Thank you for writing this, Vivian. Years ago, I ran a blog that (much to my surprise) morphed into a self-help space. While it began as an outlet for my personal stories, those stories attracted a lot of people who felt lost or broken or heartbroken and wanted the light I was shining. Gradually, as my inbox became fuller each day with more readers seeking personalized solutions to their emotional problems, I realized I'd become disconnected from my own creative ambitions. Eventually, being mired in the heartache and (in some cases) mental health problems of so many others took so great an emotional toll that I pretty much abandoned the blog... and became afraid to write the same kinds of stories again.

A lot of writers don't realize that if they're good at what they do, it's because of their emotional intelligence. Which is a beautiful gift. But the flipside is that their audience starts expecting them to perform emotional labor on a customized basis, as if not even realizing that the creative act itself takes immense emotional labor — and the writer has already given enough.

I appreciate your reminder to take care of ourselves, and am happy you found a healthy balance. Wishing you continued fulfillment and healing.