by Reba J. Hoffman
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| Watch your stress level |
I was
fortunate to meet some of you at last week’s ACFW conference in Dallas. What a
grand time we had. Whether you attended that conference or not, this seems to
be a time of year when writers’ stress level increases.
You have
edits, or what’s worse, nothing to edit when others are buzzing with red pen
syndrome. Children are back in school activities and volunteered you to be the
team driver. Your spouse thought it would be a great idea to invite their boss to
dinner. So what if you didn’t get the memo.
There are
some things you can do right now to help you survive and thrive during this
very busy season. Here are just a few. I could list more but I don’t want to
overwhelm you.
- Breathe in… breath out. Seriously. Yes, I mean now. Go ahead. I’ll wait. Consciously doing nothing except breathing in and out will give you a vacation from the chaos. It will also increase the blood flow to your brain.
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| Write it out |
- Make a list. It is empowering to have the things you need to accomplish right in front of you. As you complete them and check them off your list, it energizes you and helps you tackle the next project on your list.
- Write it out. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or tugged in so many directions you feel you need a name change to Mr. Gumby, sit down and write how you’re feeling. Not only could you uncover a hidden roadblock, but you’ll get those emotions out. No mulligrub stew for you.
- Turn in your cape. You’re not superman, no matter what you or the world expect of you. You’re mere moral and can only do so much and it doesn’t include leaping tall buildings with a single bound. So, turn in your cape and give yourself permission to just do your best… whatever that is today.
It won’t
all get done. It wasn’t meant to. Life isn’t like that. You weren’t designed to
be all things for all people and you aren’t expected to do everything. So cut
yourself some slack. Breathe in… Breathe out. Relax. It’s all good.
