Taking a pause from writing

Thursday Thread Topic

As writers we put a lot of pressure on ourselves.

If we’re not playing the comparison game and trying to keep our green-eyed monsters at bay, we are berating ourselves for not writing fast enough or not writing at all.

And if we are writing, our self-doubt and imposter syndrome are sitting right beside us as we do relentlessly judging and critiquing.

There’s a lot out there about self-care and prioritising our mental health, yet as writers the guilt we feel when aren’t productive can force us to dismiss the need to take a break and just chill. We need to get the words down. Need to finish the chapter. The draft. The edit. The book.

I’m guilty of it. Of all of it.

The comparison-itis, the self-doubt, the procrastination, the guilt and guilty of not giving myself time-off when I know I should.

Right now, I’m in New Zealand, on holiday with the family. And no, I’m not writing (apart from this). And I don’t feel guilty.

But it shouldn’t take a holiday or vacation to be our permission to take a break.

Creative burn-out is a thing. And the pressure and guilt we put on ourselves takes its toll, whether we are aware of it or not. Often by the time we are aware of it, it’s too late.

Sure, there will be certain times we can’t just pause. Like if we are on deadline. But there are so many other times that we can, and should take a moment. A break. A pause.

As writers we can be all-consuming. Writing can be all-consuming. It is who we are, what we are, and what we do. But it shouldn’t be all we do.

Refuelling our creative selves is important for our brains to rejuvenate, rest and relax.

Our creativity will not disappear if we pause it for a day or two or a week or two.

In fact, it’s likely that it will reignite unexpectedly.

Taking a break from writing will increase your creativity and allow you to find the joy again. You are inviting space for new things.

So don’t wait till you’re ‘on holidays’ to take a pause. Do it now. Do it next week. Do it whenever you feel the overwhelm or the pressure of mental overload weighing you down.

Give yourself permission to pause. Your creativity and your mental health will thank you.

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