We have all experienced it; the dreadful feeling of staring at a blank page wondering if you’ll ever be able to come up with anything new again. You were on a roll once, but now, even coming up with a coherent sentence is a daunting task.
It gets grimmer with each passing second, and terrifying with each passing minute. If you are superstitious, you may even feel cursed, having to deliver the essay, article, or book on time, while doomsday draws closer.
If you are experiencing this, have no fear. Below are 8 proven ways you can overcome writer’s block.
1. Go for a nature walk
Science has recently begun proving that going for a walk in the park or woods has a calming effect. People living in natural environments have lower levels of stress hormones.
2. Write at a different place
Colors affect our moods. When you need to get in the mood to write, working in a new environment may bring new ideas.
3. Recite motivational quotes
If you aren’t an avid reader, recite your favorite quotes over and over again. Quotations are short, insightful, and full of inspiration. A book may take an hour or two to lift you up, but an affirmation only takes seconds.
4. Go for a jog
Stack up the endorphins. Replace stress, fear, and anxiety with happy hormones. Exercising also boosts you psychologically.
5. Meditation/Prayer
Whether you are religious or not, prayer and meditation have been proven to have healing effects. Releasing your fears to a higher power is one of the simplest proven ways of lightening your burdens, especially if you don’t have anyone you can trust.
6. Mentorship
Professional athletes, celebrities, entertainers, and business executives will be the first to tell you that having a mentor or trainer goes a long way toward helping you accomplish your goals. A life coach, for example, is trained to help you overcome your fear of failure so that you can achieve your dreams.
7. Work on something else
Sometimes all you need to do when you are stuck is work on a different project. When you return to it your mind will be fresh, full of new ideas.
8. Face Your Fears
The majority of fear’s strength comes from making itself out to look larger than it is. When you face your fears, you take away their power; they become weaker, and you become stronger.
Find more writing and publishing tips at Nothing Any Good.
About the Author
Matshona Dhliwayo is a Canadian based Philosopher, Entrepreneur, and author of books such as The Little Book of Inspiration, Creativity, The Book, 50 Lessons Every Wise Mother Teaches Her Son, 100 Lessons Every Great Man Wants You to Know, and Lalibela’s Wise Man. You can find all of his books available at Amazon.
Nice guest post! I’m actually tackling this topic in an article on Writing in the Modern Age on August 25th. Yeah, I know, it’s quite a ways off, but I have so much going on right now that I had to pre-schedule it. LOL.
Great tips, Matshona! And as always, thanks, Dan, for giving me a break from my everyday worries with your awesome blog. 🙂
Thank you, Marie! You can view my other work here. https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/matshona-dhliwayo-2333a65a