There, I said it.

I am tired.

Things have been busy around here.  I’ve been up to my eyeballs in projects — Fiddler on the Roof Jr. at OKTC was very well-received and had great audiences, I helped out with some stage combat for The Twiddle Plays for Maybles’ Productions, and I’m also assisting with some combat work for OKTC’s Robin Hood’s Merry Outdoor Adventures and OKTC’s alumni performance of Spring Awakening.  I also just performed in the London Playwrights Lab’s staged readings last Friday, which was a great experience.  I really enjoyed learning about the development of new plays, and seeing how a director and actors can really help the dramaturgical process (if a playwright decides to go that route).  And I’m gearing up for my upcoming trip to New York City for the Art of Combat 2012 intensive workshop, which I’m super excited about, but still have to book accommodations.  Eek.

This is definitely not a bad thing!  I’m very happy to be “in demand” (such as it is) and happy to be working.  Yet for some theatre artists this may not seem like much.  I know there are people out there who do way more work than I do — heck, OKTC’s artistic director has directed at least 6 shows in 2012 already with various companies, and it’s only the end of May.  (I don’t know how he does it.)  But I’m starting to feel burned out.

This isn’t the first time this has happened to me.  I love to be busy.  But it’s been hitting me harder.  I got really sick the day after Fiddler closed; I was so out of it that I was sent home from work early.  And I can feel a headache coming on now, to be honest.

I’ve been trying to take care of myself — working out, eating well, drinking more water, getting enough sleep, et cetera — but life has a way of creeping up on you sometimes.

This article from The Guardian popped up on my Twitter feed one day, which I found to be really interesting: How to recognise, prevent and deal with burnout in a creative job.  There are tons of articles on the web about avoiding burnout, work/life balance and taking care of yourself when you work in a creative setting.

Tell me, dear readers, how do you deal with feelings of exhaustion and being burned out?
Share your thoughts in the comments below!

PS: Michael Esposito said that having good posture will reduce the tension and knots in my back — very true. 🙂  Shout-out!

Photo Credit: Vicki Cocco