E137. Good vs. Bad Discomfort in Creative Practice and Life

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

I credit my creative practice with helping me recover from my life-altering burnout at the end of my PhD. I've maintained from the beginning (and often talked about in this podcast) that creative work should feel good most of the time. For many years I've been gentle and compassionate with myself in both my creative practice and life, never pushing too hard and taking breaks of days or even weeks when I began to feel overwhelmed by anxiety. This is what helped me build a sustainable, fulfilling creative practice that has ushered me out of burnout an into a life that feels like it has purpose.
But in order to finish my novel, I've had to push myself like never before, and I find myself sitting in discomfort in my practice more often than not. Discomfort ultimately cannot be avoided, and it is required if we want to grow. But it can also be destructive--allowing too much discomfort, and the wrong kind, into my life is what led to my burnout in the first place. How do we differentiate between constructive vs. destructive discomfort?
This is a big topic and I only scratch the surface here (and to be honest my brain is a bit fried right now with trying to finish my novel!). Hopefully I've made a good start with it.
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