5 Things to do when feeling overwhelmed by writing

1) Wear a face mask from lush, preferably the mint one. There’s no scientific proof behind this, but the act of doing something as simple as skincare and focusing entirely on the single act of spreading the face mask can clear your head. It hits almost every sense.

Sight: the bright color of green from the mint mask

Sound: the squishy sound it makes when your had slips under it

Smell: the mint tingles your nostrils and makes you feel clean

Touch: not only the act of spreading it on your face, but the feeling of it hardening and the feeling of warm water washing over it all leave you feeling clean.

Taste: have a glass of wine, this is a treat after all. 

2) Loud music. Negative thoughts love quiet darkness and the more space you give it to grow the more it will. This isn’t to say loud music and overstimulation can cure actual anxiety (cough Jake Paul) but if you’re feeling overwhelmed by something specific like a rough draft or edits it doesn’t hurt to drown out the doubt. If you make it music that pumps you up, think hip hop motivation playlists on apple, you will not only feel ready to sit down and knock out 2000 words, but you’ll be ready to do it while running through a brick wall with a golden retriever on your back.

3) Reevaluate your time table. This overwhelming feeling may be self-imposed, especially if you haven’t sold the book yet and aren’t working on a legitimate deadline. Did you challenge yourself enough, or not enough? Both can make you feel lost. Too high of a goal is impossible and will leave you feeling like a failure while too low will give you permission to slack off and ultimately leave you feeling unfulfilled. The best year ever by Michael Hyatt said goals should be on the cusp of discomfort. 

4) Build on micro-goals. You shouldn’t solely rely on this trick, but one tactic I’ve personally used on rough drafts is intermittent sprinting. This gives me much smaller goals in much smaller time slots, which build up to substantial word counts over the course of a day. If it’s a weekend something I’ll do is write in-between episodes of the Office (It’s important it’s a show you’re familiar with so you can stop at any time). Basically, I’ll aim to write 500 words, then take a break and watch a single episode of the office. I’ll repeat this 4-6 times depending on the day. 

5) Take your dog for a walk around the bayou. If you don’t have a dog you should get one. If you don’t have a bayou you should find any place that can reconnect you to nature. Jean Jacque Rousseau saw enlightenment in nature and viewed a return to it as vital for the human experience. This is not to say you should sell your house and live as a hermit (though if you do more power to you and I’ll happily exchange carrier pigeons) but unplugging from the world where keeping up with your neighbor is viewed as equally important as cooking dinner can be a rejuvenating experience. As for the dog—they just make good company and are fantastic teachers for living in the moment.