Writer Self-Care

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Sometimes it’ll seem like I have a streak of weeks where I really don’t have any free time at all. The days are somehow eaten up with writing, promo, errands, and other responsibilities. This works for a while, but then comes the inevitable burnout that follows.

I’ve learned to (most of the time) create more of a balance in my life. But it’s more than balance: it’s also keeping an eye on my health.  As I found out years ago when I ended up in physical therapy for months, a health setback can impact my writing time more than devoting time to preventing it.

Stretching. This saves me a lot of problems. I’m just doing my PT exercises for my back, but there are many different stretches that are helpful. There’s a great book, The Anatomy of Stretching by  Brad Walker, and I’ve found that the wrist, hand, and arm exercises are also helpful when I’ve been typing a lot.

Sitting. This is where the bulk of writer problems come from, I’m sure. Sitting is what writers who are writing do.  The sitting that I was doing before physical therapy involved my sitting on a sofa with little support with my feet on a coffee table. Not good, as the physical therapists explained.  Now I do a couple of things to prevent a recurring problem: sit in a good chair, with good support, and move around to different locations in my house. I do try to stand and write sometimes too, since I have a tall kitchen counter.

Moving/Exercise.  This is to counteract all the sitting. For years, I’d been going to the Y daily for exercise.  My son explained that, since I only really used the treadmill at the gym, I should really just get a small treadmill for home. I was surprised to see that I could get one from Amazon for right around $300.  What’s more, it’s very small, has wheels, and folds up when it needs to be folded up. It was a good purchase because it paid for itself in just a few months.  And, because it’s so handy, I’ve been able to use it more frequently than I was when I was having to drive to the gym and try to hunt down an available treadmill.

Hydration.  We all hear about the benefits of this one.  I think I must have been operating partially-dehydrated for ages, but I’m doing a lot better about always having a glass of water nearby. And I feel a lot better.

Sleep.  Unfortunately, I can’t do much about the poor quality of my sleep (I’ve had sleep issues since I was a child), but I can turn in early to try and counteract them as well as I can.

Filling the Well. I’ve written a good deal about this one, especially here.  That burnout happens quickly when I’m not enjoying the creative work of other people. You may fill the well in other ways…spending time in nature or with family or going fishing.  For me, it’s reading, watching well-curated films and television and fostering my creativity.

For more information on writer self-care, see Colleen M. Story’s blog, Writing and Wellness, which focuses on writer health in a variety of ways.

Do you get caught up in life and ever neglect self-care?  What kinds of things do you do to stay healthy as a writer?

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