3 Ways to Love Yourself AND Get Past Writer's Block!

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

I started writing for Medium a couple of days ago because:

1) I can get paid and I like getting paid and,

2) I have the freedom to write about anything and everything I want, and… still get paid. Which I like. A lot.

I can’t do that on this blog because everything I’ve read about blogging recommends getting specific in my topics.

Besides it’s evolved to cover writing prompts, novel excerpts, and resurfacing my On the Road journal sent to my friends when I was on my DIY booktour/roadtrip.

In other words, this blog is all things Indie Author oriented, and that can be very limiting.

Then it occurred to me that the article I wrote this morning could be useful to writers for writer’s block.

The article was originally titled: 3 Ways to Self-Love After a Breakup – Or for any other reason you feel like dog s***.

Since love and creativity draw from the same well, it made sense to include it here.

Besides writers have relationships and go through breakups, and one of the unfortunate side effects of that is…writer’s block.

So here is that list of some of my favorite self-love, self-care, feel-goodies that have been very effective at getting me out of my funk…and out of writer’s block.

By the way, these tips work for everything – not just breakups and writer’s block.

1. DANCE

I mean dance your butt off for at least 1 hour. This to me is the most powerful of everything I recommend.

Dance, besides being really good for your body, releases those endorphins that make you feel all is right in the world.

The more your cut loose, the more you shake it, the more likely you’ll get to bliss. And you want to get to bliss when you feel like dog s***.

The easiest is to dance in your living room or any other space where you can let go to your favorite playlist of beloved dance songs. And if you don’t have one, make one. Make several.                     

**My personal recommendations to include in your dance playlist songs that are dominated by percussion/drumming and/or didgeridoo. There is something cathartic about dancing to those instruments that is truly transformative.          

If you live in an urban area or artsy town that has an Ecstatic Dance – also called 5 Rhythms or Soul Motion – I strongly recommend you start going on the regular. Ecstatic dance sets, if done right, are created to move energy and generate emotional release.

Another option is if there is a lot of live music – go out and dance in a crowd. I’m not quick to recommend dance nightclubs because the darkness and the vibe often make me feel alienated and alone in a crowd.

On the other hand, I’ve had some great dance offs in nightclubs. I guess it depends on what your jam is. If that works for you, go for it.

But you may have to wait until happier and healthier times to do that.

In these days of the Coronavirus, it’s best to stick to outdoor dance parties or your living room.         

2. Hiking or Walking

What this really comes down to is get outside and move your body.

Ideally, you live someplace close to lots of beauty of forests, streams, and waterfalls. If you can, get out in that beautiful nature and allow it to heal your heart and so

If you can’t, find the prettiest neighborhood in your town with lots of trees and flowers and bushes and plants and walk around.

Hikes naturally take longer; but if you’re neighborhood walking, go for at least 45 minutes.

Do not stroll, walk briskly with long strides and swinging arms and breathe deeply through your nose to take in all the scents.

3. Shaking

Now, it’s time to get a little freaky because this practice makes you look crazy to the casual observer.

That said, it’s worth it. 

To deliberately shake your body is amazing therapy.

Everything we experience is stored in our bodies - everything from the beautiful to the ugly.

But the ugly adds up. By literally shaking every part of your body, you’re shaking it OUT OF YOU.

It works even better if you speak gibberish afterwards – sounds that make no sense and form no coherent words for a minute or two.

This is the part that makes you look insane. But it works.

This was a crucial practice after my breakup.

I went through a period of feeling numb and disconnected. 

I became acutely aware of this when I went to a Tantra Festival where everybody else was in a warm, touchy-feely, happy space and I wasn’t.

Things shifted after one workshop, when the facilitator started the dance practice with a several minutes of shaking followed by gibberish.

That one practice alone made me feel alive again.

Below is a video that shows a basic shaking practice that isn’t too mortifying (although the narrator does a little gibberish towards the end).

Go ahead and cut more loose and find other Youtube videos for some ideas. Be sure to put “shaking practice” in your search.

So now you have a few of my secrets.

Now that you’ve physically processed your “stuff,” put your butt to the chair and start writing!