How to Care for Yourself While Writing Your Book

The term self-care isn’t new or radical. No matter how or where you apply it, most people have a general understanding of what it means. What do you think of when you think of self-care? Taking a day off from work to completely unplug? Going to a yoga class? Taking a bath? These things are wonderful, but when it comes to writing your manuscript, there’s an important reason why you may want to look at self-care through a different lens. 

Writing is an act of creative expression, requiring (demanding) every kind of energy you can throw at it—mental, emotional, spiritual, physical. And let’s not forget how much time it takes to sit and write (and write and write and write), time that you may have to borrow from other areas of life. If we’re not careful, we creatives can easily slip into a nasty burnout spiral. But, dear writer, this devotion of your time and energy toward your manuscript does not need to run you ragged—your book should not leave you utterly drained and lifeless.  

Below are my seven writing self-care tools that keep me coming back to the page, healthy, energized, and ready to write.

Allow your first draft to be sh!tty. 

If you spend too much time revising what you’ve already written without allowing yourself to write more, it can be all too easy to spin your wheels, exhaust yourself, and burn out.

Think about writing your book as layers of paint in a painting. Now, I’m no painter, but I’ve taken a painting class or two and have seen a few paintings in my day. What you’ll notice (or perhaps know first hand) is that every painting is made up of layers and layers of paint. The very beginning stages of it looked nothing like the finished canvas. If the painter had a vision of how they wanted the final version of their painting to look but obsessed on getting one tiny corner of the canvas just right without having a reference of what the rest of the painting will actually look like, they’d get nowhere. Or maybe they’d eventually get somewhere, but not without a good, long fight. And I still think they’d end up tweaking the corner they obsessed over once the whole canvas was covered in paint. 

When you’re writing your first draft, get it onto paper and then let it breathe. Move on and write more. Maybe make a rule that you need to give yourself at least a week or two before you look at the first draft of any chapter or section. Or maybe you make a deal that not only do you give yourself a set amount of time before you revisit a first draft, but you also write two or three more pages/chapters/sections before you do.

Giving yourself space and distance before self-editing your earlier drafts can not only help you edit more strongly, it can also save you from premature revision burnout. 

Consciously celebrate all your efforts.

Maybe you’re more of a freewriter and decide to sit down and write when inspiration strikes. Maybe you’ve got a plan with monthly or weekly writing goals. Or maybe you have an amazing group of writers or a coach holding space to keep you accountable to show up for your writing. Whatever your strategy is to actually do the work, it can be all too easy to obsess over what we haven’t done yet instead of celebrating what we have done. 

Become your own cheerleader. Make actual notes on your calendar or in a dedicated journal celebrating every little book-writing victory you can think of, no matter how insignificant it may feel to you. Maybe you wrote for thirty minutes today. Maybe a few title ideas came to you. Maybe you wrote a draft of a scene you’ve been struggling to write for months. Whatever it is, write it down and give yourself a gold star. (Seriously, go buy a pack of gold stars—stickers can be so motivating!) Keep your celebration notes somewhere that you can easily look at when you need a morale boost. Because actually doing the work of writing your book is no joyride. Rewarding, yes, though not always a joy. But you’re doing it, damnit. That’s something to celebrate!

Prime your mind with breathwork. 

You don’t need to be a yogi or a seasoned meditator to support yourself with breathwork. If you’re new to breathing exercises, they’re quite easy. The best thing about them is that they can be done anytime, anywhere, and no additional equipment is needed.

Taking a deep breath in and a slow, long breath out produces countless benefits for your mind, body, and nervous system. Before you sit down to write, getting into the habit of taking a few minutes to close your eyes and focus on nothing but breathing can do wonders for your creative process. When you breathe in, feel your belly and rib cage expand. As you breathe out, take your time and fully exhale. Take note of how you feel before and after a few minutes of this kind of breathing, or even after two or three breaths. 

You don’t have to do anything fancy, but if you want to get really into it, there are plenty of cool breathing exercises out there to try on for size.

Don’t compare your writing process with others’ writing processes.

Comparison, particularly when it comes to comparing your writing process with others, should always be an uninvited guest at your writing table. 

Every project, no matter the nature of it, tells its own unique story of the twists, turns, dips, backsteps, trips, and leaps it took to complete itself. The key word here is that every creative journey is unique. But one creative journey is never superior to another. Whether it took you two years or two months to crank out a draft of your manuscript is irrelevant. Whether you hold an MFA in creative writing or never graduated high school (yes, you read that correctly) is irrelevant. What matters is that you remain committed to writing your book and that you silence all inner trolls trying to tell you why your writing is “no good” and why you should give up. 

Many of us are inundated with stories of how a writer blew through a project and completed a “masterpiece,” essentially overnight with their first try. Well, that’s all good and fine if they enjoyed the process and they feel good about their work. But there are plenty of writers who take years (or even decades) to complete a project. They go through draft upon draft of a scene or chapter, and sometimes they can’t bring themselves to write for months. However, their commitment remained, they polished their work until it was to their liking, and they finished it. Isn’t that incredible?

Stretch your shoulders, back, neck, wrists, and fingers.

Whether you love to pick up a pen and notebook or prefer a keyboard and screen, it is undeniable that sitting down to write for hours upon hours can take a toll on your body. 

Poor posture at your desk and not taking care to stretch out your fingers and wrists after so much writing can lead to undesirable issues like carpal tunnel syndrome or a stiff neck and back. This is why it is important to counter hours spent writing with plenty of stretching and physical activity. 

Here are some of my favorite wrist, neck, shoulder, and hip flexor stretches. You can do them anywhere and they are easy to implement into a daily routine. 

A nice long walk is also wonderful for clearing the mind, boosting your mood, improving your circulation, and stretching your legs after a long day of writing, and yoga is a writer’s best friend, if you ask me. Pick your non-poison and stick with it! Your body and mind will certainly thank you.

Make your writing area ergonomically supportive.

Wherever you choose to write, ensuring that your writing space is ergonomically supportive is a wonderful investment for your spinal health. If you haven’t already done so, assess your writing space for its ergonomic support (or lack thereof). Sometimes, just a few small changes to your writing area can have a dramatic impact on your well being. 

Turn your writing zone into a sanctuary.

Making your writing zone a sanctuary is key to supporting your writing process. What makes it a sanctuary? This largely depends on your taste and desires, but think “comfort,” “serenity,” and “support.”

First, keep your space free of clutter. A messy external space can leave your internal space feeling a bit messy as well. Go through a weekly decluttering to boost your energy and inspire longer writing sessions. 

Next, mindfully design a space that leaves you feeling ready and excited to write. This can look like just about anything you can think of. Do you benefit from aromatherapy? Consider putting an oil diffuser at your desk and find out what scents relax your nervous system or get your creative juices flowing. Is it important for you to have pleasing images or colors surrounding you? Do you have a desk vase for bouquets? A plant at your desk? Paintings or photos of loved ones? Mantras or affirmations printed on beautiful stationary to remind yourself of your strength and capabilities as you sit down to write? How about a powerful gemstone? Candles, anyone? Fuzzy slippers at the ready? Favorite cup of tea?

I could go on. However you design your sanctuary, take care to gather items that make you feel serene, grounded, clear-minded, and supported when you sit down to write. Make your writing space special. Because you are. And so is your book.

Lots of love,