Self-Care for Aspiring Authors

Self-Care for Aspiring Authors

I always think about self-care and what it means to me, not only personally, but also as a writer. I’ve learned that self-care isn’t just about doing things for yourself all the time; but it’s also about knowing what your needs are and finding ways to meet them. In this blog post, I want to dive deeper into the importance of self-care as a woman and share some of my favorite strategies for practicing self-care as a writer.

So what does self-care have to do with book-writing? 

Let me be the first to tell you that they both go hand in hand when it comes to making sure you reach your writing goals without COMPLETE BURNOUT. Taking the time to instill your self-care into a writing schedule will allow you to write fully charged up and increase your productivity and confidence in actually achieving your book goals. It is important to make sure you honor how you take care of yourself so that you can execute your goals with excellence, overflow, ease, and excitement. (I mean let’s be honest, you are doing something pretty amazing like writing your story.) 👏🏾

So, how do you define self-care in your life? Honestly, it looks different for each and every one of us. To me, it’s really a commitment to self. A commitment that you have to be dedicated to in order to be healthy mentally, emotionally, and physically. As promised, here are some of my favorite strategies for practicing self-care as a writer:
  1. Take the time to celebrate your wins: This is extremely important, because each step that you take in moving closer to holding your story and book in your hands allows you to see your progress to keep pushing through to the end.  Every single win is important, and celebrating them is a form of self-care. Many people don’t celebrate themselves because they are focused on the next task that they need to complete, but taking the time out to celebrate when you have completed your outline or a chapter of your book is also key.
  2. Schedule time to work on your book:  This is a great way to honor your time. Give your mind the time and space to do its work. Just like a seed needs soil and water in order for it to grow into a plant, our minds need peace in order for us to grow as writers. The first step is finding a time that aligns with your life and where you won't be distracted: somewhere quiet with minimal distractions. Then come up with a schedule that works best for you—maybe writing every morning before work or putting aside 30 minutes each evening after dinner—and stick with it!
  3. Know when you need support: Both business and personal support. You may need a book-writing coach to help keep you accountable with your writing goals and taking much needed breaks, while on the other hand you may need support from family and friends to help break up your day and hang out. As a woman, you're going to be asked to do a lot of things. Asking for help is not only okay, but it's also necessary. Be honest with yourself about what you need and ask for it when necessary. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work being asked of you, take a break or delegate some tasks without guilt. When taking care of ourselves as women, we have to practice self-care in order to maintain our productivity levels while also ensuring that we don't burn out by pushing too hard or trying to do it all ourselves.
  4. It’s OK to REST! When you’re working on a big project, it can be tempting to think that the answer is always “more.” More time, more effort, more energy. But that’s not always true. Sometimes the answer is “less.” It's important to remember that you are human and your body needs rest—even if you don't realize it at the time! The things we do in our day-to-day lives take a toll on our bodies just by existing in this world. Take care of yourself so that when you're working hard on writing your book, your body will be able to support you, your book, and life goals without breaking down. 

Conclusion

As your book-writing coach, I am a huge advocate on helping you create a writing schedule that aligns with your life, self-care, and boundaries so that you can execute your goals with ease and confidence. Writing your story without tapping into your self care practices can lead you into procrastination, stress, or exhaustion. I want you to write your story and testimony with execution, ease, and peace. Showing up as your best and full self is a must in order to pour not only into yourself but also other people. You know how it is, and I am rooting for you.   

Talk soon!

Brit Lashae

Author & Book-Writing Coach

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Ready to work with Journey Written and have me as your book-writing Coach?  Visit www.JourneyWritten.com today so that we can discuss your book goals and project!

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Brit Lashae is an Author & Book-Writing Coach for women. She founded Journey Written in 2020 and has a passion for helping aspiring authors tell their story and testimony. Throughout the Journey Written Blog she writes about Faith, Book-Writing Tips, Self-Care, and more!