A Writer's Mental Health: 5 Top Tips

 

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and thousands of companies across the country will be spreading the word and putting initiatives in place to help educate and support their staff on mental health wellbeing. But what about those that are self-employed? This got me thinking more specifically about writers and how their mental health can be directly affected by their work on a daily basis. 

As writers, we spend the majority of our time stuck inside our own heads. Whether we write full time, or we make time to write in the stolen hours in between our day jobs; if we're not actually writing, we're normally thinking about it. For most writers this is just part of our everyday lives, a compulsion, a reflex, as natural as breathing. But that doesn't mean it doesn't take its toll on us every once in awhile. Aside from the odd case of carpal tunnel from frantic typing and sore eyes from staring at computer screens too long, the physical strain isn't so bad, but the mental impacts on a writer can be quite heavy to bear. 

I've come up with five ways in which I think a writers mental health can be impacted and some easy ideas to help. 

Please note that I am not a mental health professional and any advice and/or opinions given below are my own personal thoughts and should be taken lightly. If you are struggling with your mental health and would like to seek help, please contact a healthcare professional. 

Emotions: Bring Yourself Back To The Present

For most of us, writing is a form of therapy. It is our best and most natural way to express ourselves. Putting words onto a page can be very freeing and a way to let go of all the thoughts whirling around in our heads. But when the passion for storytelling and writing are so strong, it can also involve pulling at every emotion we have no matter whether they're happy or sad. A lot of the time, we may not even be sure how we feel about the words we want to write until we see them there on the page. We delve so deep into our mind and our heart and we question everything we know and everything we feel and whilst that is what we need to do to get the end result we're looking for, it can be a very draining and exhaustive process. 

If your writing project is causing you to explore emotions that are leaving you feeling sad, or perhaps you're drawing on personal and maybe painful experiences, remember to be kind to yourself. Set yourself allocated times for writing so that you're not allowing yourself to feel sad for too long and then afterwards give yourself time to do something your really enjoy like an outdoor activity or watching a film or baking/cooking. Exploring emotions is good, but it's important to come back to the present and remind yourself of the good and happy things taking place around you. 

Self Doubt: Daily Affirmations 

There can also be a lot of self-doubt involved in the writing process. We are told to write the story we want to tell. To write what we know. To write and write and write and not look back until the first draft is complete. But there's always a niggling fear in the back of your mind that you're going to pour your heart and soul into your work and when you're done, no one will want to listen. 

These doubts will creep up at times but it's important to constantly remind yourself that there are billions of people in the world and of those billions of people, there will always be someone who will want to listen. And above that, you're voice and your words are unique. If you have a story to tell, you should tell it because even if others have told similar stories in the past, no one has told it like you before. 

A great way to banish self-doubt is with daily affirmations. Constantly reminding yourself of why you're work is important. Why your voice should be heard. If for no one else, then for yourself. Here are some examples of daily affirmations:

 "I have confidence in myself"

"My voice deserves to be heard"

"I am proud of my work"

Rejection: Knock Down That Brick Wall

All writers will have their work rejected at some point in their life. Whether it's a competition entry or a submission to publisher, it happens. And when it does, it hurts. But rejection isn't always a bad thing. It keeps us grounded. Reminding us that the path isn't always straightforward and to keep climbing. And then when you do get success, you look back and feel grateful that you had the chance to improve. But when rejection does land at your feet it can be a large wall to step over and sometimes it can set you back a couple steps.

It's easy when faced with rejection to blame yourself or discard your work as "no good" but the truth is, it could be as simple as the publisher just not being the right one for your work. Plenty of really famous writers have hit the same hurdle loads of times before they got success. JK Rowling was rejected by 12 different publishes before she got lucky!

If you've hit a similar wall, take a step away from your work and give yourself time to remember not to be so hard on yourself. Work on something completely different for a week or two and then come back to your work with a fresh pair of determined, non-judgemental eyes. Maybe try spending a couple weeks on a short story or flash fiction competition if you've been working on a novel. Or a nonfiction article if you've been working on poetry. The change of pace will feel like taking a mental holiday. 

Isolation: Communicate 

There are some writers who can write almost anywhere. On a train, in a cafe, on a plane, on a park bench. Unfortunately I am not one of them. I can only write if I am somewhere quiet, away from social distractions. But this can mean that I will spend hours on my own in my flat, writing away with no contact to the outside world. And whilst I'm a stereotypical writer who classes herself as an introvert most of the time, it can be a lonely thought to realise a day has gone by and I've been all by myself (well, apart from time spent with my characters, of course). 

It's important to connect with the outside world regularly and speak to others as well. If you're prone to finding excuses not to go out and meet with others, book time with friends and family ahead of time. That way you'll feel more inclined to go and you're feel so much better afterwards. Or maybe even join a writers group or meet another friend who is in to writing. 

The Write Routine: Getting Enough Sleep

I am a night-owl. I have been ever since I was a teenager. I sleep through every alarm in the morning but when 11pm hits I am wide awake with bundles of energy when everyone else I know is already sound asleep. So it's no surprise that I do some of my best writing long after the sun goes down. But I also have a 9am-5pm job Monday to Friday so if I'm staying up late to write, chances are I'm going to be pretty grouchy and unproductive whilst working the job that actually pays my rent and bills.

This is probably where my mental health suffers the most when it comes to my writing because it's a constant mental tug of war between want and need. I want to stay up all night and write. I NEED to get a good night's sleep but I then struggle to get to sleep because I'm too busy thinking about how much I want to write. Honestly, it's so exhausting I'm surprised i don't knock myself out. 

The way I'm trying to tackle this is by compromising with myself. Every night during the week I write from 9pm-10pm. One solid hour of writing a night. Still not early in the evening but early enough for me to get a decent night's sleep. Then on weekends I can write and late as I like, no holding back. It sounds like an obvious plan but just mentally knowing that I have the weekends to let loose, let's my brain off the hook during the week. 

If you've got any tips that you use to help with your mental health as a writer, I'd love to hear them. Writing is one of the best passions/hobbies/jobs in the world but like all things in life, there's got to be balance. Your mind is like your writer's toolbox. It holds all of your creative resources but if that box gets damaged, you're work will be affected. If your writing is your passion, you've got to take care of your mental health. 

For more advice on Mental Health Awareness Week please check out their website. 

Please note that I am not a mental health professional and any advice and/or opinions given in this blog post are my own personal thoughts and should be taken lightly. If you are struggling with your mental health and would like to seek help, please contact a healthcare professional. 

HAPPY MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK!

10th.- 16th May 2021