This title definitely seems pretty illogical, so let me explain. I have been interested in environmentalism since the middle of high school when I was a member of the recycling club. We handled composting and multiple gardens in addition to maintaining low contamination rates for the recycling program. After a year or two of involvement, I realized there were ways I could make a difference outside of my school. This was when I started my Instagram account, @waste.free.katie, which I use to post about low-waste living. The first year of posting was fun and relatively easy. I did not know a lot about sustainability, so I would pick a random topic, do research, and create a post about it. Each caption was filled with enthusiasm and a genuine interest in the subject at hand. I started receiving free products from companies that wanted me to try their product in the hopes that I would like it and include it in a post. As someone with less than 2,000 followers, I was shocked this was possible. The fact that I was being “noticed” fueled my motivation to post and got me through the next few months.
After about a year and a half, I experienced my first wave of burnout. It became harder to think of topics I actually wanted to research and there weren’t as many new low-waste swaps to make. On top of that, I stopped gaining followers and my engagement rates plummeted. Although it shouldn’t matter, this made me feel like I wasn’t really helping people with my posts. I started only posting the bare minimum. This has been a problem that resurfaces often. It now seems like I only post regularly for about a week and then go on another month-long hiatus.
At some point between the long periods of burnout, I started writing this sustainability column. I know it’s funny that when I am having a hard time maintaining my existing commitments I added another thing onto my plate, but a part of me thought writing weekly would re-spark my love for sustainability. This thinking wasn’t entirely wrong. Some weeks I enthusiastically type out my column and it inspires me to also make an Instagram post or podcast episode. Even when I’m not thrilled about the topic I’m writing about, it is worth it because I feel like maybe I am helping whoever is reading it or at least entertaining them for a few minutes.
It seems like this burnout problem is pretty common for people who are passionate about sustainability. Maybe it’s because the same people who use bamboo toothbrushes and shampoo bars often feel like the weight of the world is resting on their shoulders and nobody else is trying to share the load. Or perhaps I am being overly dramatic and just have trouble constantly studying the same topic for years.
To combat burnout, I have been trying to explore completely different aspects of sustainability and lean away from things I already know about. For example, I spent a lot of time researching everyday sustainable swaps when I first started my Instagram account. Now I am exploring larger, more systematic changes like composting across campus. These things take more time and effort than just picking up a different product at the store, but they also will make a bigger impact if successful. More planning also means there is more potential to be burnt out, but a single win could fuel motivation for weeks or even months to come.
Even if you are not burnt out from trying to reduce your waste, maybe you have faced a similar problem with school or your favorite hobby. I would love to say switching things up a bit is the solution, but that is to be determined.
