dreams of spring

It is "officially" spring, my cluster. Time to clean out your house and any hindrance to achieving your goals. Let's talk about what you do when you hit a snag in your writing life. This is #fridayfriend

To every road, there are bumps and pot-holes. It is your choice to let those stop you or let them be the launching pad to your next level.

March was such a busy month I felt like a bee. All I did was deal with life and sleep. Life and sleep. Life. Sleep. Sometimes, it was all life and no sleep. To be honest, it got to me and everything came to a grinding halt, especially my writing life. It was terrible. 

​Below are the steps I took to de-stress which led to a resurgence in my writing life and a commitment to create new content for this site. 

steps to de-stress

1. Take a deep breath. Close your eyes; breathe in; count to five; breath out to a count of three. Repeat this until your heartbeat slows to a steady rhythm.
2. ​Step away from the stressor. If you have to take a walk, do so. If soaking in a bath or listening to music relaxes you, do it.
3. ​If you cannot identify the stressor, keep a daily journal. You will begin to see a trend, whether it is a situation where you continuously become tense or a recurring nightmare.
   
4. ​Write down situations you might encounter and ways to deescalate conflict or approach different conditions. This is like improv and lessens the anxiety of the moment because you have a stock card/response you can draw out as needed. 
   
5. ​Sometimes, if you cannot overcome, you have to break through.
   
6. ​Take time to enjoy each moment. 
   
7. ​Spend time with supportive, engaging people who love to uplift others rather than bring them down.
   
8. ​Make it a habit to take 15 to 30 minutes to yourself. You deserve it.​
9. ​Take a mental health day for your own psychological restoration. 
   
10. ​Remember! Remember that no situation is permanent. Things do get better, even when it seems as if the world is blanketed in darkness.
    

update on the promise: march

• Drawing each day: Off track (Doodling off and on); plan to restart in April, 2018).
• Writing each day: On track (Mainly poetry, dialogue between characters; outlines; WIP).
• Submitting my poems (specifically, 1 poem each month): On track (still waiting to hear from journals; Submitted 1 poem in February; submitted 1 in March; 1 rejection letter).
• Finishing my manuscript: On track (The outline is finished and I've started on the 1st draft; this is taking the majority of my free time right now).
• Submitting to agents: Not yet started

remember

To every road, there are bumps and pot-holes. It is your choice to let those stop you or let them be the launching pad to your next level. Maybe this will reveal a new path or plot you have not considered before. Don't be afraid to embrace new opportunities.