If you have been in school for any amount of time, I’m sure you have experienced writers block at one point or another. You sit, stare, and stare a little more at a blank screen with not one thought as what to type.
Generally when writers block occurs, it happens out of nowhere and a state of anxiety soon follows. The more you stare at the blank white screen, the more frustrated you become. Some anxiety is helpful in completing challenging tasks and is your body’s normal reaction to a stressful situation, but too much of it can do the opposite. Anxiety can be triggered by a number of things especially in writing. According to the writing center at UNC Chapel Hill, people aren’t born anxious writers, but become anxious as a result of negative or difficult writing experiences in the past. A writing task can be simple for one person, but cause anxiety for anther according to the Chapel Hill Writing Center.
Number One: Just type. Write down anything. Type a short story of the activities you performed that day. Write a poem that makes no sense or unrelated to the writing prompt. If you are a animal like me, write about how happy your little furry friend makes you, or write about how your roommate hasn’t bought toilet paper for six months. The point is, from my experience, writing from the stance that I will only read something, allows me to be more carefree. When I go back to my actual writing project, I have a new perspective and generally feel more relaxed.
Number Two: Exercise. Writers block generally evokes an anxious state of mind. Exercise is a great way to decrease anxiety and has been proven to release endorphins in the brain.—-—Yoga is an interactive way to exercise. If you don’t want to commit to a yoga membership, there are tons of yoga routine videos on Youtube. Another relaxing place to do yoga exercise is at the beach.
I take things I find around the beach and incorporate them into my workout. Grab a few rocks and use them as weights for sit-ups, squats, lunges, and strengthening. Another item found on the beach you can use in a workout is seaweed. Yep, seaweed. Seaweed is a great tool to use as a jump-rope. There are so many natural items that can found at the beach to work up a sweat.
Number Three: Walk away from the task at hand. Whether you take a walk to the break room in the office, or step outside of the college library–just walk away for a bit. If you have enough time before your deadline, distract yourself completely from the task at hand and get into another activity. Then come back to your writing project and see if any new profound ideas have come to mind.
Number Four: Go to a coffee shop or SOMEWERE with WIFI. Take your computer to another location and start writing. Being around other people is motivating. Right now I am at Silver Greens getting some writing done.
Number Five: Eat!-Eating may seem like a no ‘brainer,’ however many people claim to skip breakfast. The brain needs energy to function properly, so don’t forget to eat a healthy meal before you start your writing project. You need that energy!
Number Six: Take a hike.
