Paranormal burn out is real!

There is debate in the paranormal about belief, what we perceive and what is really happening. The one thing I think we can agree on is that paranormal burnout is a very real thing!

Burnout and Mental Health

Burnout is when you feel emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted from excessive demands at work or in your personal life. It can affect anyone, including those doing unpaid caring duties.

Symptoms of burnout can include feeling physically and emotionally exhausted, negative about your work, and less effective in your work. Preventing burnout is about noticing the signs early. This way, you can make changes before things get too overwhelming.

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/mental-health/work/burnout

Ironically, investigating the paranormal is something that many do as a way to support their mental health. It is one of those activities where you can literally sit in a dark room and not have to talk to anyone for hours. You aren’t thinking about the bills that you need to pay or that work deadline you are struggling to meet. For the few hours you are there, you are focused on the one thing – potentially having a paranormal experience. While this can be quite therapeutic, in itself, it can become one of the very activities that trigger burnout.

It is not surprising when you think about it. For some, it is literally an unpaid job. The hours of research, negotiating with venues, crafting videos or content, travelling long distances on weekends and surviving on little to no sleep. On top of that, you have your full-time job and family needs. Weekend sports and competitions, driving your kids all over the state, plus finding the time to clean, because as we get older, we have to accept the fact that there really is no magical cleaning fairy. It is easy to find yourself in a position where you are spread too thin. It can become an expensive hobby. Equipment is expensive. Petrol is expensive. If you are staying overnight, accommodation is expensive. Most people don’t make money off what they do, and those who do certainly aren’t millionaires. You will find they are lucky to even cover their costs. 

If you are someone who hosts paranormal events, the pressure can become crushing. Beyond just showing up and unlocking the venue for the night, you have the ever-growing weight of people’s expectations. This already can feel hard to live up to when, for some, their only reference is their favourite paranormal TV shows or YouTube channels, which are highly curated and edited to be non-stop entertainment. You have to be switched ‘on’ from the moment you arrive and, in some ways, present a persona. For example, I am Sarah from LLIFS and Black Rock House when I am at an event. I am social, happy and seem confident. In reality, I am not actually like this in my ‘real life’. I am quite shy and reserved. I usually do not like to be the main focus in the room, and I will usually happily stand in the corner until someone approaches me. I don’t like to be around a lot of people, and I enjoy my solitude and quiet moments. While I may seem confident, you don’t see the million thoughts that have been running through my head in the hours before, causing me to lose sleep. Sometimes it can feel like crushing anxiety, which in itself can be exhausting. Once I am there and I put on that ‘mask’ and the adrenaline kicks in, it is seamless, but it takes its toll. 

Signs Paranormal Burnout is Creeping In

For those in the paranormal field, burnout doesn’t always look like it does in a traditional workplace. Some subtle signs can include:

• Irritability or cynicism: You find yourself rolling your eyes at the same questions you used to love answering.
• Loss of enthusiasm: Investigations feel more like chores than adventures.
• Withdrawal: You avoid messages, stop engaging with your team or audience, or decline invitations.
• Neglecting your own experiences: You’re so busy hosting or filming that you rarely get to simply be in the moment of an investigation.
• Physical exhaustion: Long drives, late nights, and sleep deprivation start taking a visible toll.

If these sound familiar, you’re not alone. Many in the paranormal field go through phases of burnout but rarely speak about it openly. There is often a fear of being perceived that you are not committed or devoted.

The Role of Social Media and Content Creation

Another layer to this conversation is the digital world that we find at the forefront. Paranormal teams today often feel pressure to constantly produce content. You’re expected to post on social media, upload YouTube videos, record podcasts, write blogs, and keep an online audience entertained. There is also a lot of real competition that comes with the desire to run events.

This creates a cycle of always having to be on. The paranormal becomes less about the experience itself and more about how it’s packaged and consumed. The more you feed the algorithm, the more your audience grows. I think in some ways it can also contribute to people losing their authenticity because they are trying to put out content that will get the best reaction. For some, there is a fear that if you stop, even briefly, you could be forgotten or you will no longer be relevant. This pressure for some can amplify burnout even further.

What can we do?

Here are some of the things we can do to help ourselves and make sure we don’t fall out of love with the paranormal:

Set Boundaries: Not every weekend has to be filled with investigations or events. Schedule rest weekends the same way you schedule investigations. Don’t over-commit yourself, and remember, just because you say no doesn’t mean you are not a dedicated paranormal investigator.

Share the Load: If you’re part of a team, delegate tasks. Not every piece of content has to come from you. If you find the dynamics of your team are not working, address the issue. Sometimes teams have an expiration date, and we have to accept that this is OK. Sometimes team members can no longer put in the time they used to due to their own commitments, sometimes their goals change or their direction. They may have a new path they want to pursue, and we need to be supportive of this. Being a good team mate can sometimes mean calling time. It doesn’t mean that it was a failure; it just means that this part of the journey has come to an end.

Redefine Success: It doesn’t have to be about numbers, likes, or followers. Success can be measured by the joy you feel when you connect with others, share history, or simply have a personal experience. Remember that success looks different for everyone, and it is important to encourage and elevate those around us.

Invest in Recovery: Prioritise sleep, nutrition, and downtime. The paranormal isn’t going anywhere. It has been around for centuries, so if you take a weekend off, it is not the end of the World, but your well-being can decline quickly if neglected.

Stay Honest: Talk about burnout openly within the community. It helps normalise the experience and encourages others to take care of themselves too. So many people put on a ‘front’ when it comes to social media. They are showing you the content that they want you to see. The fun times, the ‘grind, ‘ and there are ways to make it look like they are doing so much more than what they actually are. Many social media feeds are highly curated, and we need to remember not to measure ourselves against someone else, as it is not an accurate representation of what is actually happening.

When you feel burnout slowly creeping in or maybe it comes from nowhere wiping you out like a Mack truck, it’s worth reflecting on the reason you started in the first place. For most of us, the pull towards the paranormal was curiosity, a love of history, a search for answers, or even just the thrill of the unknown. Reconnecting with that original why can reignite your passion. Sometimes it can mean having a break and coming back. Other times it might look like attending an investigation as a guest, just there to experience. Not to run things or film content, but just to be there and experience and take it back to what it was like in the beginning.

It is important to remember that no matter how passionate or dedicated you are, you are also human. Ignore posts that talk about what a ‘real paranormal investigator’ does. Don’t compare yourself to what others are doing. There are so many ways to enjoy the paranormal, so just because you aren’t out there every weekend doesn’t make you any less of a paranormal investigator.

We spend so much time looking for ‘spirits, we must make sure we don’t lose our own ‘spirit’ along the way!

cover Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-beige-coat-using-silver-macbook-6837638/