I remember the first episode of the second season of The Walking Dead like it was yesterday. Viewers had already devoured the first season, which is arguably a step towards mainstream horror as we know it.
Those first moments in the show, it was so anxiety inducing, I paused the show to breathe. There’s a horde of zombies meandering between dead cars on the highway. The rag tag group is in danger!
Rick Grimes dispatched the zombies with his hodge podge group of survivors and thus the show lasted for an insane amount of years. Long beyond it should’ve, if we’re being honest.
Now, when I watch zombie shows or movies…I don’t get anxiety. I barely get scared. Why is that?
Because that episode set the tone for my expectations of shows going forward. Everything became more normalized. Even if maybe consuming that much death and gore isn’t the best for my mental health.
It’s like an entrepreneur’s capacity for stress. Every time we hit our limit, we have a breakdown. Whatever that looks like.
Then we get our shit together and keep going. Next time, our threshold is a bit higher than before. Soon, the amount of stress and stimulation feels normal…when maybe it shouldn’t be.
Next thing you know, your motivation is gone.
Your stress response system is depleted.
Your sleep cycle is all fucked.
Your mind is racing a million miles a second.
Nothing is exciting anymore.
Why are you doing this anyways?
It’s hard to recover from burnout, just like it’s difficult to feel anything in scary movies nowadays. The difference between the two is that your burnout will absolutely mess everything up. There are always other types of movies to watch.
So take a look at how you feel right now. Do you have motivation and excitement? If not, what can you do to bring it back, before it’s too late?
