This the 6th installment of the healthy habits for writers series.
The following are general life areas that very important. And they can bring to bear, a great deal of negative stress. Negative stress is the chronic, debilitating stress that threatens to block your productivity.
Stresses have threatened and succeeded in impeding my work on occasion. Still there are ways to manage them that can shorten their stay.
I started out planning to write this brilliant post and I stopped. I got to the page and thought “I’m such a fraud. What do I have to bring to the page that others might benefit from? Really, why am I pretending to have something I don’t?”
Fortunately, I do have things, skills, knowledge and drive, that I can draw on. I know how to do stuff and I know how to get through the slow times, but I get hung up.
I got up this morning all set to write and catch up on my poems for the PAD November Chapbook Challenge. Then, I was going to write toward NaNoWriMo. And guess what, I’m on my way to it.
I made my list last night, and allowed for Twitter and Facebook and blogging. After that, it was down to the projects that had deadlines. Two things went into this plan.
You may already know, November is a busy month for frenzied writing if you’re inclined to have it so. I am so inclined. Last year I signed up for National Novel Writing Month [NaNoWriMo] and didn’t get very far into the month before I ran out of steam.
This year, I re-upped for NaNoWriMo and I think it’s going to be good. So far, the writing is leading me in interesting ways. The characters are developing and populating effortlessly. And feels like it’s okay because it’s early in the month. I say feels like because it’s been a very long time since I sat to write a long story. And I don’t remember ever having had any measure of discipline about the process.
Recently, I watched an emotionally charged video. It was a sad story of a young girl sentenced to life in prison at age 16. At the time she made the video she’d already served 13 years. Her story, her voice, her tears were evocative, certainly. I felt compelled to be angry on her behalf. I was even skeptical of a commenter who said the young woman’s sentence was justified.
Beyond the fact that the content affected me emotionally, it got me thinking about just what made it such a powerful video.
I was tired, chronically running on E, and sleep didn’t matter. It was a draining experience. All the life seeped out of me before the workday ended. By close of work, it was all I could do to get home and crash.
It was more like slide, really. All the energy I once had to go to the store or run other errands after work was gone. In fact, I was too whatever to sleep. I would just lie across my bed sometimes for hours, until I found the strength to shower, eat, and go to bed.
What was sapping the life out of me was work. It turned out I was doing the wrong work, or it was a negative work situation. And, when work is a problem, it can easily spiral into life. It took me a while to figure this out, and then to acknowledge it.
This is the 5th post from the healthy habits series.
It’s not because your brain turns off. Quite the contrary, in fact. Many people claim to need 3 or 4 hours of sleep and they’re fine. And, while they may actually be able to function, they are putting their bodies at risk by obstructing some very important activities. During sleep, your conscious mind shuts off and your unconscious mind gets busy. Your unconscious mind does some pretty amazing things physically and mentally.
I have been keeping a journal for may years. It is a wonderful thing for clarity and focus renewal. But there is an added benefit that I have to bring up.
It calms me down. Recently, I was so wound up and put out over something not in my control, until I couldn’t focus on writing. Seriously. It demanded attention, if nothing else, to complain since I couldn’t make the situation right.
When I put it on the page, it helps—every time and without fail. From there, I can meditate and get centered. From this calm space I can get to work. Because, I didn’t just write out problem, I actually write it out of the way. So, it’s easy to let in the work writing ideas.
If you have a situation that pops up and throws you all out of whack, try writing it out. It’s your journal so if you feel the need, you may include expletives. It’s even alright to say what you really feel about that last gift from your boss. This is not the place to censor yourself. Quite the contrary, it’s where you free yourself.
Say it how you feel it. If you get it right, you’ll find that you have a better handle on what gave you fits in the first place. You may find that it wasn’t all that serious. And, you may even find that a solution has presented itself.
Ultimately, you will find release in that you have the best sounding board ever. That’s what happens for me. You see, my journal is my unconditional, ever-present, non-judgmental audience. And who doesn’t need that?
Next time you have a problem that threatens to steal your focus, try writing it out. And if you care to, come back and tell me if it worked.
Related entries:
Work is work. Some parts are good and some are not so much fun. Both parts are inherent in pretty much any pursuit. So what do you do about it when the not-so-fun parts slow you down to nearly a halt?
You have this job to do, like it or not. It’s fun to write, but this topic bores you. You love this topic, but there’s better information that you need to find. You love this web design, but you need the layout changed, (something you can’t do easily).
Sometimes, as in the last example, it’s a matter of deciding if you need to learn or brush up on a new complimentary skill. If you find that you need the same skill repeatedly, training may be in your best business interest. And isn’t it fun to learn new things?
This is the 4th installment for the posts from the healthy habits series. Even with the long pause between installments, I had to return to the set to share these things that have helped me.
Do you ever have trouble concentrating? Do you feel fatigued even when you’ve slept? Two hours ever feel like six? Have you considered it may be your posture that’s giving you a problem? Posture is important for everyone. If you think sitting to write daily gives you a pass on having good posture, you’re wrong. Consider your exertion:
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