A few months ago, I started my healthy habits postings and then I got sidetracked BIG TIME. This is the second entry of the 9 posts originally planned for the healthy habits series.

If I told you that you need to be in good condition to run a marathon, or to begin a diet, or to prepare for surgery, you would probably agree with me. However, you may not readily see the urgency when I talk about the need for optimal health to be a writer. But it’s true.

Three major areas work together for better and for worse, and they are mind, spirit and body. Achieving balance in each of these areas will enhance your writing life. Here are some of the insights I’ve gained over the years.

Mind

As writers, we can be really busy sometimes. Not just in writing, but in living with family, friends and obligations. Busy is good but you still need to take time to relax. The purpose of relaxation is to find the balance between all that involves you, so that you can present your best self to each situation.

Sleep only allows for a part of your rejuvenation. There must also be a deliberate, conscious effort to relax. Since life doesn’t take a break to let you catch up, you have to take action to regain your balance. I use meditation to quiet the chaos that can occur in my thoughts. What I get out of it:

• A measure of order and calmness
• Confidence that I can handle these things and whatever comes up
• Openness, availability to inspirations that may present themselves as solutions or new ideas

It’s something you have to remain vigilant about if you’re anything like me. Even though I know it works, when things get really busy, this is an area that I would neglect. It’s easy to overlook, but it’s easy to rectify too.

Practice

When I sit for meditation, I am making the effort to quiet my thoughts and simply exist. The deliberateness of the action is part of the empowering experience it imparts. Through meditation, you control your thoughts somewhat. Mainly though you make room to control your responses to your thoughts as order emerges from the chaos. There are different kinds of meditation you can practice. The one I use is the Morning B.R.E.W. meditation practice from Kirk Byron Jones. It’s empowering and gives me the chance to organize and regroup my thoughts.

Spirit

Being in a bad mood, or sad mood, can be very heavy and inhibiting. And this can stifle productivity, reducing your flow to a sluggish pace or even a standstill. Being in a good spirit allows work to flow. In this disposition, you can receive new inspirations and ideas, and your current work can be informed easily as this is generally an open and receptive disposition. Negativity is generally a closed disposition.

There are any number of things that you might try to make yourself feel better. Some people shop. I have friends and family, (I’m not alone in this), who sleep when they are feeling blue. In the past I’ve tried these to get relief, but none works every time.

There are times when sadness and grief are completely appropriate. But, we can’t remain there indefinitely and remain healthy. What does work for me every time is gratitude. Practicing gratitude requires that you have command of your thoughts, and can be open to the blessings that you have. See how meditation can be a stepping stone to this part?

Practice

Gratitude is the practice of being thankful for all that you’ve been blessed with. Name things: being alive, in your right mind, able to write, type, able to be a friend, or good weather, the health of your pet, a great gardener and so much more. Appreciating what you have around you and where you are in life can actually heal your emotional wounds and lift your spirits. Try it. Dwell on the good things and not the bad.

Body

Of course you need to fuel your body to be able to do anything. And, it takes muscles to sit and type or write for any length of time, or jog. Your body will do what you want if you do a few things for it.

Practice

Nutrition - Eat balanced meals of live, organic produce and range-fed meats and poultry. You want to stay clear of processed foods, as their additives, in most cases, can be detrimental to your health.

Water - Drink plenty of clean, purified water. It is what your body needs to sustain its processes from digestion to sleeping, to thinking.

Exercise - It’s important to raise your heart rate for at least 20 minutes, 3 times a week. You need cardiovascular and strength training. Walking is great for your heart and your emotions. Strength training is also very important as muscles in good shape let you move easily for writing, typing, sitting, or putting more paper in the printer. The exertion sparks the release of endorphins which work to give you energy and lift your spirits. Yet another connection.

Putting it All Together

Regular meditation, taking time out to allow you to regain your focus, your clarity, your openness
Gratitude Habit, because appreciation is a healing, humbling and powerful wellspring to tap into, also creates openness
Physical care, proper nutrition, and adequate water and exercise to fuel your body to be able to think and to sit to write

If you maintain a harmonious balance in these three areas, you’ll deliver your best performance every time in writing and other endeavors. That’s not to say that your writing will be perfect every time you execute because you do these things. But you’re off to a very good start working from a balanced, centered self.

There were times when I was exhausted, hungry, hurried and unable to focus. I was certainly not operating from my center. Once, I actually returned to a project after lunch and couldn’t figure out what the heck I’d written. That doesn’t happen to me when I have these areas balanced and well maintained.

You don’t have to be perfect at it or a totally consistent practitioner—I know because I’m not. Once you start, it will get easier as it becomes your new habit. You’ll begin to see and feel the difference as these practices take root and begin to restore you.

I hope you found something useful here. Let me know if you did, or if you have your own insights that you’d like to share.

Resources:

Posts

• Easy Ways to Get Your Five Per Day, from Natural News
• The Importance of Antioxidants in Fruits and Vegetables, from Natural News