This Friday is Valentine’s Day. It’s a day made for love but whether you are single, dating, or married, one thing we all need to do is learn to love ourselves. Self-care is especially important for those of us who are tackling new challenges like writing a book and building your business. Let’s take a look at how you can take care of yourself while writing your book.
Self-Care Tips
Staying healthy while we are writing our book can sometimes be difficult. Life becomes busy and we tend to take the easy way out: poor eating choices, not exercising, and other unhealthy coping mechanisms can find their way into our lives. For me, there are three helpful self-care tips I want to share with you:
- Keep moving
- Watch your intake
- Have fun
Keep Moving
The first self-care tip for writers is to keep moving. One thing is true about writing, we need to be sitting down to write. That usually means sitting down at your desk, your couch, or the coffee shop while you write, edit, rewrite, research, etc.
Sitting down is not an inherently bad thing but when we become engulfed in our project, we can sometimes forget to stand up and move enough. One way to combat this is to stand up and move for five minutes every hour. It can be as simple as walking to the bathroom or grabbing a cup of coffee or water. However, I suggest taking a couple of those breaks to walk your dog or do a little activity to raise your heart rate.
Another way you can make sure you move enough is to schedule exercise in your day. I know many people who like to wake up, go to yoga in the morning, and then sit down to write. Others like to write during the day and go to the gym late at night. All you need to do is a quick Google search for ideas on quick exercises. Whatever you do, make sure you keep moving!
Watch Your Intake
Self-care tip number two: Watch what you eat and drink. We all need to be aware of what we put into our bodies. According to at least one article, doing strenuous thinking can make us feel hungrier. Thinking hard doesn’t actually burn more calories though so we need to be aware of what we put into our bodies. Sitting down all day and an increased calorie intake can lead to lower energy, a few more pounds, and just overall lower quality of health.
We need to be aware of more than what we eat; we also need to watch what we drink. First off, water is the drink of choice when it comes to health. Outside of water we should watch what we drink. Pop, I guess most of you call it soda, is one drink to watch. Yes, it tastes good and provides a bit of caffeine but it also is full of a lot of calories. If you are looking for a little boost of energy lean more towards teas and coffee, but again watch out for the sweeteners and creams, they add calories! Too much caffeine can be a bad thing too! I notice when I have too much coffee I can get a little anxious and find it hard to focus. Be aware of what your body can handle.
The last thing to watch is your alcohol intake. I’m no prude, I enjoy a glass of whiskey or a pint of beer; in fact, I’ll probably have one after I finish writing this on Monday night. But, we do need to watch how much we drink because it can lead to some physical reactions the day after. No one likes waking up with a hangover and to be the most productive person we should be aware of how we react to a glass or two in the evening.
Have Fun
Don’t take yourself too seriously! It is encouraged to have fun!
Self-care means taking care of yourself in body and mind. Go out on Friday night to dinner with your friends. Find a way to get in nine holes on your local course after work. Or, if you’re like me, you might head out on Saturday to watch your local soccer team. There are a million ways we can have fun so take the time and make it happen!
Our business coach always used the 80/20 rule. Everything in life should be done with the 80/20 rule. Work hard, write, and run your business 80 percent of the time and have fun the other 20. Find your 20% and make sure you actually do it!
Self-Care Is Crucial!
Whether or not you are deep into writing or at the beginning of your journey, remember to take care of yourself so you can take care of your book and your business.
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