There are many inspiring — and some purely fantastical — articles and books out there about self-care, some even specifically for writers. This is . . . a little more tongue-in-cheek.

Here are some of the top tips I’ve learned in my efforts to be a writer, and also a working person, and also somewhat sane:

  • Use a stress ball. Not because of the stress, but because squeezing the ball actually helps stretch the muscles and tendons you use while typing! . . . And okay, maybe also because of the stress.
  • Take care of your eyes. This doesn’t mean freaking out about blue light, though. From everything I’ve read — everything that wasn’t an advertisement trying to get me to buy a new pair of glasses — the scientific jury is still out, as far as blue light is concerned. So rather than worrying about the light from your screen too much, instead think about where you’re focusing your eyes. Too much focus on something too close to your face is more likely to cause eye strain than anything else. Have you heard of the 20/20/20 rule? Every twenty minutes, take a 20 second break and stare at something about 20 feet away to give your eyes a rest.
  • Listen to your cat. When they jump on your laptop and insist you take a break, maybe you should . . . because, truthfully, insistent kitty paws and keyboards don’t mix.
  • Set schedules and goals — but don’t go crazy. Your 500/day word goal or to-do list aren’t helping anyone if they’re just becoming more things for you to feel bad about. Instead, I’ve adopted a flexible approach. I have a word count goal for each day, but I recognize that some things — like research, blogging!, outlining, and editing — can count toward that goal as well. Not everything has to be super planned-out. 🙂
  • Have a fun drink mix or snack on hand, if you can. Mine is matcha powder or, if I’m feeling really indulgent, milk tea mix. 🙂 Because you can’t be leaping up to go out for coffee all the time, but that doesn’t mean life is no fun when you’re working!
  • Have dance breaks. Hmm . . . is that just me? Oh well. I’m also one of those people who constantly has music playing while I write, and that music matches the mood of what I’m trying to do. And every once in a while, “working out that kink in my back” is a worthy mood!

Jokes aside, I do believe it’s important to take care of yourself and enjoy what you do, especially because writing is a very personal exercise. Have fun! 🙂