Writing as a Self-Care Practice

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a love for words.

I enjoyed writing as soon as I learned how to do it. My writing “career” started with the customary love letters to parents and grandparents.

There were daily diary entries, poems and short stories as I got older. I wrote about my hopes and dreams as well as my frustrations and fears.

As I matriculated through school, essays, short answers quizzes and book reports lead to writing becoming a chore (sound familiar?).

My love for writing remained because I always found the time to write for myself. I wrote stories that I wanted to read and other stuff that no one ever saw, graded or evaluated.

Today, writing is not only my profession, but it also remains a self care practice. As much as I love writing, client projects can become a chore.

But, I still type and journal simply the fun of it. In those moments, I'm not concerned with publishing what I write.

How Non-Writers Can Develop Writer's Mindset To Write A Book

For many adults who consider themselves decent writers and even those who are non-writers, the idea of writing an entire book can be overwhelming.

But, it doesn't have to be.

This is why I constantly recommend to my clients to start small. Focus first on building a solid foundation by developing a writer's mindset. One of the most important steps in order to do this is to just reconnect with the practice of writing - create writing as a self care practice.

Let go of the conditioned anxiety about typos, misspelling, improper grammar , etc. and just write.

Forget about writing a book and the internal expectations often tied to writing.

For a few weeks, just write consistently the first thoughts that come to mind. You’ll be surprised, when words will eventually just start pouring from your heart.

I promise you that it will make the book writing process so much easier and even joyful. It also makes for a higher quality and more authentic book.

If you’re ready to give writing as a self-care practice a try, start with these simple steps:

1. Get a journal you visually love and pen that you'll enjoy using. Yes, go old school. Although much of my writing takes place on the computer these days, I still use a notebook and pen with regularity. Scientific studies even show there’s a different type of brain stimulation that happens when you use a pen or pencil with paper in comparison to typing on a keyboard while staring at a screen.

2. Keep your journal and writing instrument in a visible location and/or take it with you. Write whenever you get the urge or a free moment. Write when you’re pissed off and want to give whoever and whatever a piece of your mind.

3. Lastly, write purely for your own amusement or just to organize your thoughts. Rewrite quotes or whatever words you want. In my courses, you’ll often find me encouraging my clients to begin journaling about their reasons for writing an actual book as a warm up to the heavy lifting of writing.

Developing a writing routine is one important and doable steps to getting your book done well. You can find more important steps in my free guide "Finally Getting Your Book Done: How to 5 Steps To Finding the Time, Focus and Clarity" To request a free copy, go to www.wordsmithwonder.com .