There comes a time in every writer's life when time off is better than time in. We don't work seven days a week, so we shouldn't expect ourselves to write that way either.
I've been experiencing some anxiety-induced insomnia for the past few weeks, so I saw a therapist for the first time in over 10 years. It was something I needed to do for myself to figure out all the new changes in my life.
The therapist helped me identify some of the problems that have led to my recent issues, and I now have a better idea of what I need to do to be more balanced. Here are a few that pertain to writing that may be helpful for other writers needing a little boost:
1) Writing is no longer therapeutic
For as long as I can remember, I've viewed writing as an emotional outlet. It's my way of expressing myself, and I've always found enjoyment out of it. Recently, because of the baby, losing my agent, and the intensity of Pitch Wars, I've been feeling like my words are more like work than therapy. It's a shift in perspective that may change eventually, but for now it is what it is. I have to adjust accordingly, and because I'm no longer surfing either I'm stuck with little to do for pleasure as I used to. I am going to start small and try to get out for walks and swims without the baby and just for me in the meantime. Hopefully when Pitch Wars is over, writing will be therapy again and maybe I'll even have time to surf once a week.
2) A writing sanctuary
I built the hut in my backyard specifically to write in it. Instead, it's become a storage space. It's not a coincidence that this happened around the time writing stopped being enjoyable. In the new year, I plan on repurposing the hut into what I'd wanted it to be all along. I need a place to get away that's close enough to the house but far enough to get away.
3) Quality rather than compressed time
I've been compressing every task into blocks of time where I try to do more than one thing. It's an unhealthy way to look at time because every block spent not doing what I intended results in disappointment AND a perceived backlog of tasks that should have been completed. I need to be more realistic about how much I can do in the blocks of time that I have. Instead of trying to do two or more tasks, I will try to focus on one thing.
4) Establish a sleep routine
Since getting into Pitch Wars, I've been going to bed 2-3 hours later than normal (@ 11/midnight instead of 9/10 p.m.). Then, I've been waking up earlier (@ 4 or 5 a.m.) feeling like I need to revise. My writing brain is too tired on 5-6 hours of sleep, and this creates a domino effect for the rest of the day. I need to accept that only so much can be done well each day -- and that sleep is just as important as writing.
These are just a few takeaways from my one therapy session. I plan to put these lessons to use in the coming weeks.
Here's to slow but steady progress for the month of December!