Have you ever had those times when you feel overwhelmed? Maybe you call it unmotivated, stressed, or burned out. I’m guessing every writer hits the wall at some point. I came upon an excellent video by Brittany Vasseur, a YouTube lifestyle influencer. Unlike her normal upbeat videos, she confessed that she suffers with regular down times–feeling overwhelmed–but she gave a three-step process that works to get her out of the slump. It was so good, so universal, I’m going to summarize some of what she said here, adding my own ideas.
ACCEPT
The first thing she does is accept that it’s okay to be down or overwhelmed. So many of us write for years, hoping to become published authors. It’s no easy task to stay motivated when it takes so long to even get your toe in the door. Brittany quoted the saying, “It’s just a bad day, not a bad life.” Right? Here are some things that help:
- Remember that you are human, and God gave you these emotions. Maybe it’s a sign you need to rest.
- Don’t analyze your life now. Stay in the moment.
- Don’t make any big changes or life decisions when you’re down. “I’m going to quit writing.” Or “I’ll never get this book in on time; I hate it.”
RECHARGE
Step two, take baby steps to recharge. We all know that, when our battery is running low, we need to plug into power. Let’s look at some ways to do that:
- Find a cozy place alone and pour out your heart to God. He loves you and wants what is best for you.
- Open your Bible and meditate on His word. I love reading the Psalms when I am down. I start with David’s frustrated psalms and move into praise psalms. If that sounds like too much to do, go here and get some focused help from the Bible.
- Connect with God’s creation. “Grounding” is considered to be extremely healthy for all of us–bare feet on the earth, on grass, in water.
- When we need to recharge, our body craves sugar (or chocolate), which is the worst thing we can do. Eat fresh, wholesome foods.
- Breathe. Take time to breathe deeply and slowly.
- Stretch and move.
- Get out of your head and into the moment.
- Refresh yourself.
- Drink water.
- If your overwhelm has to do with your book and research is a joy to you, dig back into the subject.
REGROUP
Take baby steps to finding joy in life once again.
- Make one small goal, say, write one paragraph. When that’s done, reward yourself. A feeling of accomplishment, no matter how small, lifts the spirit.
- Repeat with one tiny goal after another. Don’t forget the rewards.
- If there are some non-taxing things you can accomplish that normally give you joy, like baking, gardening, or even scrubbing floors, do it!
- Don’t focus on any negative self-talk. Let your self-talk be purposefully true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. (Philippians 4:8)
- Make a list of those things for which you feel grateful. It might only be a fluffy comforter at this point, but it’s a start.
And let me just say, as an agent, all of us in the publishing industry understand this. We, too, feel overwhelmed at times. If you wrote me to say you’ll be late with your proposal because you needed to recharge and regroup, I’d be the first to understand.
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Wendy, thanks so much for this reminder. It’s easy to get caught up in negative self-talk when what I really need is rest and recharging.
Oh, my, have you been hiding in my house?! The last few months I’ve been unmotivated, not knowing what’s next (for the first time in my 58 years), and feeling unmoored. There are a lot of reasons why, but your blog has helped me immensely this morning. The video was sweet, too, but I appreciate your biblical principles. I believe I’ve found my next step in my “recharge” phase! Thank you!
And we need to give ourselves permission to do exactly that.
So much peace thru these words, these reminders. Thank you.
Can you tell I wrote this overwhelmed block from a place of experience?
Hello Wendy! Thank you for the reminder to invite the compassion of Christ into stressful days. I smiled when I read of a gratitude list as a “fluffy comforter.” What a great image; I will crawl under those beautiful covers of thanksgiving today. Blessings to you!
Lovely way to think about it, Andrea, “covers of thanksgiving.”
Thank you so much, Wendy. Yes, currently I am in a season of being overwhelmed. I have not done the next revision of my WIP. I have not looked at that Bible study ms. for a friend. I have not read my critique partner’s newest story (although she has graciously given me more time). But after a seven-hour stretch staring at the computer screen, I finally finished the camp blog I’ve been working on for two weeks. And you know what? In writing that blog, I was once again impressed by God’s ability to use our weakness for His glory. A moment of darkness that I walked through that week inspired my husband to share a story at the campfire that he normally keeps to himself. That story resonated with so many campers. My weakness plus my husband’s story equaled moments of vulnerability and victory for the teens we were working with that week. So yes, those hard times will come. Weather them with the tools that we have been given (these are such great ideas Wendy) and know that God absolutely will use them to His honor and our benefit!
“Weather them with the tools that we have been given and know that God absolutely will use them to His honor and our benefit!” Powerful way to put it, Kristen. I’m guessing those teens will not forget that campfire talk.
“It’s just a bad day, not a bad life.” This.
This is going on my desk; in fact, I think I’ll make a cool graphic out of it on Canva. I need this reminder, that when I’m stuck it doesn’t mean my entire life is stuck, just one moment, one hour, one day. The mud will eventually dry up and I’ll be on my way again.
Thanks for posting this, Wendy! 🙂
I loved it, too. I tried to find out who first said it, but it’s impossible. It’s been attributed to everyone from Johnny Depp to the Dalai Lama.
Thank you, dear Wendy, for this reminder we’re not alone in the struggle. An especial yes to this: “Don’t make any big changes or life decisions when you’re down.”
When I’m down, I take a break from serious writing and hang out in my garden, kitchen, or craft room.
Being creative with my hands fills my heart with fresh words.
Blessings ~ Wendy Mac
Or petting a precious little nugget of a kitten can be therapeutic. Right?
Yes. It’s purrfect therapy. I miss them and I’m on my way back upstairs to see them. (I have to write in my craft room or I can’t get anything done.) 🙂