[VIDEO]Three Simple Self Care Strategies for Writers

‘Sup boo! I can’t believe it’s already July 2020. I feel like we’re all waiting for 2020 to end so we can finally get past COVID, the election, and find our way back to whatever “normal” is going to look like.

It’s become glaringly obvious to me that the real virus right now is fear, and many people have put off self-care and dropped their routines. Moms are homeschooling, many people have been furloughed or laid off, and people are starting to realize that it’s now or never when it comes to creating a routine that works.

I heard my neighbor say, “I don’t remember the last time I stretched my body.” Another neighbor said, “I can’t remember what day it is anymore and I seem to just sleep all day.”

Then out of nowhere, walking my dog Morris, I met a man who said he starts each day with a “gratitude walk”. I could totally get behind that! I do my gratitude walk at lunchtime. I’ve been walking more now during COVID than ever before. I also make it a point to SMILE! If I am 6 feet apart from someone walking nearby and have the opportunity to show my face, it’s great to smile at a neighbor! I highly recommend you share a smile. It’s something we are missing in the world of COVID and it’s an important part of self care: feeling connection. 

Special Mentions for Immune Boosters:

The right amount of sleep: Sleep is important but some people are sleeping too much! Others are drinking a lot of alcohol which leads to terrible sleep. Be careful that you get the right amount of sleep. No more than nine hours, no less than six. Good sleep also reduces anxiety. 

Put down the phone: Studies show when you put your smartphone down, close your laptop or ipad or tablet and step away from social media you automatically allow your heart rate to go down, your blood pressure lowers, and your breathing becomes deeper and more oxygen gets to the brain. 

Drink more water:  Believe it or not this is a big part of self-care. You should be well hydrated in order to keep your metabolism in check. I have post-it notes all over my house that say, “Drink More Water.” These reminders really help!!! 

The Three Simplest Self-Care Strategies 

Remember it this way: physiology first. You must change your internal and external energy into a high vibration in order to feel better about your body, mind and spirit. Writers often think that writing miserably is better than not writing at all. That’s not true and it’s a dangerous way to think. You want to feel energized by your writing, not taken down a negative rabbit hole. Consider these three simple ways to shift your vibration so you can be unstoppable as a writer:

Two minutes of silence. 

Two minutes of conscious silence will help your body, mind and soul more than you can ever imagine. Just sit still and comfortable with a straight back. This allows your brain to get out of “beta mode” Beta waves go really really fast and people who are stuck in beta waves are stuck in their own static electricity. You can’t access your true wisdom while you are in beta waves. Even if you sit in silence for two minutes a day it will make a difference. Writers are notorious for never sitting still. If you practice sitting still everyday it will help your writing. 

Deliberate Physical Action to Music 

If you’re not into dancing that’s okay, but there are tons of studies that show how you can open up the prefrontal cortex and shake out unwanted patterns by moving your body to music. It can be any music that makes you feel good. Just five minutes of swaying or shaking that booty can give you hours of lasting relief and a feeling of joy! Writers tend to sit too much. Just stand up next to your chair and enjoy one great song to shift your energy. 

Creating Purposeful Connection: 

As you can see in the video I reached out and called 5 people until one of them picked up. These are five people I would normally have run into or seen by now, but due to COVID I haven’t seen some of my greatest friends. In the video when you see my face light up when my friend Chris picked up you can hear how happy he was to hear from me and I was so happy to hear his voice. I even got invited to his “epic” backyard for some backyard social distancing! As writers we are not supposed to isolate ourselves and do everything alone. Reach out to someone you haven’t seen in a while and say hello! 

Please share this post if you know anyone who is struggling with self-care and who is frustrated because she is not getting her writing done! 
Also, don’t forget to join my group, Write From Your Heart and catch my weekly show “Write With Me” every Wednesday at 12:30 PST.