It’s the first Wednesday of the month and time for another posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.
Note: If you’re looking for my A-Z post, check out the main blog page.
There’s a fine line between being tired and being on the slippery slope of burnout. As someone who has suffered from burnout on and off for the last couple of years, I know that scheduling time for self-care is an important part of staying a career author.
I wrote about the ways I create energy for myself last year: Find Your Inner Dragon.
I wrote about burnout, with a book recommendation to get over it and quotes, in 2023: Guess Who Has Burnout?
Here’s a podcast episode by author Lesley Penelope about the economics of time: Every “Yes” is a Sacrifice.
What I’m focusing on right now to fill the Creative Well:
Reading
As always, I’m reading as much as possible, as widely as possible. You can check out my reviews in my year-end post in November and, of course, my April posts (and BookBub and Goodreads).
Listening to Music
Besides my usual rock and metal playlists, I’ve also reconnected with music from my youth: think boybands like Boyzone and Backstreet Boys, and a weird mix of dance music like Vengaboys and Cascada. (Links will take you to music videos.)
Watching TV
I’m bingeing the Reacher series (I’ve read most of the twenty plus books in the series, so no spoilers while watching this series). Watching a bit of mindless violence is helping a bit with the stress local politics is putting on me.
What I’m focusing on to stay healthy:
Physical Activity
This year, I’ve started doing Pilates every morning. It bothers my dogs that I lie on the floor and follow a video on my phone… LOL. I also work in my garden (mostly composting) and with my horses (mainly cleaning up after them and letting them lead me around).
Sleep is a priority
I know that I sometimes mess around with my circadian rhythm by not sticking to a sleep schedule (or not sleeping at all) while working on a project. Right now, I’m prioritising sleep. Coffee is great to keep me running around like the Energizer Bunny, but the dark circles under my eyes are more reminiscent of one of the dark fae I blogged about in April 2024…
Cooking
As usual, I’m cooking from scratch. I’m pretending I’m in the MasterChef Kitchen… I’m cooking with a lot of fresh veggies, using my pantry staples like it’s a mystery box. Loads of fun!
Hydrate
I’m drinking a lot of ginger tea and water to combat the effects of the black coffee I mainline. Water is probably the most important thing to keep drinking even when you don’t feel thirsty (especially when it’s cold outside) to keep your brain working at it’s best. It’s also good for your skin.
What are some self-care routines you follow? You can learn loads more on my For Authors page here.
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No-one writes about the fae like Ronel Janse van Vuuren.
I am impressed with your dedication to self-care. You put more thought into it in one post than I put into it in a year! (laughing/not laughing)
Thanks. Better to do this than suffer from burnout again.
I’m all about the hydration and drink a ton of water every day.
Reacher is one awesome series!
H2O is the way to go. LOL.
Self-care is very important. I’m trying to learn how to take care of myself better and do things to relax and enjoy myself more.
It can be difficult to take the time to just take care of ourselves in a world where everything is go-go-go. Good luck!
The weather just started getting a bit nicer so I can work in the garden, which does a lot for me physically and mentally, I enjoy prepping soil to weeding too! That slope is tricky though. It’s steep.
I like working in the garden, too. You can do what we learned in school they did in Peru (a very long time ago) to grow food on the steep slopes: don’t go downhill, but run horizontally and build up in terraces. That’s what I did with my veggie garden (my land is on the slope of a dried riverbank).
If you don’t look after yourself, no one else does. I’ve learned that lesson. Kudos to you for having such an excellent self-care plan in place.
Thanks, Susanne.
Eating and sleeping well are huge for keeping the creative well filled. I struggle with insomnia and I know that when I’ve not slept, I can’t maintain focus on anything.
I haven’t found a solution for the sleep, but my self-care includes tons of exercise (mostly walking in the forested park near my house) and trying to eat tons of fruits and veggies and not much sugar (dang, that last is hard for me. As any of my readers can guess, I love me my baked goods!). Working on my house or in the garden is also very centering, and combines physical activity with a sense of accomplishment.
The walking and baked goods sounds very much like Seffi… LOL. I’ve found that cuddling with a Rottweiler does wonders for falling and staying asleep 🙂
Sleep is a dragon I continue to strive to slay. It really seems to be the key to it all. @samanthabwriter from
Balancing Act
It’s probably the most important part. Try cuddling with your furbabies 🙂
Self-care is not indulgent; it’s necessary! My best self-care is when I can wake up naturally, without an alarm. I’ve structured my work schedule so that I rarely need an alarm, and it’s heaven.
Good luck with A-Z.
Kudos to you, Ronel, for focusing on self-care. I’m trying to, but flailing. We have a major renovation starting in 12 days, and I am madly packing among too many other things on my list. You’ve inspired me to stop for the night. Thank you!