Writing and Mental Health
How I Defeated Writer’s Block and How Quality Writing Can Enrich Your Life
What is writer’s block, why writing fear and anxiety happen, and how to overcome them with three practical solutions based on experience
Recently hundreds of new writers joined my publications. I greet them in my Slack workspace and offer my assistance. During these conversations, a frequently asked question relates to the fear or anxiety of writing.
Most of these writers feel anxious to post their first stories. I have strong empathy and compassion for them as I suffered from writing anxiety too.
Interestingly some of these new members are professionals and experts in their fields. Some are even retired scientists like Mike Broadly, who volunteered to share his recent story reflecting his situation.
Anyone can experience this widespread issue, and it is curable by changing our perspectives and taking some actions to require our brains to create new neural connections and strengthen them.
As a science and technology student, I struggled with writer’s block a lot, especially when I was writing about fun topics. I thought that writing for pleasure should be easy and enjoyable.
However, it was demanding and stressful. I felt like I had nothing to say or that everything I said was dull or stupid.
Later I learned that writer’s block was a shared experience that affected many writers, from beginners to professionals. I experienced the feeling of being stuck, unable to produce words or ideas.
Then, I lost interest in writing altogether for a while. It can be frustrating, discouraging, and depressing.
When I analyzed my situation with the help of a mentor, I noticed that my reasons were relatable to other writers too. From my experience, there are many possible causes of writer’s block. The most common ones are:
Lack of motivation or inspiration, fear of failure or criticism, perfectionism or unrealistic expectations. distractions or interruptions, stress or fatigue, emotional or mental issues
Writer’s block can vary in severity and duration. Some writers may experience it occasionally and briefly. Others may suffer from it chronically and severely. Fortunately, I experienced it only for a short while.
In hindsight, I realized that I was making two big mistakes that were holding me back.
I was trying to write too much too fast. I wanted to impress my readers with a lot of information and details. But I ended up overwhelming them and myself. I gave them a fire hose to drink from when they only needed a glass of water.
My mentor told me that I was not writing for my readers but for myself. I was not considering what they wanted to read, what they needed to learn, or what they would enjoy. I was writing for my own ego, trying to show off my knowledge and skills.
These mistakes hurt my productivity, creativity, motivation, and mental health. I needed to change my approach and attitude towards writing.
My mentor helped me to write less but better. She encouraged me to focus on quality over quantity, clarity over complexity, and impact over length. I learned to edit through, cut the fluff, and get to the point.
She inspired me to write for my readers, not for myself. Thus, I researched my audience, understood their needs and expectations, and tailored my content accordingly. I learned to empathize with them, entertain them, and educate them.
My mentor also motivated me to write about topics that I cared about and enjoyed. I discovered my passion for health, mental health, fitness, lifestyle, and self-improvement topics.
I wrote about them in my blogs on bulletin boards with enthusiasm and authenticity. Local papers published them. Inspiring feedback from readers boosted my confidence.
Advice and support from my mentor transformed my writing experience from a chore to a joy. They also improved my writing skills, increased my readership, and enriched my life.
So in this story, I will share my similar situation to give you an idea and provide three practical steps to overcome writer’s block.
Solution 1 — Change Perspectives and Behaviours
One of the biggest challenges that I faced as a writer was overcoming analysis paralysis. Analysis paralysis is the state of being unable to make a decision or take action because of overthinking, overanalyzing, or overcomplicating a situation.
It can be caused by various factors, like:
having an analytical mind that seeks perfection and accuracy, too much information or data to process and evaluate, too many options or alternatives to choose from, too high expectations or standards for oneself or others, and having excessive fear or doubt about the outcome or consequences
Analysis paralysis can be detrimental to our writing process and our mental health. It can lead to procrastination, loss of creativity and confidence, lack of enjoyment or satisfaction, and lead to stress, anxiety, frustration, or depression as a result of writing difficulties
I used to suffer from analysis paralysis a lot, especially when I was writing about fun topics. I wanted to write the perfect story to impress my readers and myself.
I wanted to include every detail and every angle that I could think of. I wanted to avoid any mistake or criticism that could ruin my reputation.
But instead of achieving my writing dreams, I ended up sabotaging them. I spent more time researching and planning than writing and editing.
I wasted more energy worrying and stressing than creating and enjoying. I produced less quality and quantity than I could have.
I realized that I needed to change my mindset and behavior if I wanted to overcome analysis paralysis and become a better writer.
One of the critical lessons that I learned from my mentors was to narrow my perspective instead of broadening it.
What does it mean to narrow our perspective?
It means focusing on the most important and relevant aspects of our topic rather than trying to cover everything and anything. It means simplifying our message rather than complicating it. It means prioritizing our purpose rather than trying to please everyone.
Narrowing our perspective can help us overcome analysis paralysis by:
reducing the amount of information we need to collect and analyze, lowering the number of options that we need to consider and compare, reducing the level of expectations that we need to meet or exceed, and reducing the degree of fear that we need to overcome or cope with
Narrowing our perspective can improve our writing skills and outcomes by increasing the clarity and coherence of our content, improving the impact and value of our writing, enhancing the interest and engagement of our stories, and giving satisfaction and fulfillment.
How do we narrow our perspective and change behavior?
Identify your main goal and audience for your writing project. What do you want to achieve? Who do you want to reach?
Choose a specific topic and angle for your writing project. What do you want to write about? How do you want to write about it?
Outline the main points and subpoints for your writing project. What do you want to say? How do you want to say it?
Write the first draft of your writing project without editing or censoring yourself. Just let your thoughts flow freely and naturally.
Edit the second draft of your writing project by removing unnecessary or irrelevant information. Be ruthless and concise.
Proofread the final draft of your story by checking any errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. Be careful for accuracy.
Solution 2 — Entertain Discomfort and Work in a Flow State
Another challenge that I faced as a writer was dealing with discomfort.
Discomfort is the feeling of unease, pain, or distress that we experience when we face something difficult, unpleasant, or unfamiliar. It can be caused by various factors, such as:
Negative emotions (fear, anger, sadness, or guilt)
Physical conditions, (hunger, thirst, fatigue, or illness)
Environmental factors, (noise, temperature, or lighting)
Cognitive factors (boredom, confusion, or doubt)
Discomfort can be harmful to our writing process and our mental health. It can lead to avoidance or escape from writing, resistance or reluctance to write, distraction or interruption from writing, irritation or frustration with writing, leading to stress, anxiety, depression, or burnout as a result of writing difficulties
I used to struggle with discomfort a lot, especially when I was writing about topics that were challenging or unfamiliar to me. I felt like I had to write flawlessly and avoid any mistakes or criticism.
I felt like I had to write a lot and fast to meet deadlines and expectations. I felt like I had to write something new and original to stand out and impress my readers and clients.
But instead of enjoying writing as a creative and rewarding activity, I ended up suffering from writing as a stressful and exhausting activity.
I felt more negative emotions than positive ones. I felt more physical discomfort than comfort. I felt more cognitive dissonance than cognitive harmony.
I realized that I needed to change my relationship with discomfort if I wanted to improve my writing experience and performance. One of the key lessons that I learned from one of my mentors was to entertain discomfort instead of avoiding it.
What does it mean to entertain discomfort?
It means accepting and embracing discomfort as a natural and inevitable part of writing and life. It means to see discomfort as an opportunity and a challenge rather than a threat and a problem. It means to use discomfort as a catalyst and a motivator rather than a barrier and a deterrent.
Entertaining discomfort can help us:
improve our writing skills and outcomes by increasing our resilience and adaptability to writing, enhancing our curiosity and learning from writing, increasing our creativity and innovation in expressing our ideas, enhancing our productivity and efficiency in completing our tasks, and improving our satisfaction and happiness in pursuing goals
How do we entertain discomfort?
There are many ways to do it. Here are some tips that have worked for me:
Identify the source and the level of your discomfort and address it accordingly. Is it emotional? Acknowledge and express your feelings. Is it physical? Take care of your body’s needs. Is it environmental? Adjust your surroundings. Is it cognitive? Clarify your thoughts.
Set realistic and specific goals for your writing project that are challenging but achievable. Don’t set goals that are too easy or too hard for you. Find the optimal level of difficulty that stimulates your interest and excitement.
Create a conducive environment for your writing project that supports your focus and flow. Eliminate distractions and interruptions.
Find a comfortable place and time to write. Use tools and resources that enhance your writing process.
Experiment with different techniques and strategies for generating ideas and words that are fun and engaging. Try brainstorming, freewriting, therapeutic writing, mind mapping, outlining, etc. Use writing prompts, questions, and quotes.
Embrace feedback and accept negative criticism for your growth.
Working in a flow state has been very helpful for me.
What is a flow state?
A flow state is a psychological concept that can be practiced by following mindfulness principles such as living in the moment, clearing mental clutter, self-compassion, focusing, paying attention to one thing at a time, and smoothly switching tasks.
The flow state changes the content of our consciousness at a specific time to an optimally functioning mental and physical performance.
Thus, the flow state brings numerous health and well-being benefits by aligning our physical and mental energy.
I wrote a detailed article titled 5 Tips to Enter a Flow State and Improve Work, Joy, and Health.
3 — Prioritize important goals by removing distractions creatively
One of the biggest obstacles I faced as a writer was dealing with distractions. Distractions take our attention away from our writing projects
They can be internal or external, voluntary or involuntary, positive or negative. They can be caused by various factors, like:
Emotions (boredom, anxiety, anger)
Thoughts (doubts, worries, fantasies)
Technology (social media, email, phone calls)
People (family, friends, children, neigbours, colleagues, clients)
Environment (noise, temperature, lighting).
Distractions can be detrimental to our writing process and our mental health. They can lead to:
loss of focus and concentration on our writing project, loss of time and productivity in completing our writing project, loss of creativity and productive in expressing our ideas, and loss of motivation and satisfaction in pursuing our writing goals, leading to stress, frustration, guilt, or depression as a result of writing difficulties.
I used to struggle with distractions, especially when writing about topics that required a lot of research and analysis. I constantly checked my social media accounts, email inbox, and phone messages for updates and notifications.
I was also frequently interrupted by people who wanted my attention or help for various reasons. I was easily distracted by my emotions and thoughts unrelated to my writing project.
But instead of advancing my writing career and improving my writing skills, I hindered them. I spent more time and energy on things that were not important or urgent than on things that really mattered.
I realized that I needed to change my habits and strategies to overcome distractions and become a more focused and productive writer.
One of the key lessons I learned from one of my mentors was prioritizing my goals and removing distractions creatively.
What does it mean to prioritize your goals and remove distractions creatively?
It means identifying and ranking your writing goals according to their importance and urgency. It also means finding and implementing effective ways to eliminate or reduce the sources and effects of distractions.
Prioritizing our goals and removing distractions creatively can help us improve our writing skills and outcomes.
How do you prioritize your goals and remove distractions creatively?
There are many ways to do it. Here are some tips that have worked for me:
Identify your main goal and audience for your writing project. What do you want to achieve? Who do you want to reach?
Choose a specific topic and angle for your writing project. What do you want to write about? How do you want to write about it?
Outline the main points and subpoints for your writing project. What do you want to say? How do you want to say it?
Write the first draft of your writing project without editing or censoring yourself. Just let your thoughts flow freely and naturally.
Edit the second draft of your writing project by removing any unnecessary or irrelevant information, words, sentences, or paragraphs.
I shared my experience of dealing with distractions to create more quality time for my writing in a story titled: Saving 1465 Hours to Write Several Books a Year While Working Full Time.
Having occasional social media fast was one of the best solutions to improve my mental health and the best decision to meet my writing goals.
Takeaways and Practical tips to defeat writer’s block
Writer’s block is a common problem that many writers face, but it can be overcome with some simple strategies. If you are suffering from writer’s block right now, don’t despair. You are not alone, and you can overcome it too. Here are some tips that may help you:
1 — Identify and address the cause of your writer’s block.
What is stopping you from writing? Is it a lack of motivation, fear of failure, perfectionism, or something else? Find ways to overcome these barriers, such as finding your purpose and passion, embracing your mistakes, accepting your imperfections, etc.
2 — Set realistic and specific goals for your writing.
Don’t try to write everything at once. Break down your project into smaller and more manageable tasks. Reward yourself for each accomplishment.
3 — Create a conducive environment for your writing.
Eliminate distractions and interruptions that may hinder your focus and flow. Find a comfortable place and time to write. Use tools and resources that support your writing process, such as brainstorming, outlining, editing, etc.
5 — Experiment with different techniques and strategies for generating ideas and words.
Try different methods that suit your style and preference, such as freewriting, mind mapping, prompts, questions, quotes, etc.
6 — Move out of your comfort zone by challenging your inner critic.
Don’t let negative thoughts or emotions stop you from writing. Write without censoring or judging yourself. Write for yourself first, then edit for others consdiering your readers’ expectations.
7 — Maintain physical and mental energy to focus on writing.
Take care of your body and mind by eating well, sleeping well, exercising regularly, living mindfully in a flow state, and meditating. Writing requires both mental and physical stamina. So make sure you are in good shape.
By following these tips, you can defeat writer’s block and enjoy writing more. Remember that writing is a skill that can be improved with practice and patience. Don’t give up on your writing dreams. Your words matter to others and can change lives.
To guide new writers, I also wrote a piece on How to Write Content Guaranteed to Get Views and Reads and How to Write Content to Generate Steady Income. We need to balance the monetary aspect of writing with creativity and life satisfaction. Happy writing!
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
You may find more optimistic and empowering stories like these on EUPHORIA, where I share my insights and life lessons. My focus is on cellular, mitochondrial, metabolic, and mental health + JOY. Here is my collection of Insightful Life Lessons from Personal Stories.
Disclaimer: My posts do not include professional or health advice. I only document my reviews, observations, experience, and perspectives to provide information and create awareness.
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