Tag: mental fatigue

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Healthy Habits For Writers and the Disabled

Recently I talked with an acquaintance who has an epileptic family member. Lately,  their family member suffered from intense seizures and my friend was curious about how I manage my seizures.

Although I’m not epileptic, my brain injury puts me at high risk for seizures and strokes. If I have a seizure, it’s a grand mal seizure, which are the worst you can have. And it usually takes a few days for me to recover from 100%.

I am glad it’s been over a decade since my last seizure. My friend asked how I stayed seizure-free for so long, especially without taking any anti-seizure medications. I explained to her the lifestyle changes I made in order to improve my health and reduce my risk of seizures naturally.

  • Get more sleep
  • Stay active
  • Stay well hydrated
  • Exercising my brain and body

Growing up I remember the health campaign, “Your mind is a terrible thing to waste.” However, I was ignorant and foolish and never took my health seriously. Like most people, I lived for the moment and was more concerned with being happy, than being healthy.

If we take our bodies and brains for granted, they will fail us sooner, rather than later. I have already explained how important it is for disabled persons to stay active to help keep the muscles from atrophying, and I’m not talking about stretching them either.

Stretching is a healthy habit, but when done wrong it is extremely bad for us. We all need to learn better health habits.

Healthy Habits

One of the surest signs someone does not know what they’re doing when it comes to exercise is stretching before they exercise. Most people confuse stretching for warming up, but warming up is meant to keep us from overstretching cold muscles and damaging them.

Whereas when the muscle is properly stretched, it releases lactic acid and reduces soreness and pain after exercise, these are basic health habits for staying strong and healthy.

It is important to remember that being healthy encompasses a lot more than just our bodies. Healthy bodies are only one piece of the puzzle to being healthy. Our brains and our nervous system are what control our bodies, we must not neglect our brains, that is why I limit caffeine intake, I don’t want to damage my nervous system any more than it already is from my TBI.

Mental health, emotional and spiritual well-being all impact our overall health. We can’t focus on our physical bodies without exercising and taking care of our mental health and that means eliminating the bad influences that distract or hinder us. This is especially important for writers.

Writers Health

A writer’s mental health and well-being are critical to our craft. Our brains are the most important tool in our toolboxes. Computers, pens, pencils, and editing apps are useless without a healthy and focused mind.

Overall health begins with the brain. If we want to be productive and healthy, we need to learn some basic health habits for maximizing our brain health.

  1. Quit smoking
  2. Stay physically active
  3. Manage a healthy blood pressure
  4. Maintain a healthy weight
  5. Eat healthy
  6. Manage blood sugar levels
  7. Stay engaged
  8. Get enough sleep

I cannot over-emphasize the need for sleep. Many people view being sleepy as a feeling of simply being tired, but this could mean you’re not getting enough sleep which is a vital function in life. Sleep plays such an important role in maintaining our bodies and our brains. It detoxes the brain, repairs damaged cells, regulates blood sugars and hormones; it takes more than just a few hours of sleep to get it all done.

Sleep is when writers often dream up new ideas or work out issues in what they’re writing about. It’s true we can’t control what we dream about, but, we do need to protect our sleeping hours and bedrooms from being misused. I have learned to stop practicing bad bedroom habits.

Watching TV, reading, writing, or playing on our phones in bed, reprograms our brains not to rest and sleep when we go to bed at night. I turn my phone off before I go to bed and put it on a charging stand. I don’t want my brain or body to think my bed is my workspace.

Work It out

One of the hardest lessons for many writers to learn is our bodies were never meant to be sedative. We are designed and enabled to move regularly. And movement is an important way for us to improve our health.

Our bodies are amazing instruments of movement. I took that for granted before my accident and losing the ability to walk and feed myself. Recently I shared with some other friends in the gym, I am paranoid about being sedentary and unable to move freely.

If God has given you the ability to move in any way, please don’t abuse it or take it for granted.You never know when you might lose those abilities. Unfortunately, 98% of the writer’s life is spent sitting down.

  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Editing
  • Proofreading

As I write this, I am taking another rest week from the gym. But, I am not being lazy, just changing my activities up and focusing more on biking. Biking helps me sleep even better at night because I have worked my heart more.

Our fitness goal should always be to meet our target heart rate because that increases blood flow to the brain and the rest of our body. Maintaining a strong heart is the best way to improve our overall health.

Writer friend, do you have any healthy habit tips to share?

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
The Intentional Writer

Do You Need More Rest?

The intentional writer

What do you do when you feel weary? Burned out? Uninspired and ready to give up?

How do you find the energy to move forward in creative projects when you face personal trauma like the loss of a loved one?

How do you escape the creeping sense of panic when life feels chaotic, overly busy, or out of control?

In all these scenarios, one key to help you move forward is to give yourself adequate rest. And I don’t mean just a few more hours of sleep. True restoration is often active rather than passive, intentionally feeding what is lacking. And we need many different types of rest to fully restore our body, mind and spirit.

In the book Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith defines seven type of rest we must consider to be fully whole and healthy.

Here’s a brief description of each:

  • Physical A lack of physical rest may cause symptoms like exhaustion, pain, or poor health. Our bodies need rest in order to function properly. Resting our bodies means sleep, but also includes stretching, exercise, and a wholesome diet that allows our bodies to stay flexible and healthy. If you experience frequent headaches or brain fog, you might be suffering from food sensitivities. If so, avoiding trigger foods can restore your body and help you feel well again.
  • Mental Our brains experience a constant deluge of information. We can exhaust ourselves with unhelpful mental habits such as dwelling on negative thoughts, reliving the past, or worrying about future what-ifs. If you experience decision fatigue, mental fog, or feelings of overwhelm, you probably need mental rest. You can find rest by focusing on what really matters and allowing yourself to let go of the non-essential mental chatter. Meditation, brain dumps, and morning routines can help.
  • Emotional The emotions that surround us—whether from real or virtual people—affect our emotional health. If we don’t monitor the emotions we allow to fill our minds, or don’t process our emotions in a healthy way, we end up with emotional fatigue, which may lead to anxiety, irritability, anger, or depression. Journaling or talking things out with a friend can help us find emotional rest, but sometimes we may need therapy to restore traumatized or burned-out emotions.
  • Spiritual Our faith and relationship with God affect our ability to feel rested in other areas of life. When you feel distant from God, or feel hopeless and defeated by life, those are signs that you need to renew and restore your spirit.
  • Social We humans were created to be social creatures. Even introverts need healthy social interaction. While periods of solitude are restorative, too much time alone can lead to loneliness, a tendency to avoid people, and depression. Solitude may seem like the best solution to avoid the drain of difficult relationships, but in fact our soul needs positive relationships in order to be restored.
  • Sensory Our modern world is filled with noise, music, blinking lights, flashing images, enhanced flavors, perfumed cleaning products, and a million other things that stimulate our senses. Our modern habit of constant screen time is like living on a diet of junk food. The constant bombardment on our senses can lead to becoming either overstimulated or desensitized to the world around us. Find sensory rest by intentionally escaping or blocking out the sensory inputs like screens, bright lights, or constant noise. Instead, focus on one thing that brings you joy, like savoring a favorite food or taking a bath and really paying attention to how the water feels on your skin.
  • Creative We can be so busy juggling career and family responsibilities that we forget to be mindful of the world we pass thru on the way to checking off our next to-do item. When we don’t allow ourselves time for creative play because we’re too focused on the next action item, we lack joy, wonder, and satisfaction in life. If you are struggling with writer’s block or you’re writing feels flat and uninspired, you may need to put your creative “work” aside and give yourself time for creative play that’s unrelated to your WIP.

In order to produce our best work, we must give ourselves permission to pursue proper rest in all seven of these areas. We need to understand which areas of our lives are being drained and how to replenish those areas. For more information on the seven types of rest and which ones you are most in need of restoring, try Dr. Dalton-Smith’s Rest Quiz.

I hope I have encouraged you to seek the rest you need to be whole and healthy.

Lisa E. Betz worked as an engineer, substitute teacher, and play director before becoming an award-winning mystery writer. She brings her analytical mind, quirky humor, and positive outlook to all she writes. She draws inspiration from thirty-five years of leading Bible studies to create entertaining mysteries set in the world of the early church, and then she fills that world with eccentric characters, independent females, and an occasional sausage-snatching cat. Her first novel, Death and a Crocodile, garnered a gold medal in the Illumination Book Awards.

In addition to writing novels, Lisa blogs about living with authenticity and purpose. Visit her at www.lisaebetz.com. Facebook LisaEBetzWriter Twitter @LisaEBetz and Pinterest Lisa E Betz Intentional Living.

Categories
The Intentional Writer

Boost Productivity by Taking Effective Breaks

The intentional writer

What? How can I be more productive if I work less?

It may not make sense, but it’s true. Studies show that taking intentional breaks will make you more productive and will lead to better overall success than pushing through the doldrums. For example: Studies have shown that those who take a lunch break and fully disconnect with their work are more productive afterward than those who don’t.

Why? Because those who power through, hour after hour, thinking they are operating just fine are actually working in a state of mental exhaustion. Without breaks they become prone to an increase in bad judgment and a decrease in creativity and quality of work.

Taking effective breaks is one of the best methods to give your brain a rest so it can function at optimum form.

However, not all breaks are equal.

Effective breaks are intentional. You should be in control of when and how you take them.

They are not random “Squirrel!” moments where you lose focus due to distractions. They are not excuses to check social media or to eat that donut you ignored earlier. Effective breaks are designed to give your weary brain a rest, but not to sidetrack you into starting a whole new priject.

How to take effective short breaks

  • Aim for breaks of fifteen minutes or less.
  • Get away from the desk or work space.
  • Allow your brain to think about something other than work. Resist the temptation to problem-solve that scene during break time. The goal is to fully disconnect with work and give you brain a chance to relax and regroup.
  • Stand up and move. Get the blood flowing and stretch out those places where you store tension.
  • If you can go outside, great. If not, seek out a window with a view or even a shelf of plants.
  • When possible, connect with fellow humans and talk about something other than work.
  • Go tech-free. Checking email, social media, or other tech distractions will not provide the best break for your brain.
  • You may need to set a timer so you don’t dally too long before getting back to work.

In addition, be aware of your daily slump time.

All humans experience a midday slump in energy and alertness. This is true across ages and cultures, from publishing executives to would-be writers.

My slump usually hits midafternoon. During my slump my brain feels sluggish and I have less energy, less motivation, and less self-control. Slogging on without taking a break results in little worthwhile output. I have come to terms with my slump time and have adjusted my expectations and schedule to accommodate it.

For me, short breaks are even more vital during midafternoon. Instead of beating myself up over my sluggishness I listen to my body and take frequent short breaks.

In addition, I suggest scheduling appointments and important decisions in the morning when you and others typically function at their best. Reserve midday for more mundane tasks that don’t require high-level thinking.

Have you discovered the power of short breaks? What strategies help you make the most of your breaks?

Lisa E. Betz believes that everyone has a story to tell the world. She loves to encourage fellow writers to be intentional about their craft and courageous in sharing their words with others. Lisa shares her words through dramas, Bible studies, historical mysteries, and her blog about intentional living. You can find her on Facebook  LisaEBetzWriter and Twitter @LisaEBetz