Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Rest and Relaxation

As I write this post, soldiers from a local Army base are departing for a time of R&R and to spend time with their friends and family over the Christmas holiday. If you are active duty or a veteran of our military, thank you for your service. There is a special joy we experience during Christmas, despite the chaos going on in the world around us.

We understand that at Christmas we need to slow down and enjoy the little things in life like conversations with friends. Or simply being still and doing nothing other than enjoying being in the company of our loved ones.

However, there is also irony to the Christmas holidays, the holiday rush is also one of the most stressful times of year for many; we just fill our slower schedules with different tasks.

  • Shopping
  • Shipping
  • Cooking
  • Traveling

A recent study used shows how people’s stress levels increase during the holidays. I learned after my accident just how important rest is to the ebb and flow of life.

I learned in rehabilitation after my accident that stress and not getting enough rest can damage our brains. That is why I protect my downtime and sleep time.

Rest isn’t limited to sleep. It’s a change of pace and change of our routines or habits. Rest helps us keep our lives from becoming stagnant or overbearing. We all need to learn to practice the art of resting and relaxation.

R&R

The slang term, “R&R” has been used in the armed forces for decades and is short for, “rest and recuperation, rest and relaxation, or rest and rehabilitation.” The term applies to a type of leave granted to personnel which allows them to return home to visit their family.

The military understands the importance and need of soldiers having free time to rest and recharge from their service to the country. The stress of serving our country and being away from loved ones can be depressing, stressful, and lonely for our servicemen and women.

I can attest to the stress, growing up as an Army brat while my father served in the Army for over 21 years. While I was young my father spent most of his time in mess halls around the world training soldiers how to cook and preparing meals for our troops.

Now my younger brother is preparing to retire from the Army after 20 years, next month he will have a total shoulder replacement before his wife gives birth to their first child next year. He also suffers from PTSD after serving three tours overseas.

His go-to stress release is long-distance running as an ultra-marathoner. Again, rest doesn’t necessarily mean sleeping; R&R focuses on a change of pace and doing what we enjoy the most. Regardless of our vocation in life, life can become overbearing or monotonous, especially for us writers.

Writer’s Life

  The writer’s life can be just as hectic and restless as a soldier’s life. Writers are always writing, even when not at a desk or computer. Our minds are constantly thinking of new ideas or ways to improve and edit what we have already written.

Burnout usually develops when we fail to take breaks or get enough rest. Writer’s block occurs when we overthink. Psychologically, our minds lock down when we push them too hard .

We resist slowing down and resting for many reasons: fear, perfectionism, self-criticism, and external pressure. Overworked minds perform less efficiently, just like an exhausted body does. Below are four reasons writers need to get more rest from derbyshirewritingschool.com.

  1. Become better writers
  2. Develop more ideas
  3. Understand who we are
  4. Curate and create material to write about.

Let me clarify, resting doesn’t mean being lazy or unproductive. Rest is simply a change of pace to help refuel our creative juices and give our minds and break. It helps our bodies relax and recover from the stress of the writer’s life.  It gives our brains time to slow down and refocus.

Focus

I have already explained how hard it can be for someone with a brain injury to stay focused, even perfectly healthy people can have difficulty focusing if they fail to get enough rest.

Distractions are anything that inhibits our ability to focus, if we fail to get enough rest, our attention spans are inhibited and we are more easily distracted.

And we all know how easily people are distracted today thanks to technology. The human brain can only process so much information at any time. If our minds are not working at 100%, our processing abilities will not be 100%. The military understands that a rested soldier is a more capable soldier.

A rested writer is a more productive writer in the long run. Our brains are the CPU for our nervous systems. The better we take care of our brains, the better our performance will be, will be able to focus better. Below are some tips on how to improve our focus.

  • Minimize distractions
  • Get enough sleep
  • Eat better
  • Meditation
  • Take regular breaks

As writers, we understand the importance of staying focused in our writing. Writers need to stay on point in their prose. The best writers understand how to say more by writing less. Healthy and productive writers understand the need to get enough rest. Just because the holidays are ending, doesn’t mean we don’t need R&R!

Martin Johnson

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJohnson.com  and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Get It Done

If you are like most people, you are excited about the arrival of fall this month. I have been looking forward to it myself, although I have mixed feelings about the season. But I guess I have to take the bad with the good.

  • Windy days
  • Cooler temperatures
  • Fall colors
  • Shorter days

Shorter days mean less sunlight and with the arrival of September comes my S.A.D. (seasonal effective disorder). While the cooler temperatures are nice, less sunlight can have negative effects on brain and body.

Sunlight helps strengthen bones by increasing vitamin D, which also helps fight depression. Sunlight increases serotonin levels that helps us feel calm and be more focused.

September is also national suicide prevention month. The days will only get shorter from now until the first day of winter. So, we must make the most of the daylight hours we have.

For someone with a brain injury, like me, less sunlight can worsen the effects of living with a brain injury. I already have a hard time staying focused and motivated. Some days, I don’t accomplish much of anything, even though I have a lot that needs to get done.

Get It Done

The demands of the writing life can put a lot of pressure on us. We have to create original content, stories, and articles, then proofread and edit. And yet somehow there always seems to be a typo that slips through, despite our best efforts.

I don’t know about anyone else, but the demands of writing can be overwhelming at times. Feeling overwhelmed can be paralyzing for someone with a brain injury or disability.

Overwhelmed

Being overwhelmed means we feel an unbearable weight or pressure that causes stress. As I have stated before, stress is not good for someone with a brain injury. In some cases, too much stress can be lethal.

After my accident, I learned about my need to avoid overly stressful situations in both my personal and vocational life. Stress damages both the structure and function of the brain which can lead to severe impairment.

One way to reduce stress levels is to work on time management skills. This ensures enough time to get work done, which is key to our lives being less stressful.

Below are some ways we can stay productive without feeling overwhelmed from Redbooth.com

  1. Keep it simple
  2. Eliminate distractions
  3. Identify and organize tasks
  4. Just dive in
  5. Don’t get bogged down
  6. Ask for help
  7. Delegate/swap assignments when possible
  8. Take care of yourself
  9. Make your work environment pleasant

My goal isn’t to be less productive, just more efficient with my life, skills, and time. The old adage, “We all have the same amount of time in a day,” comes to mind.

When we focus more on reducing stress, we can be more productive with whatever time we have and will be able to stay focused.

Stay Focused

When I take care of myself physically and mentally, I am able to be more efficient with my time and workload. Make time to take care of yourself and your writing will follow. Don’t let your deadline be the death of you.

Professional writers understand the importance of meeting or beating deadlines. However, we all know how stressful deadlines can be. Below are a few tips for meeting deadlines from mindtools.com

  • Evaluate what’s required
  • Allow for problems
  • Plan in detail
  • Limit the damage of a missed deadline

Having a brain injury has taught me to be proactive instead of reactive with my health to help me stay on task. Focused productivity is the best way to get things done.

Martin Johnson

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJohnson.com  and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

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Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Break Through the Fog

Recently I heard an update about the long-term effects of those who have survived Covid-19. Not only can the virus cause damage to every organ it goes through, but it can also have lasting effects on our brains via our brain stem.

In regards to our brains, the virus can cause severe brain fog that inhibits survivors from being able to focus or maintain a train of thought for long. As a TBI survivor, I know all about brain fog.

Although I am more than 20 years removed from my accident, I still deal with the lingering effects daily. Some days are better than others and some days I can’t remember what day it is. My brain fog is pretty humbling in its ability to shut me down.

  • My short-term memory is shot.
  • The ability to focus is limited.
  • Motivation to get started is impaired.
  • Sometimes I can’t even put my thoughts into audible words.

The latter effect is rare, but debilitating, especially as a writer. We writers are wordsmiths; our job is to put words together to communicate a clear message.

The ability to think and communicate clearly is a necessity for writers. You don’t have to have a brain injury like me to suffer the consequences of brain fog or writer’s block; but, you do need to know what it is and how to handle it.

Brain Fog!

First off, we need to understand that brain fog isn’t a medical issue in itself, but may be an underlying symptom of one. Common symptoms are: memory problems, lack of mental clarity, poor concentration, inability to focus.1

Most of the time we writers describe it as writer’s block, but the issue is deeper than not being able to write or a lack of creativity; something is happening beneath the surface that needs to be addressed.

Medical experts have identified potential causes of brain fog that strikes both writers and the disabled alike.

  1. Stress – Chronic stress can increase blood pressure, weaken the immune system, and trigger depression. It can also cause mental fatigue. When your brain is exhausted, it becomes harder to think, reason, and focus.
  2. Lack of sleep – Poor sleep quality can also interfere with how well your brain functions. Sleeping too little can lead to poor concentration and cloudy thoughts. Aim for 8 to 9 hours of sleep per night.
  3. Hormonal changes – Hormonal changes can also trigger brain fog. Levels of the hormones progesterone and estrogen increase during pregnancy. This change can affect memory and cause short-term cognitive impairment. Similarly, a drop in estrogen levels during menopause can cause forgetfulness, poor concentration, and cloudy thinking.
  4. Diet – Diet can also play a role in brain fog. Vitamin B-12 supports healthy brain function, and a vitamin B-12 deficiency can bring about brain fog. If you have food allergies or sensitivities, brain fog may develop after eating certain foods. Possible culprits include: MSG, aspartame, peanuts, dairy. Removing trigger foods from your diet may improve symptoms.
  5. Medications – If you notice brain fog while taking medication, talk with your doctor. Brain fog may be a known side effect of the drug. Lowering your dosage or switching to another drug may improve your symptoms. Brain fog can also occur after cancer treatments. This is referred to as chemo brain.
  6. Medical conditions – Medical conditions associated with inflammation, fatigue, or changes in blood glucose level can also cause mental fatigue. For example, brain fog is a symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome, which involves persistent fatigue for longer than six months. People who have fibromyalgia may experience similar fogginess on a daily basis. Other conditions that may cause brain fog include: anemia, depression, diabetes, Sjögren syndrome, migraines, Alzheimer’s disease, hypothyroidism, autoimmune diseases such as lupus, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis, dehydration.1

The important thing to remember is: Don’t panic. Even severe cases of brain fog and writer’s block will pass once you take the necessary actions to correct them.

Stay Calm!

The neurological effects of stress/anxiety can affect our bodies physically because they are connected. The trick to getting through physical stress is to stay calm and preserve mental health.

Below are my main steps to dealing with brain fog and stress.

  • Get plenty of rest.
  • Proper nutrition.
  • Take breaks.
  • Limit caffeine intake.

A lot of my writer friends would argue with my last tip. I have colleagues who live off of caffeine. The problem is that caffeine can actually make stress worse. Caffeine stimulates our nervous system and damages our neuroreceptors over time, which is why it takes more to work as we get older. The damage is done by overstimulation.

Medically speaking, the brain’s primary source of energy is glycogen, which comes from carbohydrates and even sugar, not caffeine. Besides, most of us know caffeine increases heart rate along with anxiety levels and that is no way to break through the fog!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.


1  https://www.healthline.com/health/brain-fog

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

The Burnout

Last month I was ready to go on a road trip, shut down my devices, and just vegetate for a few days. I was drained and my creative tanks were empty. The writing life was the farthest thing from my mind and my usual writing responsibilities only frustrated me more.

  • Social media.
  • Writer promotion.
  • Blogging.
  • Screenwriting.
  • Content preparation.

The writing grind had gotten to me and due to the Covid-19 outbreak, a getaway was questionable. Typically this time I escape to the North Georgia Mountains to visit friends or to just be alone in nature. That is how I get my creative tanks refreshed.

Another drawback of the pandemic and remote work is always being at home, because in reality, we are always at work, too. I started working at home as a freelance remote writer a couple of years ago; it has been less stressful on me physically in regards to my disability.

However, since the world has gone on lockdown as a precaution against the virus, remote work has become more popular and the field is flooded with would-be writers all fighting for the same contracts.

This has increased the stress load for those of us already in a tough market that has been severely impacted by the pandemic. The double-edged sword means we have to adjust our pricing to be competitive and seek more work to survive. It’s no wonder many writers are struggling with writing burnout.

Burnout!

Burnout can happen to anyone, regardless of job or health and it is a serious condition. “Burnout is not simply a result of working long hours or juggling too many tasks, though those both play a role. The cynicism, depression, and lethargy that are characteristic of burnout most often occur when a person is not in control of how a job is carried out, at work, or home, or is asked to complete tasks that conflict with their sense of self.”1

Burnout can be disabling in itself. If I am tired, too hungry, dehydrated or stressed out it affects me physically: my speech is slurred, I drag my left leg and at times drool from the left side of my mouth.

These are only a few symptoms and side effects of stress on my brain injuries. Even a healthy person can suffer from the side effects of job burnout:

  1. Have you become cynical or critical at work?
  2. Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started?
  3. Have you become irritable or impatient with co-workers, customers or clients?
  4. Are you troubled by unexplained headaches, stomach or bowel problems, or other physical complaints?
  5. Do you lack the energy to be consistently productive?
  6. Do you find it hard to concentrate?
  7. Do you lack satisfaction from your achievements?
  8. Do you feel disillusioned about your job?
  9. Are you using food, drugs or alcohol to feel better or to simply not feel?
  10. Have your sleep habits changed?
  11. Do you find it hard to concentrate?2

As you can see burnout is both a physical and mental problem that can affect our writing goals. As creatives, we’d like to think we have freedom with our art, but activities like building a platform can be more strenuous than building physical muscles since our success is out of our control.

The American dream and the art of building a platform can push us to the brink of a nervous breakdown. This can impair our creative output. And when our creativity stops flowing, so does our writing. Yet, to be successful we must keep going.

Keep Going!

If you’ve been writing for any amount of time, you understand how difficult it is to keep writing once your creative flow has stopped. This is why we must refresh and recharge our bodies and minds to keep being productive.

Whatever refreshes you or sparks your creativity, do it! Do what you need to do to keep going in your writing career. Below are a few suggestions that might help you to recharge and refocus in your writing:

  • Nurturing your relationships and focusing on hobbies outside of work can help restore your sense of self and mitigate stress.
  • Scheduling regular breaks, starting and stopping at set times, and minimizing multi-tasking can all help maintain boundaries and reduce feelings of burnout.
  • Adjusting your work hours or location (perhaps by telecommuting) can help significantly, as an outsourcing or sharing responsibilities when possible. Setting clear boundaries between “work” and “life”—by not checking email during off-hours, for instance—and allowing for adequate downtime are also useful strategies.
  • Self-care is an effective weapon in the fight against burnout, research shows. Though self-care looks different for everyone, common strategies include yoga, mindfulness meditation, massage, exercise, dietary changes, and practicing self-compassion.3 

As summer comes to an end along with the endless travel, take time to clear your head, rest, and get ready for the upcoming holiday burnout!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.


  • 1  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/burnout
  • 2  https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642
  • 3  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/burnout

Categories
Mastering Middle Grade

The Benefits of Oatmeal Brain

I don’t know if this happens to you, but when stress piles up in my life, my body starts to shut down. Sleepiness and a lack of energy takes over. I forget simple things. I forget complicated things. My body and brain dissolve into a pile of mush.

When Covid-19 swept through our lives, I think it’s safe to say it brought a fair degree of stress along for the ride. All of us wrestled with questions we didn’t expect to face. How do we manage work? School? Bills? Groceries? Our routines are not only upside down, but planning for the future is next to impossible when no one has any answers. That’s when stress threatens to take over and the oatmeal brain kicks in.

As it turns out, oatmeal brain is a blessing. It’s my body’s reaction to confinement, and even though it took me a while to view it this way, it’s a good thing. Here’s why:

It’s a signal. Oatmeal brain tells me it’s time to make a different choice. It says, “hey, instead of focusing on the things you can’t control, why don’t you take a breather? Why don’t you write?”

When real life shuts doors and has no answers, I can turn to my WIP and write about possibilities. I can throw myself into hopeful, joyous, strangely-flawed characters and explore a world built from imagination.

Dealing with oatmeal brain. Writing as therapy.

When my thoughts feel itchy and uncomfortable, I can write them out, turn them loose, and follow where they lead.

There have been days when all I’ve needed to get back on track was five minutes staring out the window and imagining what other people are thinking.

There have been days when I’ve felt so overwhelmed all I could do was look forward to a new day. That’s okay, too.

Here’s to looking for the possibilities in each new morning, and to giving ourselves grace as we find ways to move forward.

Kell McKinney earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and an M.S. in documentary studies from the University of North Texas. She’s a part-time copywriter, double-time mom and wife, and spends every free minute writing and/or hunting for her car keys. Connect with her on Twitter @Kell_McK or kellmckinney.com.

Categories
Writer Encouragement

Too Distracted

These days, I frequently see my social media contacts expressing the same sentiment: “I’m too distracted to write.”

In other circumstances, we might see our forced home-bound state as a perfect opportunity to write, with hours of free time to be creative. The problem is, our stress levels are high, as we try to figure out the logistics of feeding our families, staying healthy, and worrying about finding enough toilet paper!

Stress will cause distraction. Years ago, I remember sitting in the waiting area with my husband and sons while my daughter underwent brain surgery. We feared the outcome, knowing it did not look good. I remember glancing around, searching for my reading glasses. “Ben, where are my glasses?” My older son looked at me, then started to laugh. “Mom, you’re wearing them.”

Distracted. Stressed. Worried. It makes it nearly impossible to sit down and focus on writing. It’s like a self-protective mechanism in our brain, that wants us to be alert for danger, rather than spend time using our creative side.

My suggestion is to put your writing aside for at least an hour or so. Watch a funny movie. Call a friend who will uplift you. Read an entertaining book.

I just finished one of my favorite funny movies, “Bringing up Baby.” It’s an old B&W flick with Cary Grant and Kathryn Hepburn and it makes me deep laugh every time with the crazy antics involving a leopard named Baby.

A few other funny movies that I can never see enough of are “While You were Sleeping,” “Galaxy Quest,” “Money Pit,” and “The Princess Bride.” There are many more that will bring on my giggles as well.

Ever since I can remember, humor has been a great distraction for me during tough times. When my daughter was suffering from a brain tumor, we used to read aloud to her from James Herriott’s books. I highly recommend this author’s veterinarian tales from Yorkshire!

One incident that we as a family will never forget is when my mom was reading that book to my daughter. Please understand, my mom was very prim and proper. 😉 She got to a paragraph about artificial insemination of a cow. The more she read, the greater the details emerged, and the more uncomfortable Mom grew. I think I was the first in the room to snicker while trying to focus on my crocheting. Soon, the whole room was laughing with hysterics. I tried to control my laughter enough to offer to read that section to my daughter. She bravely adjusted herself higher in her chair and said, “No, I can read it.”

I can still remember it all with a huge grin, despite that tragic situation with my daughter fighting terminal cancer.

Humor is like that. It shifts our “fight or flight” thinking to a relaxed, creative state. After watching “Bringing Up Baby” today, I started to write this blog.

Even if you’re on a deadline, take a break to re-wire and relax your brain. The words may start to flow, unhindered.

Carry On. And wash your hands. 😉

Elaine Marie Cooper has two historical fiction books that released in 2019: War’s Respite (Prequel novella) and Love’s Kindling. Love’s Kindling was recently named a Finalist in the 2020 Selah Awards. It is the second book in the Dawn of America Series set in Revolutionary War Connecticut. Cooper is the award-winning author of Fields of the Fatherless and Bethany’s Calendar. Her 2016 release (Saratoga Letters) was finalist in Historical Romance in both the Selah Awards and Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul and HomeLife magazine. She also penned the three-book historical series, Deer Run Saga. Her upcoming release, Scarred Vessels,” is about the black soldiers in the American Revolution. Look for it in October 2020. You can visit her website/ blog at www.elainemariecooper.com