into your personal assistant. There are so many things that an AI can do to help a small business owner, don’t stay under a rock or hide in fear of AI. Use it to your advantage, responsibility, ethically, and with balance.

6. Engage in Self-Care: Nurturing your mental and emotional health is just as important as producing content. Make time for activities that relax and inspire you, whether it’s meditation, journaling, exercise, or spending time with loved ones. I always told my blogging students years back to use your blog as a catalyst to live your very best life. I believe that. Good editors are living an interesting life. They go out and meet interesting people, attend press events, fly to interesting locations, attend local events. They visit the places that they write about. Think creatively - how could you both nurture yourself and find content in the experience? Then, you’re calmly and simply accomplishing something wonderful - you’re “working” and engaging in a self-care experience like painting, pottery, yoga, or a sound bath.

I’d love to see more people out there excited and energized by the creative process, I feel a lot of that has changed since the OG days of blogging when content creation was fun and felt very special. Many want those days back, not because they miss the clunky tech or the lack of smartphones, but it’s more of a feeling - a vibe - that we miss. That fresh energy is missed, that “anything is possible” curiosity, the way success was defined - it was exciting to have 15,000 daily readers as a blogger - nowadays it’s nothing - people feel like they’ve not made it until their Instagram tops 1 million+. Thriving is about balance—figuring out what success looks like to you and the ignoring what society thinks and working towards your own success story while maintaining your health and happiness, bringing light and joy to the people whom you touch with your content.

With a tweaked mental approach, you can continue to grow your business, engage with your community, and do what you love without burning out. You can have a little OG magic in your work online today - it’s really up to you, how you frame it, what success looks like in your eyes, and the systems that you build to create the magic you’re looking for.

What do you think?

Love,

Holly