Are you experiencing the winter blues? Or a lack of inspiration during these frigid, long days?

This blog post provides 6 self-care tips to help you avoid burnout and sustain your inspiration.

Self-care isn’t just about lighting candles and taking a bath…

Writers should consider their unique needs when eager to support their creative energy.

You’re putting yourself first when you implement a couple of self-care techniques into your weekly routine.

These techniques can reduce stress and promote resilience so that during the toughest weeks, your writing remains a source of joy and inspiration.

When you take time for yourself, you are a better writer!

Try out these 6 techniques to find what works best for you.

If you’re someone who must meet a daily word count, you need to hear this! 

It’s okay to not write every day.

Taking a day off from writing may even be beneficial.

When you step away from your writing project, you allow your brain time to get off the hamster wheel of constant creative output. 

By engaging in other activities such as reading, hobbies or social outings, you renew your creative energy.

Plus, your brain is still problem-solving in the background.

So, you may have a new perspective on that tricky plot point you’ve been pulling your hair out over.

It’s very easy to fill up all of our spare time with writing.

We meet our word count and instead of celebrating, we shift the finish line until we’re disgruntled and tired. 

Knowing when to stop for the day is crucial to preventing creative burnout. 

This might mean remaining firm on taking a break at the end of our scheduled writing block.

Or, if we’re struggling to get any words on the page, we stop early without beating ourselves up.

Healthy boundaries include welcoming some flexibility within our writing schedule. 

Sometimes, we need to treat ourselves with a little compassion.

If it didn’t work out today, our story will be waiting for us to try again tomorrow.

I teach remotely.

I also sit while writing, working on my blog and reading.

That’s a load of sedentary living.

It’s taken me a while to understand that sitting for extended periods saps my energy and reduces my creative flow.

Physical movement will benefit your creativity.

Exercise helps to clear away the mental clutter.

It allows us to solve problems and catch new ideas that we couldn’t while remaining in the same position for extended periods.

This doesn’t need to be extensive either.

Throw on a 10-15-minute YouTube workout and you’re up and moving. My favourite YouTube channel is MadFit by a fellow Canadian! 

Consider a short walk or stretch session even.

When you return to writing, your energy shifts.

You’re refreshed and ready to tackle your WIP again!

In her book, The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron promotes Artist Dates as time for creatives to get out, explore and play solo.

These dates remind us of the numerous creative hobbies and experiences out there.

In my blog post on the benefits of nonwriting time, I express how we must take breaks to keep our writerly brains sharp. 

Trying out other experiences and artistic outlets can spark new ideas. 

We can still work on our writing while not sitting down to write.

Nonwriting time is a valuable way to experiment without the pressure of producing something amazing to be shared with others.

If you’d like to know more about the benefits of sleep, I highly recommend the book Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker.

But, to put it simply, our bodies heal during sleep and our minds are provided time to solve problems, reenergize and boost our cognitive functions.

Late-night writing marathons may seem like a great idea (I know; I used to love them, too), but they’re probably not sustainable long-term.

Depriving your body of the rest it needs will reduce your overall performance as a creative and a human being.

So, if you didn’t complete your writing task that day, try not to fret. There’s no reason to force yourself to stay up and finish it.

You’ll probably discover upon rereading what you wrote last night that it isn’t that great. 

Your talent and your story will still be there to greet you in the morning.

I know how difficult it is to share your written darlings with others. 

The gut-wrenching feeling of criticism – even the constructive kind – can make us wonder whether we should retire from writing before we’ve accomplished any of our goals.

Only recently did I gain the courage to share with this fabulous community.

Whether online or in person, talking with fellow writers about our struggles, successes and strategies can boost our motivation and inspiration.

Writing communities provide you with the accountability you need to stay consistent.

Even finding yourself one other writer to connect with on a weekly or monthly basis is helpful.

Joining a writing community is an act of self-care.

You value your creative self enough to welcome support rather than attempt to brave it alone.

Successful writers have a community around them. You deserve that too!

Constant productivity won’t serve you.

Give yourself permission to rest without guilt.

Using self-care strategies like those above will support your creative writing.

Through taking breaks, you put yourself first.

And, a writer who cares for their well-being can enjoy the creative journey throughout the long haul.

What self-care habit will you implement this week?

Share below!

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Talk soon!

Julia