There’s a lot going on in the world right now. There’s the nonstop political shenanigans that give shenanigans a bad name, because those are supposed to be fun, right? There’s exploding diarrhea because who doesn’t want that in the heat of summer. And did I mention the heat? It’s been brutal; it zaps your energy, and it can make you sick and send your chronic illness into a flare. (Let me wave to all my flare friends.)
I’m hearing a couple of big refrains throughout all the writing communities I’m in. Everyone’s sales are down across the board (and I’m hearing this outside of the book world, too). Everyone is feeling like they’ve been stuck in a pressure cooker for way too damn long. And no one wants to feel that way.
If that sounds familiar, let me start off this post by telling you that you’re not alone. Not by a long shot.
Everything that’s happening plus the belief that you need to keep writing, keep creating, and keep producing can be overwhelming. In fact, there’s no can be. It is overwhelming, and it can be the cause of writer’s block.
Which is real, by the way. And I’ll be talking about that more.
I wish I had kind words and assurances that everything would be all right and we’ll all get through this unscathed. I also don’t want to lie to anyone. So today, all I want to say is that it’s okay not to be okay.
It’s important for our creative nervous systems that we don’t put additional pressure on ourselves to be okay. I know there’s a belief that we have to always be “on” and there are “gurus” telling you that you need to release multiple chapters a week on your subscription or write/dictate 5000 words a day. They can tell you that, but it’s also very curious that many of them are pivoting to “author work-life balance” and “sustainable career” rather than admit that what they were selling was a house of cards.
Allow yourself to not be okay.
Allow yourself to breathe and take breaks.
And admit to yourself that things aren’t okay and you can’t pretend that they are.
It’s okay to not be okay. And it’s okay to admit you’re not okay. And if you haven’t gotten the gist of this blog yet, well, whatever you’re dealing with, whatever you’re going through, and however you’re dealing with it, you’re doing okay. After all, we’re all human and no one was meant to maxx everything in our current times.
If you’d like to talk, reach out.
Curious about what your creative nervous system type is? Take our free quiz. Learning what your creative nervous system type is will help you determine the best way to find balance and stay inspired.