Have you ever been so busy, stressed, overwhelmed, agitated or all of the above that just taking a moment to focus on - well anything - seems impossible?
Certain activities take more energy than others and mental processes can seem the most exhausting of all when you have a full plate. All you can do is hope to get through each day accomplishing even half of your goals!
Since the Fall, I feel my life has been going non-stop without a moment to breathe or enjoy the simple things. Stress has been my devoted companion, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
During this time, I have also been in school full time and my cognitive skills seem to be fried most of the day. Somehow, I try to find the ounce of energy that still endures in my mind to write. Writing actually relieves some of the stress, but finding inspiration when you are just plain exhausted can be difficult. Here is what I find works.
- Just write. No matter how stressed or tired you are, start writing. You may be surprised at how alive writing makes you feel and how quickly inspiration is poured onto the paper or keyboard.
- Read. If my mind is void of creative thought, I will read other people's creative thoughts and can find inspiration there. This can be blogs, articles, books, or quotes.
- Go for a walk. Sometimes, it helps to just walk away from the computer, the Internet, work, chores, anything that can agitate stress or remind you of deadlines. It helps clear your mind to make room for creative inspiration.
- Exercise. Step it up and exercise! Most of the time, I find that I am stressed because I have not worked out. Once I do, the clouds seem to dissipate in my head and inspiration becomes clear.
- Talk to friends. I have participating in great conversations with people who just by talking have given me great inspiration and ideas to write about!
- Prioritize. If there is an overflow of activities on your plate, it is likely you may just not get everything done. Take all your goals and figure out what can wait a day or two and start to prioritize.
- Organize. Once you prioritize, organize. You will be surprised how much you can get done once you figure out what your goals are and organize your thoughts and agenda.
- Keep a journal. During busy times, you may have a fleeting thought that can only be captured in that very moment. This is where a journal or a pad of paper can come in handy!
- Relax. If I am really tense and agitated, there is no way any inspirational thought will seep out of my mind and help me to write anything productive.
- Just think. Whether it is five minutes of free flow thought or meditation of some sort, relax and then let the thoughts rush through your mind.
- Use creative prompts. I wrote a post a couple months back about writing prompts. Even if the idea is to just get the creative juices flowing, writing prompts may be the answer.
- Look at art or photographs. Looking at visual art, like photographs or paintings, can also trigger the creative spot in your brain and produce spectacular inspiration.
- Skip Twitter of Facebook. Stay off these sites for a day and focus on completing a writing assignment. Sometimes, social media can cause major time suckage!
I hope these tips help! Good luck and get out there and write!
