If you’ve been a camgirl for very long, you’ve likely encountered cam burnout.  It’s not exactly the same for everyone, and we all deal with it differently.  It’s not something discussed often either, because we’re inevitably confronted with “oh boo hoo, tired of getting paid to masturbate?” comments from morons if we try to open a discussion about it on a social network site.  Or maybe that’s just me?  Anyway, everyone will experience it at some point, so I wanted to discuss how to recognize the early signs of cam burnout, how to fight it off, and how to deal with it once you’re in full-blown burnout mode.

What Is Cam Burnout

Cam burnout is when you absolutely cannot bring yourself to do any work, or even log on.  Sure, nobody wants to go to work in the morning, but you force yourself to go, right?  This isn’t burnout.  Burnout is when you dread even checking your emails.  You avoid coming online and doing camshows or filming videos or whatever else it is you usually do.  It isn’t just not feeling like working; it’s feeling sick even thinking of having to work.

Signs of Cam Burnout

Not everyone will experience this the same way, so sometimes it’s hard to identify.  Sometimes it occurs when the money is slow (which is why summer and Christmas time are a bit more stressful for most girls).  Other times it occurs when you’ve just been working yourself too hard.

• you are making excuses as to why you can’t get in front of your cam (my hair is doing that weird thing today; it’s cold out and I don’t want to take my clothes off; I’m sleepy; I think I feel a migraine coming on..)
• you aren’t having fun doing anything work-related any more
• for me, since cam is such a large part of my life, this usually spills into my everyday routine as well; I’ll find myself refusing to get out of bed because I don’t want to work
• every little thing gets on your nerves – any ambiguous comment by a regular or stranger is taken as an insult, and pretty much everyone seems like an idiot
• thinking about work is exhausting
• you’re more emotional than usual; a rude comment makes you lash out at your whole chatroom, your Twitter feed is just one long rant, or a bad rating makes you burst into tears.
• you don’t feel like putting on your makeup and doing your hair, you don’t want to change out of your pajamas
• you planned on getting online but it’s been three hours and all you’ve done is Like a thousand posts on tumblr and create a new Board on Pinterest.
• I find myself wanting to go to sleep at like, 9pm, and I’ll sleep until 9am the next morning.
• the phrase “I hate men” (or “guys are stupid”) starts coming out of your mouth more often
• the success of other models feels like a personal insult, even if you know they’ve worked hard to achieve it
• basically everything everyone else does feels like they’re doing it just to make your life suck

How To Avoid Cam Burnout

If you’ve got a few of the early signs of burnout, you’ll want to address them now.  Avoid becoming burnt out by doing a few of these things!

1. Clean.
   Clean your cam room, clean your workspace, clean your whole house.  Make sure your toys are clean and put away.  Organize your heels and lingerie.  Tidy up.  Take a whole day to do it, if you need to.  Knowing that you have a clean space to work makes it easier to actually get to work.
2. Make time for yourself.
   Start taking one day off per week to just completely unplug yourself.  Don’t sign on to cam, don’t turn on your phone lines, don’t film videos.  Go outside, hang out with friends, or just curl up with some tea and a book or a series on Netflix.  Having this time allows you to “reset”.  I’m really bad for binging time off; I’ll work long days for weeks at a time, and then suddenly disappear for a 4-day marathon of Sims 3.  That’s bad.  Don’t do that.
   If you make a “to do” list for the day (which I recommend), start adding one thing you are going to do for yourself.  The extra bonus of this is once you’ve finished it, you can cross it off of your list, which helps you feel like you’ve accomplished something!  It doesn’t have to be something big, but it should be an activity that is relaxing or enjoyable for you.  Melanie Live says she takes some time off to do something she enjoys, like go out to eat, sleep all morning, or take a hot bath and drink wine.  Demonika Devour also suggests pouring a glass of wine, putting on some music, and having a bubble bath to unwind.  Making time to relax and de-stress is very important.
   Make a list of things that make you happy.  Do it right now.  Five things, ten things, whatever.  This is now your list of things to do when you’re stressed out, upset, or needing a break.
   Start exercising.  It will boost your mood, and it’s obviously good for you!
3. Don’t put up with things that upset you.
   You do not need to respond to people who devalue your job.  You do not need to respond to people who insult your appearance.  You do not need to respond to anyone  who is rude to you.  Cut them out of your life, block them, ignore them, and move on.  Do not replay the scenario in your head forty times.  You do not need to have the last word.  You will come across people online who call you names and insult your existence.  That is not your problem, it’s theirs.  You are awesome!  Don’t keep that negativity around.  Surround yourself with only positive people.
4. Remember your achievements.
   Think of the things you’ve achieved through camming.  Have you paid for school?  Paid off debt?  Even just being able to give your family a good Christmas.  These are things to be proud of!  Too often we focus on our shortcomings rather than celebrating our achievements.  I know I’m terrible for that!  Recently I fell out of the top 10 on Kinkbomb and I freaked out and cried.  I work hard, why is this happening to me!!  Instead, I should have been proud of myself for being in the top 25 for 11 months straight.  See my point?  Focus on the things you have been able to do, not the things you haven’t.
5. Set goals
   Remind yourself why you are doing this.  What are you working towards?  Sure, we’re all working so we can pay rent and cover our basic expenses and not die.  But what else?  If you’re creative, consider making a vision board of your goals.  I’m not creative, so I simply have “Savings Account: $xx,xxx” written on a Post-It note and stuck to one of my monitors.  Got a goal or two in mind?  Now, ask yourself if what you are doing today is helping you get to where you want to be.  Today I filmed and edited videos; this is helping me reach my personal goal because these videos will (hopefully!!) earn me money.  Today I spent three hours scrolling through tumblr; this was not the most productive use of my time.
   Anika Snow suggests avoiding situations where you “need to work extra hours” or you “need to earn $xxx in xx hours”.  This puts unnecessary stress on you!  Sure, a little motivation is great, but if you’re starting to get stressed out, don’t focus on how much you “need” to be making.  Concentrate on having a good time and providing a good show!  If it’s a slow night, log off.  Don’t sit there for hours crying because you haven’t made your goal.  Try again tomorrow.  Setting goals for yourself is good, but setting unrealistic goals just makes the job more stressful for yourself.
   Don’t compare your own goals to the goals of anyone else.  My current savings goal is something I’ve been working on for a few months; another popular domme recently announced she made that amount in less than one month.  Of course that’s a bit upsetting to read, but she also does cam, videos, phone work, works with other dommes, does some real time domination, and has been doing this years longer than I have.  Yeah, it sucks to find out my big goal is someone’s monthly paycheque, but at the same time I realize it’s not fair to me to compare myself to her.  It’s also important to remember that a lot of people make things up, because it’s the internet and you can’t really prove they’re lying.  I’m not trying to be pessimistic, or implying that this girl did, but I do think things should be taken with a grain of salt.
6. Build up a savings account.
   Having a savings account will allow you to be able to take time off when you need it.  It’s a lot easier to justify a day off every week when you know you don’t need to get online to make ends meet.  Having that account for emergencies or to pick up slack is much better than working yourself too hard.  Start with just having a few hundred bucks in there.  Then try to have a month’s expenses saved up.  Then three.  Knowing you have this to fall back on will make your life much less stressful, even during the slow periods.
   Alternatively, some girls need the urgency of impending bills to motivate themselves to work.  If this is the case for you, just don’t allow yourself to touch your emergency fund!
7. Keep work fun.
   The great thing about this job is that you can literally do whatever you feel like doing and get paid for it.  If you enjoy your work, it shows.  So enjoy your work!  Scarlet Paige says to try to find a fun aspect of your work every time you are online.  If you’re enjoying yourself, it won’t feel like work!
   Say “no” more often.  If you can’t do something, though, don’t do it.  If you don’t want to show your face on cam today, don’t.  If you don’t like the idea for that custom video, say no.  If you don’t feel like doing an anal-bj-headstand camshow today, don’t.  Don’t push yourself past your limits.  This is where having a savings account comes in handy; I consider mine my “fuck you” money, so that if I don’t want to do something I don’t have to.  Some girls will push themselves farther than their limits because they need that extra money.  This is a huge reason to start working on a savings account.  It’s less stressful and it’s so much better for your well-being while camming.
   Holly Darling says she tries to keep her room light and fun.  If it gets negative in any way, she logs off.  Remember, you do not have to put up with negativity!  Block, ignore, or remove yourself from the situation.  If you’re having a bad day on cam, get off cam!

How To Cope With Cam Burnout And Get Back To Work

Okay, so you’re burnt out.  Now, how can you make yourself feel better, and work towards getting back to work?

• Admit that you’re burnt out.  It’s hard to admit to yourself that you’re run down and you can’t keep going at the pace you’re going, but once you stop denying it, you can address it.
• Spend some time alone.  Turn off your phone.  Step away from your computer.  Go for a walk.  Just unplug and recharge.
• When you are ready to get back to working, ease yourself into it.  Don’t push yourself hard right away or you’ll burn out again quickly.  Scarlet Paige eases back in with one hour per day until she can face more.  Knowing that you are giving yourself permission to log off after one hour makes logging on seem much less daunting.
• Put away your massive to do list.  I have a list of “projects” that is about one page long, single-spaced, typed at 11pt font.  If you have something like that, put it away.  Instead, prioritize.  Anika Snow makes a realistic plan of what needs to be done, and then finds one thing at a time to cross off the list.  Creating a realistic list is the key, here.  What can you actually accomplish today / this week?  Once you have your list written out, pick one thing to work on now.  When you’ve finished that, cross it off and move on to the next one.  Do not try to juggle a trillion things at once; it leaves you scattered, and you’ll feel like you aren’t accomplishing anything simply because you haven’t actually finished a single task.  Work on one thing at a time, and then remove it from your list.
• Pick out a little reward for yourself if you meet a small goal.  I tend to buy myself a pair of heels after a negative experience (this is why I have like 30 pairs).  It doesn’t have to be anything huge, just something small to motivate you.
• Talk to other camgirls about how you’re feeling.  We’ve all been there.  Sometimes it’s just nice to know you aren’t alone.  Having a little support network of other sex workers can make a huge difference.
• Consider raising your rates.  Do this one sparingly, of course, but if it’s been a while since you’ve evaluated your prices, you should do so.  Being able to make more money is usually a decent motivator.  Obviously if you’ve been doing custom videos for $3/min don’t suddenly bump it to $10/min.  Be realistic with your raises, but you should always charge what you feel your time is worth.  You don’t want to get all gorgeous and film a custom for any less than $5/min now?  Then don’t!
• Don’t think of your time offline as “wasted”.  This is my biggest problem.  If I’m not working, I feel like I’ve been unproductive.  This is a bad way of thinking.  Your mental health is very important and any effort to improve it is not a waste of time.  Ensuring you are happy and healthy is never a waste of time.