4 Tips to Overcome Writing Anxiety.

I am failing at all of these things right now!

You like to write. You want to write. But when you sit down to write, you stare at the blank screen or paper for an hour without realizing you drooled all over yourself. 

Do you have cold sweats or sweaty palms every time you sit down to attempt to write? Does your heart race before you even sit down at the computer or typewriter?

You may be feeling apprehension or deep pessimism about writing.

You may have writing anxiety.

It is real and it sucks.

BUT! It is O.K.! 

There are ways to fight back against your brain. 

The following tips are just some of the ways that have helped me. Now I hope they can help someone else.

Symptoms of Writing Anxiety

You may have guessed that the symptoms of writing anxiety are similar to regular anxiety. Physical signs involve a racing heart of a coke addict, jitters, lack of concentration, sweating from every dirty hole in your body, and potentially an all-out panic attack.

Mental signs involve a litany of negative thoughts and emotions. You may tell yourself that you suck and will never be good enough. You will think your writing is garbage and you have no talent. The weight of rejection and failure will be overwhelming.

Here is the thing, you have not even taken the chance to warrant these feelings. You are delivering a self-inflicted wound to your nut-job mind based on an attack that has not happened yet.

So, allow me to lay out a plate of some helpful shit to get you back in the game.

4 Tips to Overcome Writing Anxiety

Tip 1. Mindfulness and Meditation

Sit down on the floor, spine erect and close your eyes. Focus on some singular object in your mind, such as a candle flame or sunflower, and breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Concentrate on the breathing and the object.

Don't worry about the constant intrusion of thoughts. Those dirt bastards will keep coming and you will keep banishing them back to hell. Each time you will get better at doing it.

Start small with a 5-minute session and work your way up to 10, 15, etc. 

The room should be cool, quiet, and comfortable. Some candles and white noise might help but are not necessary. You can even go outside and find a tranquil spot in mother nature. 

Meditation will clear your mind, give you focus, and calm the beating heart of anxiety of any type. 

I need to start doing this more often because I know it works. 

Believe me...even if I don't have a man bun and wannabe lumberjack beard.

Tip 2. Exercise

Get off your fat ass and sweat...well sweat for a worthwhile reason, not for anxiety.

Exercise, whether it's just a walk or a H.I.I.T. session in the gym will clear your mind and give you an endorphin boner. You will be more relaxed and comfortable with a can-do attitude when you are done.

The hardest part is getting started, but the more you do it the more you will look forward to it.

Everyone feels better and more motivated after a good sweat session.

Use that to your advantage.

Tip 3. Free Write

I think I have harped on this one before as free writing for meditation (https://jtwannabewriter.blogspot.com/2021/01/writing-tip-writing-as-meditation.html).

Sit down, set a timer for 5 to 10 minutes, pick a topic, and write/type for the entire duration. Write anything that comes to mind. Let your mind run free without the constraints of grammar, punctuation, character arcs, or overarching narrative.

Again, I will reference the theProse.com for doing some free writing based on the challenges other users set up. I have literally done some of my best writing this way.

Free writing frees the soul.

Tip 4. Sleep

I think we can all agree that sleep is good, for everything. The problem is that we do not get enough of it. I know this is something I have been struggling with since I got my master's degree. 

I think I have PTSD...always worrying something was due or if I completed what I needed to for the day kept me up at night.

Not sleeping 7-8 hrs. (this can vary by individual, but those are the overall recommended numbers) can cause I host of shitty side effects related to your health and state of mind.

In my situation it has been weight gain (despite working out every day and lifting heavy) and inability to focus. My self-esteem has tanked because I cannot seem to lose the extra pounds from school. Body dysmorphia much?

If you feel shitty about yourself then that only serves to deepen your anxiety.

If you cannot focus and actually get any writing done, then that too deepens your writing anxiety. 

Sleep is directly linked to creativity. Lack of sleep is directly linked to depression and anxiety.

Trust me. It's science.

Deep REM sleep is where dreams occur and how many stories have been based on dreams?

A metric shit ton.

Prioritize sleep. I am now...

Final Thoughts

You may find some or all of the above tips difficult to manage and cope with all at once. Take them one step at a time and do not try to fix everything at once. 

That will only make it worse.

There are lots of good resources online to help you meditate, sleep, free write, or get exercising. The how is up to you and based on your individual personality and physical characteristics. 

BUT once you start upping your game in all of those categories your anxiety will drop (at least it will become manageable) and your general health and wellness will improve. 

Enjoy it and be proud of accomplishing something.

VICTORY!