Iris Faire 2024
Montgomery Bell State Park
Burns, TN
20 Apr 2024
I went to Iris Faire in April, and took a while to put down my thoughts. I realized a bit after the event, that I was feeling a little burnout during the event that came to full realization afterward. Some thoughts on that in a bit. So, this posting as much about the event as it would normally be.
Iris Faire was, as it always is, an excellent event. The Barony of Glaedenfeld is a great host here in northern Meridies. While I only daytripped the event, the day on the field was full of activity and pleasant. We had really good weather. There was a lot of armored fighters there, making the lists full of challenge. I participated in 2 tournaments. The first started as a pool tournament, that ran into a best 2 of 3, elimination for the finalists. I did not make the final cut for the finals. The second tournament was a team melee, round robin tournament. I was fortunate to be on the winning team with Count Randver, Lord Ronan, Lord Colum and Lord Fergus.
While the event was good, I see in hindsight that I was not at my best. I think I was a little tired with it being my third weekend event in a row. I think I put up a good façade of myself. I was there, in kit. I smiled some. I wasn’t enjoying myself as much as normal though. I don’t feel like I fought very well and did not put my best foot forward in the first tournament. Mostly just went through the motions mentally doing the things I thought I needed to do. It is a blur now. I barely remember being there. My heart wasn’t in it, nor was my mind. The melee tournament was a little better, but not by much.
At the end of the day, the soreness in my right arm was significant. This was a carryover from a Thursday practice the week before the event where I think I sprained my wrist. In the laying off of things after the event to start a heal up cycle, I realized that I was probably in the early stages of burnout in my SCA hobby.
I was indecisive about posting commentary about burnout to my blog. A little bit of guilt, anxiety and indifference, all blending into a procrastination sandwich. That’s all parts of burnout and how I know I am in the thick. Lol. The whole point of my blog is to share my experiences for me. Nobody else really. There are a few folks out there that read what I publish, but this has always been an outlet for me. This episode of burnout is worth sharing and difficult at the same time because of the 'don’t feel like it' attitude that I am coping with right now.
There is a lot of commentary out there in the SCA world about burnout and its effects. I’m not going to rehash that here. I am going to point out that I did not see that I was in a burnout condition. Pausing to heal my body allowed for the realization. The symptoms were obvious once I noticed them. A general malaise in attitude, going through the motions without enjoyment, getting into my head about things I’m doing right/wrong, and self-doubt creeping into my thoughts. I was seeing and feeling all these things.
I have been doing this hobby on and off for around 37 years now. I have been through this more than once over that time. I've been pushing pretty hard lately. Going to a lot of events. Armoring up and fighting as much as I can (which isn't as much as I'd like). Helping with entourage. Helping with kingdom websites. It's a lot when I look at it. More than some. Not as much as others. I think I am more active in the hobby now than I probably have ever been.
I'm paused for a little bit getting healed up. Taking a few weeks, mixing in some other things to break up thoughts and refresh myself. I think I will be in a better state in a few weeks, especially now that I recognize the problem. I've been playing some video games on PS5 and listening to some audiobooks to break things up a bit. I'm also painting a shield for someone and honoring my SCA obligations I have made to the organization without pushing myself harder than I need to. I am nowhere near being in a ‘quit’ mode. I am just pulling up at the waffle house on the side of my SCA path to sip some coffee and smell the waffles for a little bit. Maybe, just maybe, I will get to see some chair tossing if I am lucky.
When your recognize burnout, you need to address it. Happens to everyone. All it really takes sometimes is a pause, a few deep breaths or a distraction, then you can reset yourself to continue on. At least, that is my way. Recognize. Accept. Address. This is the way.
Shire of Easaraigh
Kingdom of Meridies
