To me, writing is a roller coaster ride of emotions. One moment I’m feeling high and rising higher, and the next I’m plunging into despair. Writing is a love/hate relationship. I love to write, but it is the hardest, most frustrating thing I’ve ever done. Why do I do it?
A lot of my frustration is that I’d rather be writing…when working, when gardening, when doing lots of things I’m doing. Then I sit down to write and it’s hard to focus. Sometimes I have thoughts churning through my mind so much that I can’t get a clear grasp of them. That’s when it’s time to take a step back. Meditative yoga and deep breathing helps a lot when I get this way. Just trying to stretch and breathe brings my mind back into focus.
But so does writing. Writing anything.
I like to read, but sometimes I need to get away from words, and I’ve found that to be true even more so lately. I think it’s because I’m surrounded by words. My full time job has nothing to do with writing, but it’s still nothing but words. This case, that case, that notation, this data (word data) I have to enter, that document I have to type up. I’m always around words.
That’s where the yoga comes in handy (I haven't done it near enough lately), but I’ve also taken up coloring. I used to enjoy coloring but stopped, until my niece (now five) sat down and colored with me on the floor for hours. Now I go to the store and buy new coloring books purported to be for her, when I’m really buying them for myself.
Sudoku is also a good release. Sudoku is all about numbers, so it’s a nice break from words and traditional crosswords.
Long walk with nature is by far the best thing, in my opinion, to calm my mind, especially this time of year, but unless I intentionally clear my mind, I still have things running rampant through it.
I love music, and music is always a good release, but I’ve found I don’t listen to it as much anymore. I think it must be because it’s just more words, and then a song will get stuck in my head and I’ll have even more jumbled thoughts dancing around in there, LOL.
The more jumbled my thoughts are, the harder it is for me to write. What do you do when you need to focus?
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2 comments:
I usually get away, call a friend and go out to dinner or a stupid movie, just something to totally distract me and reconnect me to "real" life again. I'm such an introvert that I can spend days in seclusion, so when I get distracted, I usually need to reconnect...with something other than my computer screen.
I do something physical: go on a walk, dance around the house, work out. I find I get my best ideas when I'm being active because your mind is focusing on something else so they can pop in there.
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