What are writing tips? I certainly had an idea for what I wanted them to be—what I planned them to be. Practical things that make us better writers (because you know what they say about teaching—the teacher learns as much as or more than the student). Useful things we could all take into our lives and plug into our stories or essays or poetry or marketing material or…whatever we’re writing. Answers to questions we’ve all had at one time or another.
But lately I’ve felt myself drawn to the more emotional things. Maybe it’s because, in talking with several of my writer friends, I’ve begun to realize that I’m not the only one who’s just…tired.
There’s a lot going on in our world. It takes emotional and physical effort to navigate everything, from politics to pandemics to winter storms (“I survived the 2021 Texas Winter Storm” is not something I ever thought I’d say in my lifetime…nor is “I lived through a pandemic”) and full houses that used to be empty at some point in the day.
I’m tired. We’re tired. A heart and brain and spirit can only take so much. And, well, we’ve taken enough.
Recently, I confessed to a friend that I’ve felt incredibly unproductive, noncreative, stymied in my forward motion. I walk around with a general sense of malaise, unable to focus like I used to. I waste time. I procrastinate—and those are not typical Rachel things to do. As a highly driven task-oriented person, I’ve never had a problem ticking off items on my to-do list.
Do you know how long it took me to call my dentist and reschedule an appointment that was canceled due to those six inches of snow Texas got in mid-February? Two weeks! The item kept moving to the next day’s list, because I couldn’t even summon the energy to pick up the phone and call.
Bills unpaid, sweet potatoes un-roasted, granola not made, book still not finished, that impulse buy at Target not returned, library books overdue, journal left unwritten in for the last three weeks.
We’re all dealing with this in one way or another. (National Geographic had a great article about it recently). Adrenal fatigue is real. We’re not made to navigate crisis after crisis after crisis, at least not in our comfortable modern lives.
So here’s the deal. In January I talked about writing in the small spaces, finding places to create in 5-minute, 10-minute, 15-minute increments.
But sometimes? It’s okay to take a break, for however long you need to. It’s okay to say, Not this week. I just can’t do it this week.” It’s okay to end a long, trying day in front of a screen, watching “Schitt’s Creek” (that’s currently how I spend my Friday evenings).
It’s okay—as long as we don’t stay there.
It’s important to give ourselves time and space to heal from those challenges. It’s especially important to change our self-talk from, Well, I didn’t create anything today—again, to I gave myself a day off so I can create tomorrow.
And when tomorrow comes? Find your 5, 10, 15 minutes and write your heart.
The world needs your words.
