How to Handle Burnout

Recently, I have been feeling a bit worn out with my craft, and have noticeably decreased my practice. This makes me sad, because I really enjoy my spirituality, but I also understand that it can take a lot out of you, and that burn out is something that witches and Pagans can face regularly. So, I have created a list of things that I believe would help someone who is experiencing spiritual exhaustion:

• Get back to basics. I think that once people start practicing, it can be easy for them to want to progress quickly, without focusing on the basics of it. I think this happened with me, because lately whenever I do practice, I feel very drained of energy. I think this is because I never really focused on grounding myself, so going back to this could help me keep my energy.
• Meditate. This is another sort of basic, but I think it can help with any kind of burn out. I briefly mentioned an app in another post called "Stop, Breathe & Think" which is free on Google Play,and probably Apple as well. This app is great because it lets you adjust how you are feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally, and then makes suggestions based on how you are feeling.
• Find what made you happy in the beginning. For me, it was forests. I realized that what I felt in a forest was definitely a sense of worship, and that is what drew me into Paganism. So for me, getting back to the elements made me feel that same joy that I felt pre-burnout.
• Relax. I personally don't think that you should force yourself to do anything spiritually that you don't want to do. If you force yourself to do a Tarot reading or a spell when you aren't feeling up it, it becomes a chore rather than something you love. The flip side of this however is that forcing yourself may remind you of how much you love it, and it could kick you out of your slump. I guess this is a choice you have to make yourself, but I would rather not do the latter.
• Work with others. Something that is helping me with my burnout is planning the Beltane Gathering with my friends. Seeing like-minded people makes me feel better about my practice. If there is no one near you who you could work or practice with, reach out to other Pagans or witches on the internet.

That's what I have so far. I hope this helps people who are going through a similar phase as myself. Tomorrow I should be doing a post on my Beltane altar, since its coming up on Friday.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!