Dealing with stress can cause your creative well to run dry, but a focus on self-care and relaxation will help the words flow again.

by Doug Lawrence

You sit in front of your computer with good intentions and nothing comes out. The words do not appear on the screen. You become frustrated and you think that maybe you were never destined to be a writer. You were never destined to be an author. Time continues to tick by, and the words still don’t appear. You become more and more depressed as you know that you can do this. Others have done this, so there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to do so.

You imagine that all this stress to put pen and words to paper is likely not doing you any good. In fact, the added pressure is likely making things worse. The more you try, the less inspired to write you become. Nothing seems to make sense, and you spend more time deleting files than actually producing something of value.

Dealing with stress in the workplace likely isn’t helping a lot. It’s surprising that I am even able to think about writing with personal and workplace stressors occupying a lot of my time. Time that could be devoted to writing.

Stressors at home can have an impact as well. We struggle with time management, trying to make sure we have enough work-life balance that we can juggle personal and professional stressors.

Taking time away from writing and from life in general is a good idea. I actually took myself on a private retreat. I rented a condo at a resort, and while I focused on self-care as my priority, I still wrote over thirty pages. I saw that as a plus, as I had not intended to do any writing.

If it’s in my calendar, it has a better chance of happening, versus telling myself I should go and write at a specified time.

In order to manage my personal stressors, I try to schedule time for writing, preferably every day, but that doesn’t always work. If it’s in my calendar, it has a better chance of happening, versus telling myself I should go and write at a specified time. It’s interesting that when I am editing my manuscript, I am able to be more disciplined. Not sure why that is.

My granddaughter got to go to the theater today to watch a new movie. It was a reward for getting her homework done, some of which involved writing projects. When it was explained to me how it was an incentive, I wondered if that would work for me.

Mental health is also a factor with writer’s block. When you’re struggling with writer’s block, it can feel like a combination of self-doubt, perfectionism, anxiety, or even burnout.

There are a number of things you can do to navigate through this time period: Shift your focus. Go for a walk. Talk to someone. Practice meditation.

At the end of your writing journey, you can look back and see what worked and what didn’t work. Remember, when doing a reflection exercise, you always record:

1. What went well
2. What didn’t go well
3. What you will do differently next time

Happy writing.

Doug Lawrence is an international bestselling author and founder of TalentC®. He is an International Certified Mentor and the only one to hold the Certificate of Practice – Journey Mentor in the world today. Doug has over thirty years of mentoring and leadership experience and is recognized as a thought leader in the mentoring space. Doug authored the book The Gift of Mentoring, and his second book, You Are Not Alone, became an Amazon #1 Bestseller in North America and the UK and is a Bronze Medal recipient in the Global Book Awards. Doug has been on 150 podcasts in the past year on the topics of mentoring, mental health, and grief, and his mentoring practice continues to grow.