As writers juggling day jobs, family life, and self-care, burnout can sneak up faster than a snowmageddon-style blizzard in February. In this post, I'm sharing the common pitfalls that drain our creative energy, and the practical strategies I've learned to keep the writing flame alive without burning out.

Turns out, it’s not just writers who benefit from taking time to be creative. A Drexel University pilot study found coloring, doodling, and free drawing activate the reward pathways of the brain, which can help improve mental health and creativity for lots of folks.

For me, planning a successful vacation means identifying what’s important to me and my husband, choosing our priorities, and making sure we have time along the way to actually process and enjoy what we are seeing and doing instead of rushing from one thing to the next.

There are certain things we can’t change, or maybe we don’t see how we can right now. But maybe there’s ways we can sneak a little sensory awareness into our day — and reap some amazing wellness benefits as a result.