The Writer's Block

by Alyssa Ast

I've mentioned in previous blog posts that my writing career has really taken off over the past few months. My career, on top of juggling a family of six, has me running full speed ahead. Moments to sit down and relax are few and far between. I have no choice but to work long hours in order to get everything done each day, and then add in my family responsibilities on top of that...whew! It's rough. The way I've been going, I knew it was just a matter of time before I would suffer from a writer burn out.

Hit by Writer Burn Out
Over the past couple of weeks, I noticed I was beginning to get rather sluggish. Last week, I had to scrape myself out of bed every morning and force myself to make my fingers move across the keyboard to work. By Wednesday, I had full blown writer burn out. I couldn't sleep and I couldn't think. This wasn't just hurting my ability to work, but my family as well. I couldn't bring myself to do the dishes, cook dinner or anything at all. My body and mind felt like a ton of bricks, and any movement or any action that required the slightest bit of mental activity just wasn't possible.

For a couple of days I tired to ignore it. I sat in front of the computer trying to will myself to work. I would look over at the stove and hope with all my might that dinner would magically appear. I just couldn't seem to shake the rut I had fallen into.

When I talked to my Grandmother, she said she knew it was going to happen eventually because of the fast pace I was maintaining. Her advice-- take a nap. My close friend said she also wasn't surprised it was happening. Her advice-- take a nap. A nap? When was I going to find the time to take a nap? I had so much to do. There was no way I was going to squeeze in time to take a nap. But after sitting in front of the computer for about 3 hours and only sending out 2 emails, I realized, either way, I wasn't going to be getting anything done, so what was the harm? Besides, I was soooo tired.

So, I took a nap. A nice long nap. This first nap I've taken in probably close to a year. And when I woke up, that ton of bricks that had been crushing my body and brain was gone. I felt so much better. It's crazy to think how just a few hours of sleep had made such a big difference, but it did. I felt so much better. Shortly after, I sat down at the computer and was finally able to work, without feeling forced. Afterwards, I cleaned the house, again, without feeling forced. For the first time in a while I felt productive, really and truly productive.

It just amazes me how something so simple made such a huge difference. It proves, you need to listen to your body in order to prevent writer burn out. Plus, it's just bad for your overall health to be forcing yourself the way I was. It doesn't do anyone any good, especially yourself, to ignore the signs your body is throwing in your face.

So now I know. Next time I start feeling sluggish and worn out, I need to stop! Stop, get some sleep and rejuvenate myself. In the long run, stopping to take a little "me time" will make me far more productive than forcing myself to work through the exhaustion.

How do you avoid writer burn out? If it hits, what do you do to overcome it?

Happy Writing!

Plagued by Writer Burn Out