3 Self-Care Tips for Writers

Self care has always been at the top of list of priorities for as long as I could remember.

Sometimes I like to be extra and give myself a whole at home spa treatment — gone are the days when I could safely leave the bubble of my home and receive the spa treatment — and sometimes I just like to keep it simple with a fresh mani-pedi and a face mask.

As I’ve gotten deeper into my writing career, I’ve realized how much my inner creative needs more self care the more I demand of her. (my creative energy is feminine, do whatever you wish with your own).

I’ve also learned the hard way that if I don’t tend to my inner creative more often, I’m going to have a harder time shaking off my creative woes and run into the wall of creative block far more often.

Self-care if important for our overall wellness and even more important if you’re constantly tapping into your creative self and sitting at a desk all day or bent over some project you’re working on.

In the wake of the New Year, I have decided to be more diligent about self-care when it comes to my creative energy. Mani-pedi’s and face masks are great but my inner creative tends to be far more demanding and isn’t always restored with the minimum.

If you’re like me and have a lot of new things you’ll be working on going forward, or you’re just looking for more ways to care for yourself in the midst of caring for everyone else, I have a few tips for how you can care for yourself and your inner creative to help you keep going and stay inspired.

It should be no surprise that this is my top tip. I’m a fan of journaling and all the spiritual wellness benefits it brings but my favorite part of journaling is that it helps me keep my creative juices flowing.

I’ve said it on my Instagram but I’ll say it again, sometimes when we have a creative block, the problem is that we don’t know what to say or what to create but that we have too much to say that it gets in the way of our ability to create.

Journaling regularly helps keep the creative blocks from piling up because they don’t have time to build up and get in the way.

I recommend pen to paper the old school way but if that’s not your thing, that’s 100% fine, journal and reflect in the way that works for you.

It’s all about getting out the thoughts that get in the way of keeping us creative.

Having a creative hobby that isn’t writing-related or directly related to whatever you’re creative work is can be a great way to exercise another part of your creative self in a pressure-free way.

Hobbies are great for taking care of the creative spirit and our inner child. The key is to find fun things to do that you’re not trying to put a price tag on and sell to your friends and followers.

For me, it’s playing video games, coloring, painting, or sketching.

These aren’t activities I ever plan to monetize or show to anyone else but they refill my creative well, help me generate new ideas in a pressure-free way, and my inner child likes me better for it.

Playtime for you can mean anything — anything outside of your creative work that isn’t going to make you feel stressed out or have you trying to generate marketing ideas for it in the back of your mind.

Being a creative means you’re sitting at a desk all day or hunched over whatever project you’re currently working on — either way, it’s not great on the body and an achy body is not one that’s going to allow you to keep working without distraction.

Finding movement you enjoy is a great way to keep active, keep in shape, and strengthen the mind, body, spirit connection that your creative energy will thank you for.

Now, I’m not telling you to throw yourself into a hardcore high-intensity workout — unless that’s your thing — but simple stretching moves during your breaks or just fifteen minutes a day can make a huge difference in your physical and mental health.

Personally, I’m a fan of home workouts like the Chloe Ting two week challenge I’m currently working through, though I also really enjoy yoga and Pilates with a side of meditation.

Whatever movement you enjoy is the right movement to include into your routine. Dancing also 100% counts as a way to best care for yourself and your spirit.

What’s your favorite self-care activity to indulge in?

S. M. Ryan uses her degree in creative writing and every EFA course she’s ever taken to lend her experience to other writers in the form of advice, tips, and resources in her blog posts and Medium articles as it surrounds writing, lifestyle, wellness, and more.

Author of the Morning Mocha Newsletter, dog-mom to a 7 year-old pitbull, plant mom to 14 green babies and counting, she spends most of her time caffeinated, writing, or playing the Sims 4.

You can keep up with her on Instagram, Youtube, Twitter, her website, and support her by buying her a cup of coffee.

Originally published at https://www.smryanthewriter.com on January 2, 2021.