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Episode 66: Burnout & Imposter Syndrome
613 Plays2 years ago
Welcome back Witches! This week's episode is going to shed some light on those feelings of burnout & imposter syndrome in terms of your practice! What's important to remember is that these feelings are normal, and everyone experiences them at some time! So get in losers and let's talk about Burnout and Imposter Syndrome.
We would be forever thankful if you left our podcast a 5-Star review. If you really loved the show and want more Get in Loser content, check out our Supercast & Buy Me a Coffee links below. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @GetinWitches, on TikTok @weredoingwitchcraft, or email us at weredoingwitchcraft@gmail.com. You can support our show through our links below.
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Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio- The Witch
References
- Cuncic, MA, Arlin. Imposter Syndrome: Why You May Feel Like a Fraud. (2023). Very Well Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/imposter-syndrome-and-social-anxiety-disorder-4156469
- https://eclecticwitchcraft.com/how-to-deal-with-witch-burnout/
- Zakroff, Laura Tempest (2022). 6 Minutes of Witchcraft: Dealing with Imposter Syndrome. Patheos. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/tempest/2022/01/6-minutes-of-witchcraft-imposter-syndrome.html
- Alden, Temperance (2020). Taking Back our Spirituality- Overcoming Spiritual Burnout. Patheos. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/wildwomanwitchcraft/2020/10/taking-back-our-spirituality-overcoming-spiritual-burnout/
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Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Do you feel drawn to learn more about witchcraft and the occult, but feel lost on where to start? Then welcome to Get In, Loser. We're doing Witchcraft, a podcast all about what it means to be a witch and where to get started on your journey. Join us as we navigate through various witchy topics and share what we've learned about the craft. So get in, witches, as we discuss burnout and imposter syndrome in witchcraft.
Family Stories and Quirky Interactions
00:00:45
Speaker
But my grandma does also know everyone. We'll go somewhere. Anthony, I noticed this like a couple of years ago. We go to Walmart with her. She'll be like, come to Walmart. We got to get this stuff for the whatever. And we're like, okay. So we go to Walmart with her. And she'll be like, I think that's my third cousin twice removed. And we're like, and then we get closer and she's like, oh, hey, so and then they start talking. And she'll be like, oh, yeah, his daddy was married to so and so and then they got divorced. And then I'm like, how do you literally know all of Oklahoma?
00:01:13
Speaker
Right? Like literally. And how are you related to all of them? How is this all our family? Yeah.
00:01:20
Speaker
Oh, you remember better. She used to braid your hair when you were a bad girl. Like, just all sorts of stuff. Like, no. Like, because you know, again, I didn't meet this family until I was an adult. So like, we'll like go to my ground and be like, Oh, you have to come to this thing with us. So we'll go. And then like, all these old people will come up to me and be like, I just remember you when you were in diapers. And I'm like, I'm glad I didn't know you at all. I have no idea who you are. And sometimes you're like, do you remember me? And I'm like,
00:01:54
Speaker
And that is such an Oklahoma thing though. I feel it is. I'm like, no, I don't remember you. I was literally a fetus. Yeah. Yeah. I just remember when you were running around at the Creek and I'm like, I don't even know where the Creek is in Oklahoma. Yeah. Which Creek? All of them are creeks.
00:02:14
Speaker
When's the last time I saw you? When I was two? No.
00:02:26
Speaker
Oklahoma. Don't miss it. Yeah. I'm a family. And I miss the food. But outside of that, I'm okay. All right. What are we talking about?
Understanding Burnout and Imposter Syndrome
00:02:37
Speaker
Well, we're talking about a very important topic, burnout and imposter syndrome.
00:02:42
Speaker
I feel like a very important topic because we all feel it in some aspect of our life at some point in time. Everybody goes through this. It's rare to meet a person that has never felt burnt out or felt like they weren't supposed to be doing what they were doing. They were a fraud or a fake. Definitely an important topic. This is a topic that has been on our list to cover, but we moved it up because of one of our amazing
00:03:11
Speaker
ask me anything questions from one of our Supercast subscribers. Usually we'll say the name or whatever, but I didn't ask permission if I could say her name on the podcast, so I'm not going to. But she brought up feelings of imposter syndrome and stuff, and so we wanted to make sure we brought this episode up in the schedule so that we can cover it and talk more about it.
00:03:31
Speaker
you were saying this is natural to fill these fillings and everybody does. Yeah. So obviously we're talking about it mostly from the scope of witchcraft or paganism or this is just realm essentially. But
00:03:46
Speaker
this is an episode really that could even if you don't feel burnout in your spiritual beliefs or your witchy practice or whatever like if you're feeling it in your job in your life with your family with your friends like this is a topic that could reach pretty much any of our listeners at some point in time so
00:04:05
Speaker
So to start, we should define burnout. So burnout is defined as exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation, usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration or causation to fail, wear out, or become exhausted, especially from overwork or overuse. And that's like a mouthful of a definition. Like when I looked this up, I was like, God, if I wasn't feeling burnout, now I'm feeling burnout from this.
00:04:32
Speaker
But basically, it's just saying like, you're you're overworked, you're overstretched, and you haven't had a break, right? So you're just feeling, whether it's like frustrated or tired, or just like, you lack the motivation to keep doing these things. And like we said, like everyone experiences this at some point in time, you can experience it overall as a whole, or just in certain aspects of your life. It's not an all or nothing feeling. People can get burned out with their jobs, their families, their friends,
00:05:00
Speaker
their hobbies, like pretty much anything, like insert thing into this sentence and you can feel burned out from that. And what this means is that we can also experience burnout when it comes to witchcraft in our practices because you can experience that in any aspect of your life. Yeah. And burnout is often seen in the spiritual sphere, especially with those who identify as empaths or feel often the feelings of others. And because when you're in that vulnerable position and you
00:05:30
Speaker
say like you recognize that you're empathic but you don't have boundaries set in place to kind of filter out those feelings and emotions and and everything it can completely drain you and it's it happens and it's something that is normal but it's something that you can take measures to obviously take care of yourself and you know a little bit more to one of ours researching burnout especially related to the witchcraft or like spiritual realm they mentioned that there's
00:05:58
Speaker
like this state of chronic stress that can be exhibited in three ways. And so like the first one is physical and emotional exhaustion. And so, you know, this is obviously stuff that can look like chronic fatigue, insomnia, forgetfulness, impaired concentration, physical symptoms such as chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, gastrointestinal pain, dizziness, fainting, and headaches. It can also appear as like loss of appetite, anxiety, depression, and anger.
00:06:27
Speaker
And again, it's not saying that you have all of these things. These are just different ways that it can manifest. And then another like chronic stress that can be exhibited too is cynicism and detachment. And this presents in forms of like pessimism and isolation, detachment from others or surroundings. And I know that I definitely am like victim to this whenever I am feeling burnout is
00:06:52
Speaker
I just, and I know I think you are the same way too, Tiffany. We'll just separate ourselves. Take off the watch, close the computer. I can't deal with it right now. It's just too much. I feel like we talked about this recently. We were trying to record an episode one day, and I had my Apple Watch on. Notice I'm not wearing it today. I had it on while we were recording, and I made a lot of group chats with a lot of different friend groups.
00:07:18
Speaker
And so like, I think three of them were going off at once and my watch was just constantly vibrating, vibrating, vibrating. And I like, I had to take it off in the middle of us recording and like throw it away from me. I was like, I'm overstimulated. I can't do this. Like I'm trying to focus here. My watch is distracting me. Everybody's talking. All these messages are coming through. Like that is, I automatically like just push away from everything. Like I very much, this is me when we're talking about like burnout, like a hundred percent.
00:07:47
Speaker
Yeah, it's definitely common. And the last one that they mentioned when it comes to spiritualism and stuff is feelings of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishments. And so just feeling hopeless. And I think this can tie into a bit when we talk about imposter syndrome. But if you're burnt out, sometimes you can feel like, you're just hopeless. What is this all for? I'm never going to achieve this anyway, so what is the point?
00:08:15
Speaker
And so like, I mean, those are all common as well. And I definitely experienced this.
00:08:21
Speaker
feeling before, and it's not fun. It's not fun at all.
Signs and Personal Experiences of Burnout
00:08:25
Speaker
When we're talking about the feelings of burnout, they can show up almost as anything. I feel like it's very different for each person. But some common themes in these feelings are a lack of energy or feeling exhausted, increasing mental distance from the area that you're experiencing burnout in, like your work or your practice or your hobbies. You just don't even want to think about those things. And if you can hear my puppy barking, I'm sorry.
00:08:50
Speaker
He keeps trying to make friends with the cats, and they don't want to be his friends, so then he barks at them. It's really cute. He runs up and it's all in their face, and they'll smack him, and then he's like, rude.
00:09:03
Speaker
So that's my assumption. That's probably why he's barking because that's pretty much the only reason he barks like that. So yeah, just like mentally separating from those things because you just don't you're so burnt out. You don't even want to think about those things feelings of negativity or cynicism like Sam was saying earlier related to like whatever the burnout area is and then a reduction in efficacy in that area. So maybe you're still like doing those things, but you're just kind of like halfheartedly doing them. You're not really like
00:09:32
Speaker
putting a whole lot of effort in them and you're not getting a whole lot out of it either. Yeah. Then really spiritually as well, there's two different paths that most people relate to mostly whenever they are feeling this burnout. It's like a mindset thing. I was reading about one called victimization mindset. This is this belief that your gods and guides, they've abandoned me. You're struggling alone and the weight of the world is on your shoulders.
00:10:00
Speaker
And I know like, and it's not even I feel like you can feel this also outside of just burnout to like especially if things aren't going your way or like if like you're struggling through a hard time or you're struggling to connect with like a new area. I feel like I've felt this like where it's just like, well, I mean,
00:10:20
Speaker
like what's the point like you just feel like you're struggling by yourself. So I mean, definitely common, but also I'm really sorry if this is happening to anyone and you're being affected by it because it is hard. Um, but then also the extreme spiritual bypassing is the other, um, way. And this is, you know, basically like what you were just saying earlier about how like, this is like total disregard of your personal, um, craft or even like,
00:10:48
Speaker
your boundaries as well. Like it not even just related to your craft, but like, um, when we're talking about people who are very empathetic and they're able to pick up other people's emotions and stuff and, um, like burnout can be like exacerbated too, if you're not maintaining those boundaries. And so if you aren't maintaining the bound, if you're already feeling stressed, you're already feeling burnt out and different aspects, and then you're not maintaining your boundaries, like whether that be,
00:11:17
Speaker
related to your craft, related to your person, that's going to make you feel 10 times worse. Yeah. And the reason burnout happens, what I'm going to talk about right here, I'm going to talk about it from the aspect of witchcraft or your practice. But honestly, if you're feeling burned out in any aspect of your life, these are going to fit you
Causes of Burnout in Witchcraft
00:11:39
Speaker
as well. So just pay attention.
00:11:42
Speaker
It doesn't have to just be witchcraft. But the reason that this happens could honestly be anything. Like I said, like everyone's going to be different in this aspect and different situations are going to affect people in different ways. So some examples could be like, maybe you're hyper focusing on witchcraft.
00:11:59
Speaker
and you're not balancing your day-to-day with the other areas of your life. So if you spend too much time in any one area without finding that lifestyle balance, you're eventually going to burn out in that area. So when it comes to your practice, make sure that you're balancing it with your day-to-day responsibilities and other hobbies so that you don't burn out there. And again, like I said, that could relate to any aspect of your life. So if you're just focusing on work and not
00:12:26
Speaker
Finding like that work-life balance you're gonna burn out there if you're just focusing on maybe like this new hobby that you picked up you're gonna burn out on it pretty quickly so just always make sure that you're trying to balance that you know with eating and getting out and doing something you know maybe going on a walk or
00:12:43
Speaker
just putting that down and stepping away from it for a minute so that it's not just the only focus of your life so that you get sick of it or you know just burn out. Another thing that can cause burnout in witchcraft specifically is practicing in the broom closet and I'm not saying this like
00:12:59
Speaker
single point to say that like everyone needs to come out of the broom closet and practice openly. I'm just pointing out that being in the broom closet can cause added stress and anxiety to your practice. So if you're constantly needing to hide your practice and you're constantly worried about someone finding out that you practice witchcraft, it could very easily overwhelm you and that's completely understandable. Like
00:13:22
Speaker
know, we've all been there where we're just kind of like, I don't want anyone to know what I'm doing. And that does add a little bit of stress. Just remember that your practice will be there whenever you're ready for it. Try not to stress out too much when it comes to like practicing witchcraft and
00:13:37
Speaker
try to avoid burnout that way because if you're constantly trying to hide what you're doing and then you're really stressed about it and then it's going to get to that point where maybe you're mentally separating yourself from it, just try to take a step back and just remember that it'll be there when you're ready. It'll be there when no one else is around so you can practice and not have to stress about any of that.
00:13:58
Speaker
Many people who experience burnout in any area of their lives, like not just witchcraft, often also lack like self-care practices. So if you aren't taking care of yourself, burnout is likely like just around the corner. Find a self-care practice that works for you and make it routine. This is especially important to do when you start to notice those burnout feelings like creeping in. If you notice that you're starting to feel stressed, too tired, or even anxious about your practice, take a step back and do like a little self-care check-in, whether it's like
00:14:28
Speaker
you take a bath or you go for a walk like whatever it is that is self care for you just step away from everything do a little self care routine and then maybe come back to it later when you've relaxed and kind of cleared your head a little bit and then other common routes of burnout can include expectations put on us by others
00:14:46
Speaker
a lack of recognizable outcomes, negative energies within our homes, our relationships, or our workplace, mental health, seasonal affective disorder, or simply just life circumstances in general.
Exploring Imposter Syndrome in Witchcraft
00:15:00
Speaker
So shifting from burnout to imposter syndrome, imposter syndrome is considered an internal psychological experience of feeling like a fake in some area of your life, despite any success that you've achieved in that area.
00:15:13
Speaker
Yeah and this is also like this feeling of you don't belong in the space where you are and maybe you only got there out of luck so not believing that you got there you know based on your successes and and your knowledge and your experience and whatnot. So this is something that happens to everyone regardless of your background and whatever space you may be in and this is again something that can be translated into like mundane things and in anything related to magic but
00:15:43
Speaker
you know, obviously like with everything, like this is going to be primarily focused on how you can experience imposter syndrome in witchcraft.
00:15:52
Speaker
So I was reading, I actually hadn't heard this before, but apparently like in my research I found there's actually five different types of imposter syndrome. So the first type is the perfectionist. This type involves believing that unless you are like absolutely perfect, you could have done better and therefore you feel like you're an imposter because you believe you aren't as good as others think you are.
00:16:15
Speaker
The second is the expert. This type will feel like an imposter because they don't know everything there is to know about a subject or a topic or because they haven't mastered a specific skill. The next one is the natural genius. And this type will feel like a fraud simply because they don't believe that they can be naturally intelligent or competent.
00:16:35
Speaker
They believe that like them knowing things is just all luck and they feel like an impostor because of that. The fourth one is the soloist and this type believes that if they have to ask for help then they're an impostor. They believe they should be able to achieve the goal on their own and if they can't then they believe they're just not competent. And the last one is the super person.
00:16:57
Speaker
this type believes that you must be like the hardest worker or reach the highest levels of achievement. And when you don't or if you simply just haven't even gotten there yet, because like this can happen like if you're new in a job or like new to witchcraft, you know, like you just haven't gotten to that point yet. They're they're like, Oh, no, I'm a fraud. Clearly, I'm an imposter because I
00:17:18
Speaker
I didn't get the highest thing. I can't do the hardest things. So because of that, I'm a fraud. Yeah, I can definitely relate a lot to the expert one. Like I will find myself in spaces being like, if I don't know the answers to every question, then I'm obviously not fit to be in this role. And that's not true. Yeah. I don't know everything. I have to go research everything now.
00:17:41
Speaker
And he has to do it right then. He's googling on his phone and I'm like, you were literally driving down the road. Please don't kill us.
00:17:49
Speaker
Yeah. It's crazy how we are all affected by this, but no one really talks about it, which is interesting. But the way that I look at it, imposter syndrome is normal. There's a lot of rhetoric out there about how confidence is key and fake it till you make it. And I love that I'm related to manifesting things, and we're going to talk a little bit more about that later. But I think there's a fine line between
00:18:18
Speaker
expecting everybody to fake it till they make it and then feeling like you're an absolute failure. There's a very fine line because if you approach everything with, oh, well, I'm the best there is at this, then there's no room for growth because you're already the best there is at that. It's totally normal and healthy, I think, to have feelings of every now and then feeling like, oh, I'm not good enough or, oh, I'm not the expert at this.
00:18:47
Speaker
And like that's healthy because obviously like if you're second guessing yourself every time on every decision you make and you're beating yourself up about it and you're just forever feeling like you're not good enough, that's not healthy. And I mean, obviously I would recommend maybe talking to somebody about that. But if you're having these feelings come up for you, like from time to time, it can help us stay grounded and knowing that there is always more to learn, like always knowing that
00:19:14
Speaker
there's always going to be somebody that is more of an expert on this than you. And that's okay. Like it's okay to keep learning throughout our lives. And so having this come up can keep our ego in check, help us to make sure that we are keeping our minds in a learning and creative sphere. Um, and it helps us like grow because again, not everybody's going to know everything. And while like imposter syndrome, it affects us all and some aspects,
00:19:42
Speaker
can be unhealthy, other aspects of it I think are just completely normal natural experiences of being human. Yeah. Well, and like with this, this is something that I struggle with often in more areas than just paganism and my practice. But if you've been listening to us from the beginning, you'll know that I grew up with a very religious mother. And much of my practice came from my grandparents, but I wasn't aware that those practice
00:20:07
Speaker
had pagan or witchy roots, and so I constantly doubt myself in this area of my life as an adult because of this. Both of my grandparents passed away. I can't talk to them about any of this stuff that I'm learning, but it's stuff that I've just always done, not realizing it.
00:20:24
Speaker
And then like learning that as an adult, I'm like, so am I like, am wanna is what I'm doing, like, correct, or, you know, like, and those are normal feelings to have. But it's also like, you know, obviously, sometimes it kind of sucks when you're like, I don't know if I'm good enough at this kind of thing. So
00:20:40
Speaker
What's important to remember though is that it's okay to feel this way or to experience this in your practice as long as you address it and remind yourself that your practice is your own. Because everyone practices differently and believes differently within the pagan umbrella, no two practices will look the same.
00:20:59
Speaker
just because you see others practicing a certain way doesn't make you a fraud or a fake. However you see fit to practice is your true practice and no one can take that from you. Another thing to remember with imposter syndrome is that so many people feel this way at some point in time in their lives. Like you will see people who have studied their whole lives in a particular area. They go to school, they get their degrees, they constantly achieve and prove themselves in their field time and time again.
00:21:25
Speaker
and they still experience imposter syndrome. So don't get down on yourself for feeling this way. We've all been there. Just remember to remind yourself that you're a badass in whatever area you're experiencing this in, and keep on keeping on.
00:21:38
Speaker
absolutely can do exactly and i feel like i mean especially relating this more back to witchcraft like it's so present in witchcraft because this community like you were saying like you create your path like you you practice how you see fit right and the witchcraft and pagan communities this is something that's fluid you don't have to practice a specific way but if you're coming over especially if you're coming over from like
00:22:05
Speaker
a very structured environment like Christianity, you assume like, oh, well, if I'm not practicing the way this person practices, then I'm doing something wrong. And that's not the case. And, you know, with paganism and witchcraft, especially like this is a path that keeps evolving over time. And this is also when I was reading about this online, our community
00:22:29
Speaker
examines itself a lot and it's often through like a very competitive or critical lens and so this is when you'll see people talk about like Wicca related to solo practitioners or like becoming more educated on like cultural appropriation and practicing things that are a part of a closed practice like so this can lead people to feel like they're not good enough or like feeling like they don't belong in this space or they're fake because
00:22:57
Speaker
Well, maybe whenever they grew up, it was okay to do this. But now that we have more education about this, people are discussing about how it's actually not okay to practice this way or to do these things. And it can lead you to feel not good enough in yourself. But, you know, witchcraft and paganism, it's just something that's going to keep evolving. And so all you can really do is
00:23:22
Speaker
keep doing what you need to do. As long as it's not hurting anybody, as long as you're not practicing something within a closed practice, as long as you're not culturally appropriating, then you're doing fine. And I think with like witchcraft and paganism, it's hard to mark progress and success in any sort of tangible ways. Like at least with like some religions and stuff, you have like some sort of markers, right? Like with Catholicism, right? Like you
00:23:46
Speaker
When you're learning about the Catholic religion and stuff, there's different milestones that I don't know the names of. I don't either. And different progresses that you achieve in your life. But again, I am not an expert at this, and I know that about myself because I'm not Catholic. But with witchcraft and paganism, unless you're joining a particular tradition and you're becoming
00:24:11
Speaker
My wrist popped like twice. Did you hear that? Yeah. Sorry, guys. I guess I have a crunchy wrist today. I don't know what's going on. And then my phone dropped. Unless you're practicing a particular like
00:24:22
Speaker
tradition where there's different milestones with Wicca and stuff. For the most part, there's not going to be any progress marks. You're never going to know when you're an expert in your field. You just are who you are. It's not like getting a degree. We're all out here winging it. If you're out here and you're just winging it too, then you're doing what you need to be doing. Yeah, exactly. We're growing gardens. We're collecting cats.
00:24:48
Speaker
Yes, yeah. And literally like in between all these different paths, all these different types of witchcraft and stuff, there are different things that everybody does. I mean, like we don't practice the same, but and I would never think like, you know, oh, well, like, I guess I'm a phony because I don't practice herbalism. And you know what I mean? Like, it's just, you have to kind of see your practice as valid and just
00:25:17
Speaker
do it. I feel like that's what's so great about it though is like there isn't one set way to do something so you just kind of go off your gut instincts on what you're doing and sure you know you might have like a book that tells you how like somebody else has done something but I know even for myself unless I'm like
00:25:37
Speaker
practicing like herbal, like medicinal herbal things. I use things as like a base. This is this is just a great idea, good starting point. And then I just kind of go from there because why not? Like, you're not having fun and learning along the way in that way. Like what is the point of it?
00:25:55
Speaker
So we thought with this like episode, it was important to also include like social media's role in feeling burnout or feeling like that imposter syndrome feelings.
Social Media's Role in Burnout and Imposter Syndrome
00:26:09
Speaker
And we've talked about this often on the podcast, but again, this is just another area that it's important to once again,
00:26:16
Speaker
bring up social media's role in our practice. We love an aesthetically pleasing account. They're beautiful to look at. They give us a sneak peek of something that we often strive to be. But the reality is we're only seeing that sneak peek. Aesthetically pleasing is very easy to achieve on the internet because we're only needing to make a small space look
00:26:37
Speaker
completely perfect for an Instagram worthy photo or a TikTok video that's going to be like the envy of every follower, right? But seeing witchcraft as an aesthetic is also a major downer on like our overall community. Because like, obviously, I don't know about you, but my life isn't aesthetically perfect. No, mine isn't either at all. And I feel like to like the more you interact with the media and stuff, it might be more clear to some than others. But you can absolutely see now they've, thankfully,
00:27:07
Speaker
Some avenues of social media have made it a little bit more visible to know when something is a promotion or an ad or a partnership or whatever. In the past, it was not like that. A few years ago, it was just like, oh my God, but now it's a little bit easier to see. Even with that, it's like,
00:27:25
Speaker
Why are they showing you like ask yourself, like, why are they showing me this? Are they showing me this because they want me to buy something? Are they showing me this because they want me to envy what they have and think? Or are they excited? Yeah, exactly. Are they excited about this thing? Is this something that they're like, I got this really cool thing. You never know. There's many different motivations for people. So being able to kind of think about what that motivation is for that I think can help block you from some of those envious feelings of like,
00:27:54
Speaker
Yeah. Or feeling like I'm not good enough or I'm a phony because I don't have this, this, or this. Right, right. Like we've said it before, we'll say it again a million more times, I'm pretty sure. Like you don't need to buy anything to practice witchcraft. If you want to purchase things and those things fit within your budget, then by all means buy them. But don't let the pressures of aesthetically pleasing witchy accounts con you into spending your hard earned money.
00:28:18
Speaker
we are constantly bombarded with content in our everyday lives. And if you follow like a single witchy account, I've learned this the hard way. Like if I follow one thing on TikTok, I'm bombarded with that on my for you page. And like, I love that for the witchy content, right? Like I love being able to see so much when like, this isn't something that has always been like
00:28:39
Speaker
out in the open for everyone to see, but like it can also be very overwhelming. Like remember to take breaks when you need it and to also watch like non witchy content or read non witchy content too because again like constantly doing this is going to lead you to burnout or
00:28:58
Speaker
constantly seeing people doing things differently might lead you to imposter syndrome. So take those breaks when you know that you need them. Make sure you're finding that balance within these areas of your life. Don't overload yourself. And then also just remember that you're only seeing small pieces of somebody's life or practice or whatever when it comes to social media too. Yeah, and I'm really glad that you brought up
00:29:23
Speaker
the TikTok aspect of it because it is so true. And it's something that literally you can one video and then the rest of your for you page be those same videos. And it's incredibly frustrating because it makes you feel burnout, like a thousand percent. I follow some
00:29:40
Speaker
like trauma therapy like you know i mean because yeah social work you know what i mean like i follow some of that on tick tock and if i like one video even if i have it it'll be like they'll tick tock will finally give me a break right and i won't see them for a while and then one will come up and i'll like it and then it's every every fucking video is that you know i i started noticing this not necessarily with the witchy content but like our followers don't know this but sam and i are very obsessed with certain singers
00:30:12
Speaker
We'll like these videos or send them back and forth to each other. Right now, and I know this is probably YouTube because I send them all to you, my entire For You page is Sleep Token, Blackville Brides, Bad Omens, BTS, and throwing Shohei Otani.
00:30:32
Speaker
or Harry Cowell or Thor Bradley who chops wood because I'm always like, here you go, Samantha. Yeah, that's like all of it. Yeah, like if you if you like send interact in any way with any certain type of content, Tik Tok's like, oh, this is what you like. Here's all of it. And it just vomits on your for use that it's like every every video is one of those things.
00:30:54
Speaker
It is. It's very frustrating. I hate it. I like funny things too. I love me sleep token and I love me bad omens and all of those other things I listen to. But I also like really funny shit and sometimes I just need funny shit at the end of the day. Exactly. I just don't want thirst traps the whole day. I also need some money. I need something sweet. Give me that Savannah Bananas baseball team. Just break it up just a little bit. Just a little bit.
00:31:24
Speaker
And then send me some Amazon deals and hacks and stuff. I will take that too. But yeah, it is just awful. Back on topic though, a little bit of a tangent. Just a little bit one. I mean, we've gone on really long-winded tangents. I feel like that wasn't that bad. Yeah, that one wasn't so bad. It wasn't too bad. You guys can handle it.
00:31:46
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. But just remembering back whenever I was a kid and I would do little rituals and spells just with my own imagination or seeing something based off what my father would do in our house and stuff. I never felt like I was an imposter or a fraud or a phony or anything like that. I never second guessed myself. I never felt like I wasn't as magical
00:32:10
Speaker
or anything, and I have those feelings so much more as an adult, even though I have adult money and I can buy whatever the fuck I want if I wanted to. I have more of those feelings now than I ever did when I was younger, and I know this is 1,000% due to being exposed to others on the internet. And there's always somebody out there who's more witchy than you, who has a more perfectly curated altar and setup and literally crystals out the ass and plants for everything.
00:32:38
Speaker
And it can make you feel like your practice is not valid. And that is, it's a feeling like I've experienced, you've experienced everybody. If you aren't experiencing that, then I feel like you're lying to yourself. I don't know. You're just not on TikTok. You're smart because it's definitely something that happens. And I think a lot of it has, you know, obviously, like we said it before,
00:33:04
Speaker
Consumerism and capitalism play a big part in this because media dictates what is popular, what is trendy, and what we should invest our time and our money in. And as witchcraft and paganism becomes more mainstream, there will be more and more creators coming forth trying to get you to invest your time and money into what they're selling. Even if it's not like trying to selling a product, it's like they're selling themselves, right? They're wanting you to invest your time and your effort and your money into them as a creator.
00:33:32
Speaker
If you guys hear any background noise, it's my husband who's either cooking or doing some kind of project with a power tool. I'm not sure. It'll be a surprise when you go downstairs. Always, always. This is my life.
00:33:47
Speaker
So everything that we've discussed here can add to the feelings of burnout and imposter syndrome and just being constantly overloaded with witchy content can make it feel like you're never getting a break from that part of your life. You can also feel completely confident in your practice, turn on TikTok and see someone else practicing differently. And then you start questioning everything that you do. Social media can really affect your day to day.
00:34:10
Speaker
It can affect our mental health or just like our overall wellbeing. So it's important to recognize that and make sure that you're taking those breaks whenever necessary.
Overcoming Burnout and Imposter Syndrome
00:34:20
Speaker
Some ways that you can overcome burnout and imposter syndrome, take stock and identify like what it is that's stressing you out. What's driving your frustration and your fatigue or whatever other symptoms of burnout that you might be feeling. Like once you've identified that root of your burnout, it's easier for you to address that problem.
00:34:39
Speaker
Being able to identify the stress you're feeling, naming it, and creating a plan to overcome it is probably one of the most powerful things that you can do because they always say like the first step in anything is like identifying what you're feeling and being able to put a name to it. So this is
00:34:55
Speaker
like hands down, I think the best method that you can use for that. And I think being able to look at the situation objectively, taking your emotions out of it, like yes, okay, you're feeling imposter syndrome, you're feeling burnout, being able to take a step back, and instead of looking at it so critically and negative to yourself, being able to be like, I am feeling these feelings, these feelings aren't me though. And what's like,
00:35:20
Speaker
objectively look at the situation. Because it can be hard sometimes, especially if you're feeling extreme stress like that. And then because it makes you feel like, especially if you're feeling a phony or a failure or something like that, just because you feel like that doesn't mean you are those things. But those lines get crossed so much whenever we're feeling those feelings. It's so easy to just take those feelings into yourself and assume that about yourself.
00:35:46
Speaker
And so one amazing way that you can help in this aspect of identifying the stress you're feeling, naming it, creating a plan for it, and being able to step back and looking at it objectively is by doing shadow work. This can be so helpful with your spiritual burnout and with imposter syndrome as well. So we had an entire episode on shadow work recently, and this can be super helpful with your spiritual burnout and even with imposter syndrome as well. And I don't remember which episode that was, but
00:36:16
Speaker
It's episode 57. 57. Perfect. Yeah. So if you guys haven't checked on episode 57, give it a listen because we went over some amazing ideas for shadow work. And then also something that I would say is setting boundaries, whether that be for yourself, for others, for those sort of interactions. If you know somebody, for instance, like I know have people in my life that are massive energy suckers. So if I'm already feeling stressed out to where I'm approaching that burnout feeling,
00:36:45
Speaker
I know I have to set my boundaries pretty high. Even if it's not like, oh, not in a mean way, obviously, but like, oh, I don't have time today to deal with that. Or like, you're able to say no to things whenever you need to. Just understanding that, setting those boundaries, I mean, that can really help. Those boundaries are so important. And they, I will say, I'm somebody that didn't
00:37:08
Speaker
do this until I got older. And like, especially like, setting boundaries with your family is okay. Like, that is like, the one thing that it took me a long time to learn that but when I did, oh my God, was that for being to be able to be like, nope.
00:37:25
Speaker
I'm not dealing with that. It's not my problem. And that's okay because it's not your problem and you don't have to deal with those things. So that one's a very important one. And I think everyone should reevaluate your boundaries and make sure that you're sticking to them.
00:37:40
Speaker
So when you notice that you are burned out and you're ready to fix that, like something you can do is just ground and center yourself. So we did an entire episode on this for episode 18. Again, if you haven't listened to it already, go back and listen and use this episode as a resource to ground and center yourself and get back.
00:37:59
Speaker
to your craft. Know that it's okay to take a break too. Like stepping away, taking a break from witchcraft, that does not make you a failure. It means that you're self-aware and you know your limits. Take some time, rejuvenate, and then jump back in when you're ready. Maybe take this time to enjoy other hobbies, or if you enjoy reading, maybe take this time to just read a witchy book instead of like going out and trying to, you know, practice or work
00:38:22
Speaker
a spell or create something, just spend some time reading instead.
Authentic Practice in Witchcraft: Is it Possible?
00:38:28
Speaker
The point here is that it's okay to take a break and come back when you're physically and mentally ready to do this. Yeah, and being able to disengage from that stress is so important. And some other things that you can do that aren't inherently witchy, but can be are things like meditation and yoga, doing something restorative, taking a long bath, like all of these things.
00:38:50
Speaker
when we talk about it so many times you can translate from your quote-unquote mundane world into like your witchy world doesn't mean you have to do a whole ass like ritual to get into your bathtub or do any but just meditating to go to sleep
00:39:04
Speaker
or meditate or doing a relaxing yoga, all of that is perfect. And with the bathtub thing, I am very much a bathtub person. Sometimes you don't want to think about those things, the ritual aspect of it. Sometimes just turn your water on and get in. You don't have to make it this whole elaborate process and do a bath ritual or anything. Throw a bath bomb in there or some bubbles and just get in and don't think about anything. That's OK. That's OK. It's completely OK.
00:39:34
Speaker
Yeah, we're telling you right now, take the damn bath. Take the bath the other day. So just like like we're saying, just take a step back reassess your practice. Like, are you feeling burned out with witchcraft as a whole? Or is it like a specific area within your practice that you're experiencing your burnout? If it's a specific area, then reengage with other parts of your craft that bring you joy and don't feel like a chore for you to do. In terms of imposter syndrome, like
00:40:00
Speaker
Try to remember that however you choose to practice is the correct way for you to practice. That's the beautiful thing about paganism and witchcraft and just earthbound religions in general like we said earlier. There's no guidebook that tells you like the one correct way to do something because that isn't how this works. Do what works for you. Remember that you're not a fraud or a fake or an imposter. You're a badass and your practice is perfect because that's what works for you and it's how you practice.
00:40:30
Speaker
Yeah, and because you are such a badass, you need to think that you are too. So take that time to invest your own time and reinforcing your thoughts and actions into what you want to achieve. This goes along with manifestation and creating your own reality with the power of thought.
00:40:46
Speaker
You know, how can you do this? I mean, one way, stop comparing yourself to other witches. Your path is your own. And your path, like Tiffany said, it's going to feel different from person to person. What is right for one person is not always going to be right for you. And be confident and confident in what you do. Like, know that
00:41:03
Speaker
okay you might not have the answers to everything but this is what you know and be confident in that but also there's like i feel like a double-edged sword with this too so if you're entering something and you don't really know anything about it obviously like you're gonna need to do your research like we tell you every episode do your research yeah so reference exactly and there's nothing wrong with that like doing the research doesn't mean that you
00:41:34
Speaker
or a fraud it just means that like if you're coming into this new and you feel drawn to a particular practice i mean get to know other people who practice along that path read books about it research it on the internet that doesn't mean buy anything but like just check it out and and see what there is available to you.
00:41:52
Speaker
Set goals and be realistic. Know that things take time and you have to give yourself some slack. And at the same time, you have to be open to growth and to be able to ask for help and seek wisdom from people that you trust. All of this will help keep you from feeling like you're an imposter, keep you from feeling like you are feeling like you're wanting to burn out. Just do all that. Do what we said.
00:42:18
Speaker
And also remember, if you are feeling those feelings, that's okay. We've all been there. We've all felt that at some point in our lives, and we'll probably feel it again at some point, you know, down the road. Like, it's okay to feel that, but just make sure that you're recognizing it. You're taking a step back, and you're correcting whatever is causing those feelings within you. Yeah. You can't just enter into anything mindlessly and feeling like, oh, yeah, I'm just the expert at this.
00:42:47
Speaker
It's gonna take time, it's gonna take research. You're gonna feel these feelings and that's okay.
00:43:03
Speaker
That's it for this episode of Get In Loser, We're Doing Witchcraft. You can find our source material for this episode linked in the show notes. If you love this episode, we would be forever thankful if you leave us a five-star review on wherever you listen to your podcasts. If you really love the show and want more Get In Loser content, check out our Supercast link provided in the show notes or search the Supercast website for Get In Loser, We're Doing Witchcraft.
00:43:24
Speaker
There you can purchase a membership tour podcast to maintain exclusives like getting episodes early, shoutouts on the show, access to our Ask Me Anything forum, our monthly newsletter, a promo code for merchandise, and more. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at GetInWitches or email us at we'redoingwitchcraft at gmail.com. Check us out next week as we learn about chakras. Until then, blessed be witches.