3 Health Problems That Could End One-Person Freelance Writing Business

That habitual writers are prone to

Writers have the potential of becoming one of the high-income earners in the world. But they are prone to career-threatening health problems capable of putting them in lifelong pain.

I am a solopreneur freelance writer. And I’d faced some health challenges in writing. Of recent, I couldn’t write for weeks. That reminded me how important it is to take health seriously, especially now the writing industry is booming.

Why You Shouldn’t Miss Out

The best time to be in the writing industry is now. In 2020, an organization predicted $80 billion would go into the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) industry alone.

If you’re in doubt about why companies would want to break the bank for SEO, as at April 2021, Google accounted for over 70% of global desktop search traffic and has already received 360 billion searches this year.

Equate the writing industry to desert sand, SEO is like a cup of desert sand.

Imagine you couldn’t explore this significant moment to the fullest as a business-minded writer? Imagine you miss out on this golden opportunity because of poor health? More than ever, this is the time to be in good mental and physical shape as a writer.

Now beyond the money, beyond the ease non-writers think writing entails, writers face peculiar health problems. I bet no writer would want to go through them. They are a pain in the ass; they handicap you. They leave you seething. They make you lose money.

And if you’re not on the lookout for them, they may spell the end of a writing business, especially if you’re a solopreneur.

The reason you are a writer might be different. And why more and more people keep embracing the idea of becoming a writer might also be different. But one thing binds us all — writing. And these health issues could affect us all.

3 Health Problems Writers Face

1. Eyes problem

Man, get a photochromic lens! I did. Here’s how it happened.

Seven years ago, I started having issues with screen lights. I used to work for hours staring at my phone and computer screens. The doctor recommended a photochromic lens, and I started using it. But the problem was half-solved.

The lens didn’t protect my eyes completely — blurring out after hours of work.

How long should you be on the screen then? The answer is, you need to visit your optician now and then. It is so important whether you have a complaint to make.

Now, I take breaks from screen lights at intervals. After forty-five minutes of staring at the screen, I take at least ten minutes' break.

What works for me may not work for you. But the bottom line is, take a break. It is the simplest thing you can do to protect your eyes as a writer.

I know this thought of “let me keep going, I’m almost done.” If you’ve been on the screen for a long time, fight against that thought. Because in the long run, what you may lose may be greater than what you’d gained.

2. Writer’s cramp

Also known as hand cramp or focal dystonia, writer’s cramp is a movement disorder of the fingers, hand, or forearm. Overuse of the hands, fingers, or forearm such as writing for long periods, the excessive grip of a pen or smartphone, and excessive poor wrist posture causes it leading to cramping and intense pain.

Some of its symptoms are wrist flexing, fingers failing to respond to a command, fingers gripping a pen very hard, or extending during writing -making it difficult to hold a pen.

It is of two types: simple writer’s cramp and dystonic writer’s cramp.

Simple writer’s cramp is having difficulty writing only. Dystonic writer’s cramp is a difficulty not only in writing, but in doing other activities like shaving, makeup, and so on.

What if I’m not a writer that writes with a pen and paper?

I know some writers prefer their fingers punching the keyboard away. Know this: There is also a typist’s cramp. It’s more or less like a writer’s cramp. People who press the keyboard for long hours are the risk of suffering from it.

At present, the writer’s cramp has no cure. That makes it more important to watch out for it.

Not very long ago, I had an appointment with a doctor. And he gave a shocking revelation.

“My right-hand thumb was stiff for three years,” the doctor said. “Holding surgical tools every time and clamping during medical operations for hours caused it,” he continued. “I regained only 70% of my thumb functionality after three years,” he concluded.

So, he said this to me: “Get a recorder. Record what you want to write and delegate typing duties.”

This advice woke up a thought. Often you see some writers churning out content spanning a thousand words every day. You wonder how that is possible because writing is mentally taxing, energy-sapping, and causing writer’s cramp. It could even give you a headache after thinking so hard for a while.

Could it be that they’ve got an assistant doing those work for them?

3. Low back pain

“Sitting puts pressure on the discs, causing low back pain to worsen after sitting for long periods. Walking and stretching can alleviate low back pain quickly, but returning to a sitting position may cause symptoms to return.” — John Peloza

I used to sit for over two hours writing or researching. Low back pain set in. Even if I had sat for ten minutes, I had still felt the low back. Also, this could snowball into something big like chronic back pain.

Whether I use the popular ergonomic chair (a solution for low back pain), the simple rule I apply to my eyes also applies to my sitting routine — take a break. I sit on the chair for forty-five minutes and take a break off it for fifteen minutes to walk around. And some minutes of standing and working.

Get a thigh-tall table you could place your computer or notebook on and write while you stand.

Final Thought

As you make writing a day-to-day habit, some health challenges may surface. Solopreneur freelance writers could lose out if the health problems become worse.

Remember, your health remains a top priority.

Health, they say, is wealth.

Writers face health problems that could stop them from writing for life… Chronic back pain from sitting too long, eyes problems from staring at the screen for long hours, stifled fingers from writing to name a few. If you want to continue getting this type of article, you can support me by becoming a Medium subscriber. It costs $5 a month. A part of your subscription fee goes to me.