5 Epic Self-care Tips for Writers
Most freelance writers sit the whole day and leave their desks only to sleep.
Achieving financial goals overwhelmingly rules us. We often lack time to take care of our bodies, mind, and spirit. Unfortunately, there are many drastic manifestations of such a lifestyle.
What Happens When you Don’t Practice Self-care?
You expose yourself to many malfunctions of the body systems. Some of these include feeling sick (lethargic), brain burnout, aging, exposure to cardiac diseases, loss of agility, poor metabolism, guilt, muscle, and bone weakness, to mention but a few.
Self-care is Not Selfish
Some freelance writers avoid thinking about self-care because they associate it with selfishness. But this is far from the truth. Think of self-care as an opportunity to make yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally strong to reach your goals and improve the lives of those around you.
Self-care is doing things to yourself to feel good. Whether it involves having a cappuccino every morning before you start your freelance writing hassle, taking an evening off once a week for a massage for your aching shoulders, or boarding a plane for a trip to the Maasai Mara, it is essential to reinvigorate our lives.
To navigate your freelance writing career is not easy. It can become stressful and at times overwhelming. But there is always something you can do to stay healthy and productive. Here are the ways you can use to bolster your freelance lifestyle.
Create a Schedule
As a freelance writer, you are the boss of your own. It is tempting to take on every opportunity that comes your way. Considering that there are often dry spells in the course of the year. When it is hard to secure a writing gig. Business is low.
When opportunities are presenting themselves left, right, and center, we see this as a chance to strike big. You feel important that your services are on demand.
Before you know it, you have tons of projects on your desk and each client needs their work asap. So you sit on your desk from dawn to late in the night. Sleep. Wake up and repeat. Day in, day out. Eventually, these endless writing activities wear you out.
You need to take charge of your schedule. Opportunities will come and go, but you should be sure that you are in good shape to handle them effectively. Put down a schedule highlighting enough time for sleep, working hours, time to rest, associate, and exercise. Accept writing gigs that will fall right into your schedule. If they alter it in any way, resist. Say no!
Work and Play Balance
Our education systems have taught us to work hard and seek gratification later. That is what our parents learned and is what they hand over to us. We believe we will be happy in the future after we work our tails off today. We tell ourselves, “After I make it in life, I will relax from all this hassle.”
We then put our expectations on how much clients are paying, the available work, together with other external situations, but then realize we never arrive. Actually, no one knows about tomorrow and therefore only needs to leverage each day as if never to see another.
Work is just a means of survival today. If the income spills over to the next day, so be it. But ensure you work and take as much free enjoyment time as it allows. Don’t confine yourself to the chair without considering your happiness. Balance your life committing to joy as you would to writing available tasks.
Nutrition is Critical
The cliche “garbage in garbage out” applies in your life as a freelance writer more often than you can imagine. From what you read to what you put in your mouth as food, it all matters.
I have mentioned this matter before in my blog: Freelance writing is business. That you should be keen on the kind of material you read and the mentors you follow. It is easy to read blogs and articles online, but you also require books to get a grasp of and enrich yourself with certain topics. This is how you get a niche.
When it comes to food, choose alkaline foods, leafy greens, and a good balance of starch and proteins to ensure you are mentally and physically energetic for your freelance work. Well, I know you might be wondering, “What about the juicy steaks and cupcakes?” It is fine to treat yourself once in a while to this tasty foods but draw your lines clearly.
Work Out
Do not overlook the health of your body. It is undeniable that the well-being of your physical build connects to your mind and soul. When the body suffers, then the spirit and the soul will equally hurt. When you feel healthy and strong in your body, your emotions, the mood lightens up.
Involve actively in physical activities like running, cycling, swimming, taking a walk, and any other activity that can change your daily sedentary position to act.
Thanksgiving and Forgiveness
When was the last time you were grateful for being a freelance writer? Have you taken a minute to reflect on your life achievements? Practice being grateful as often as each morning, or moments before retiring to bed. Taking care of yourself is a personal matter, and you require time alone to contemplate and give thanks.
Realize that you will make mistakes in your career. Be kind on yourself when you find out you are on the wrong path. Remember you are not in control of the future and the information we rely on is imperfect. There is always room for change and growth. Put in place achievable goals and find the best channels to execute them.
Self-care for Writers
Finally, you want to be happy doing freelance writing. If you aren’t, that is a warning sign of an unhealthy lifestyle. Make it a priority to get a job you enjoy doing. Trying too hard to change yourself will only lead to frustration, which will negatively impact your performance.
What do you do to stay healthy as a freelance writer? Share with us in the comment section so we don’t die in our seats.
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