How to beat overwhelm as a writer

Fighting overwhelm as a writer

Every day I read a post or note from a writer struggling with overwhelm, sometimes related to their writing, but sometimes it is life taking over and either eating into their writing time. Let’s be honest, there are more reasons to feel overwhelmed than ever these days, but what can we do about it?

Before I begin sharing my tips, I want to make it clear that knowing how to prevent overwhelm, doesn’t always prevent overwhelm. I know that might sound silly, but in reality, when you are in the middle of a situation you often don’t have chance to stop and do anything in addition to what you already have to contend with.

That doesn’t mean these tips are useless.  

Let me explain.

The thing about overwhelm is that it often creeps up on us and catches us unawares. If we were expecting it then we would be prepared and its impact wouldn’t be as huge, would it?

If this is the case what’s the point in learning strategies to beat overwhelm?

Here’s the thing, the best way to combat overwhelm is to always have routines and strategies in place. Create a life that is as overwhelm proof as possible, that way you are always working at keeping this demon from your door rather than grabbing whatever comes to hand when you feel it walking up the path.

• Our old friends Diet and Exercise – When life gets busy we eat on the hop and don’t always get the nutrients we need to feel well and able to cope. Likewise we often skip that walk or gym session because we don’t feel we have time. Exercise is so important for regulating our stress levels.

• Sleep – Getting enough sleep is one of the most important things to keep our brains functioning. Lack of sleep is debilitating and makes every little thing seem bigger. Our stress hormone levels reset as we sleep, if we don’t sleep enough we care carrying stress from days ago with us.

When it comes to overwhelm though, there are a few extra tools we need to be using regularly:

•  Grounding – Making sure we don’t get all up in our heads is important if we are prone to overwhelm. Taking time to walk in nature, hold onto a rock or a crystal, and walk barefoot on grass, will all help you stay grounded.

•  Breathing exercises – simple breathing exercises such as 7-11 breathing or box breathing can really help when that feeling of overwhelm starts to creep in.

• Singing – Having a good sing uses your lungs in a very similar way to breathing exercises, personally I love having a good sing, so this is just a part of my daily life. Get in the car and have a good sing, sing while you make breakfast, whenever suits you, find a tune that uplifts you and have a good sing. Why not dance too then the benefits are three fold!

• Lists – Whether it is making a list of things you need to get done, a list of everything that feels too much or (my favourite) a Ta-da list of all the things you have achieved today. Lists are your best friend in both preventing and controlling overwhelm.

• Step away from the news, social media etc – Anything which may be contributing to your feeling of helplessness and overwhelm just walk away from. You may feel that you are able to return when life calms down, or you may feel better and decide to make it a permanent change to your life. Anything that is really important you will hear about. If you don’t feel able to walk away completely, limit your time on the apps, you can download an app that will do that for you if you know you struggle with doomscrolling.

• Ask for help – Most of us are chronically bad at asking for help. Getting used to asking for help makes it easier to ask for support when life gets too much.

• Find your tribe – Finding a few other writers who you can talk to, compare your challenges and ask for support when you need it – whether that is reading a difficult passage or talking about how you are feeling – is so important. We are often solitary creatures by nature, but we still need that support from a compassionate community who can relate to our challenges.

• Talk to someone – Talking to a trusted loved one about how you are feeling always helps. Equally importantly is recognising when your overwhelm has reached a level that needs professional help. Don’t be afraid to talk to a professional.

I hope you have found some of these tips helpful, even if just as reminders of things you know you should be making a priority, but aren’t necessarily remembering regularly.

If you are looking for a community to join, I work with two amazing groups: 

Writer’s Forge – This group is for writers who want accountability or body doubling to help them make progress on their own projects. We make 30+hrs a month available to share online. We do regular progress checks and spend time working through any challenges if someone needs support. (find out more)

Reflective Inklings – This is my gentle journalling community. There is o pressure, we get together once a month to discuss our journalling and the prompts we have shared. (find out more)