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7 Benefits of Expressive Writing for A Sound Mental Health
Guests PostsWellness & Lifestyle

7 Benefits of Expressive Writing for A Sound Mental Health

by Fausat Abiola
written by Fausat Abiola

Expressive writing, also known as personal journaling or emotional disclosure, is just a fancy name for writing from the heart. It is an aspect of self-care that involves a pen and a notebook.

Journaling is a habitual practice of processing your feelings and thoughts regarding everything important through writing.

Your emotional disclosure on paper is more than just writing. Often, it is a therapeutic, stress-relief tool and a great way to maintain sound mental health.

In this article, we will discuss seven benefits of expressive writing for your mental health.

7 Benefits of Expressive Writing for A Sound Mental Health

  • Stress Relief
  • Improved Mood
  • Better Sleep
  • Increased Self-Awareness
  • Improved Emotional Regulation
  • Increased Resilience
  • Improved Mental Clarity

Stress Relief

Stress is a natural part of life, and various factors contribute to its cause.

Increased stress levels can take a toll on our mental and physical health, leading to symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

As a writer, effectively managing stress is important because writing is sometimes mentally tasking and emotionally draining.

Expressive writing is an excellent stress relief tool because it helps you gain control of your emotions and intentionally process your stress triggers.

Improved Mood

Writing about your feelings and issues helps you control your emotions and lessens the intensity of drowning in negative feelings like anger and frustration.

This practice improves your mood and makes you feel better.

Better Sleep

Journaling before bed helps you make a clean break from your day and eases your mind into sleep without hassles.

Incorporating expressive writing into your nighttime routine grants you access to quality sleep, leading to overall improved mental health.

Increased Self-Awareness

The process of introspection and reflection that occurs when journaling increases your self-awareness and provides a deeper understanding of yourself.

Writing expressively is an excellent strategy for fostering sound mental health through heightened introspection.

7 Benefits of Expressive Writing for A Sound Mental Health

Improved Emotional Regulation

Writing enhances your capacity to manage your emotions by recognizing and addressing repetitive patterns of feeling and responding.

This helps you regulate your emotions and improve your emotional and mental health.

Increased Resilience

Journaling about your tough experiences and finding clarity through writing boosts your resilience and ability to deal with adversities in the future.

Improved Mental Clarity

Writing your thoughts and feelings on paper makes them easier to organize with clarity and helps you proffer sound decisions.

Ways To Incorporate Expressive Writing In Your Nightly/Daily Routine

Journaling is the simplest form of therapy. As a writer, journaling is part of your daily routine.

However, intentional journaling isn’t a habit for everyone. But, if you seek to incorporate it into your nightly/daily routine, here are six ways to achieve your goal.

Set Aside Time and Space

Set aside a few minutes from your regular writing time/daily activities and a quiet space to journal.

The time you choose to journal is your choice to make. You could pick first thing in the morning, right before night, or even during your lunch hour.

Find a peaceful spot free of intrusions and let your words flow.

Start With A Prompt

You can use a writing prompt if you are having problems getting started.

Don’t feel terrible because you can’t come up with journaling prompts on your own.

Pro Tip: Your prompt can be about anything.

Write Freely

Don’t worry about grammar, spelling, or punctuation.

The purpose of expressive writing is not to create a perfect piece of writing, it is to release your pent-up emotions and thoughts onto paper.

If you’re stuck on what to write, just let your thoughts flow.

Write Regularly

Consistent writing will get you into the habit and make you feel more at ease with it.

Begin by devoting 15 to 20 minutes a day and add more time if desired.

Read What You’ve Written

Reading what you’ve written is a great way to get perspective and examine your inner thoughts.

You may discover some recurring ideas or motifs that will inspire future pieces.

Keep Your Writing Private

Expressing yourself via writing is an intimate endeavor, so keep your writing a secret unless you’re ready to share it with the world.

Endnotes

I recommend journaling/expressive writing as the simplest form of mental therapy for writers.

It has significant mental health benefits and is an easy practice you can incorporate into your daily routine.

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How To Use Storytelling To Process Your Negative Emotions
Guests PostsWellness & Lifestyle

How To Use Storytelling To Process Your Negative Emotions

by Fausat Abiola
written by Fausat Abiola

Dealing with negative emotions is a part of our experiences as humans.

Particularly for writers, dealing with negative emotions such as anxiety, stress, doubt, or frustration, destabilizes us mentally and emotionally, which causes a shift in our creative productivity.

These feelings are inescapable because we live in an imperfect world, and there’ll come a time in your writing career when you’ll have to deal with one or a confluence of these negative feelings.

What Are Negative Emotions?

Negative emotions are unpleasant or uncomfortable feelings, such as anger, sadness, frustration, worry, guilt, shame, or despair that wreck our minds apart.

Personal experiences, disputes, or difficult situations might trigger these emotions in your life and affect your self-care and your mental and emotional well-being.

Common Cause Of Negative Emotions For Writers May Include-

Life Events

Personal experiences, such as losing a loved one, a breakup, a conflict, or a traumatic experience, can trigger negative emotions.

Creative Struggles

When your writing plan doesn’t follow through, or there’s a gap in your goals or expectations, it’s natural to feel frustrated, anxious, or disappointed.

Rejection

Receiving rejection from publishers, agents, or readers can lead to feelings of disappointment and frustration.

Comparison To Others

It’s easy to compare yourself as a writer, especially a budding one, to others.

Comparing yourself to other successful writers or feeling envious of their success can lead to feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt.

Internal pressure

Putting pressure on yourself to complete a project on time or to a certain standard may lead to experiencing tension and anxiety.

How To Use Storytelling To Process Your Negative Emotions

How To Deal With Negative Emotions

Dealing with or processing negative emotions is extremely difficult, especially for burgeoning writers.

It takes several layers of self-acceptance, conviction, self-motivation, and sheer will to push through these feelings, including harnessing the one key ingredients you’re blessed with.

Soul-writing.

You may not know it, but writing is therapeutic, and you can use it to process emotions — negative, positive, or uncertain feelings.

There are many ways writing can help engage with your feelings, especially when you harness the power of storytelling.

Telling your story in any form you choose, is a powerful tool for self-expression and processing your negative emotions.

It allows you to make sense of your experiences, gain insight into your thoughts and feelings, and connect with yourself on a deeper level.

How To Use Storytelling To Process Negative Emotions

As a writer, you can use soul-writing in storytelling to process your negative emotions and better understand your feelings.

Processing your negative emotions through storytelling provides you with a rich source of emotional material and even gives you insight into the human experience and the intricacies of the human predicament.

7 Tips On How To Use Storytelling To Process Your Negative Emotions-

Narrate Your Experience

Narrating your experience helps clarify your thoughts and feelings.

I know it’s sometimes hard to get vulnerable on paper, but writing gives you a chance to express yourself in a safe and controlled environment.

It creates room for you to reflect on your experiences from the perspective of your pain or negative feelings.

Countless times in my life, I have used storytelling to sort through my feelings, and each time, it has helped me much.

Whenever I do this, I ask myself three questions. As my feelings surface in response to these three questions, I find my feeling flowing more easily through my story.

I ask myself these questions: How do I feel? How do I want to feel? How do I manifest through affirmation, cleaner, and healthier feelings?

If there is any leftover stagnant energy, this last question helps to deal with it.

Transform Your Story

Once you have written or shared your story, consider transforming it into something positive.

This involves re-framing your negative experiences, focusing on the lessons learned, and writing a new ending that represents your desired outcome.

Give Your Emotions To A Character

This is ideal for you as a writer. You can create a character and allow him/her to manifest your current emotions.

You can also describe the character’s traits, expressions, and feelings to mirror yours. In this manner, you are personifying your current feelings and releasing them.

Personifying your negative emotions enables you to detach yourself and separate your mind from the sensation by letting go.

Join A Storytelling Community

Joining a storytelling community, such as a writing group or therapy group, provides you with a safe and accepting space to share your story and make connections with people who have had similar experiences.

Also, a community makes you feel safe discussing your feelings because they have comparable experiences and you can trust them to help you feel heard and understood.

They can also create a safe environment in which you can process your feelings and gain new insights.

Write About Your Personal Growth

Explore the positive sides of how you’ve grown because of your struggles by documenting your thoughts and feelings in writing.

Putting your thoughts on paper can help you gain perspective, find optimism, and strengthen your resolve for positivity.

Explore Different Emotions In Third Person Form

When writing about your negative emotions, try to be specific about what you’re feeling. Write about anger, sadness, frustration, or any other relevant emotion.

This helps you get a better handle on your feelings and gives you a clearer picture of what you’re going through. There is a catch. You should do it in the third person.

By doing this, you detach yourself from your feelings and allow them to fill the space you are not a part of, as therapy.

Use Storytelling In Therapy

Therapy provides a safe and confidential space for you to explore your emotions and work through any negative experiences.

Agreeing to see a therapist helps you gain insight into your thoughts and feelings, and to develop new coping strategies for dealing with your negative emotions.

Endnotes

It’s important to note that you are different and your triggers are different, and so are your processes.

Not every tip listed here may help you effectively process your emotions, but some of them may be the right outlet for you.

By using storytelling to process your negative emotions, you can find a healthy outlet for your feelings and develop a deeper understanding of yourself.

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Five Strategic Social Media Growth Tips for Writers
Guests PostsSocial Media

Five Strategic Social Media Growth Tips for Writers

by Omoniyi Ayomide
written by Omoniyi Ayomide

Social media is a powerful and resourceful growth tool for writers in today’s digital economy.

Having an authentic social media presence separates you as a professional writer from an up-and-coming writer.

Your ability to use social media effectively and efficiently brings about your brand visibility, profitability, and connectivity.

Understanding the use of social media and how to pivot your writing career using the platform is essential to building a successful writing career.

It is an open secret that 80 percent of your results will come from 20 percent of your efforts. In a similar vein, 20 percent of your efforts on social media bring 80 percent of the results you aspire to as a writer.

Here are five strategic social media growth tips for writers:

Having A Content Plan

Sun Tzu, in The Art of War, said, “Plan for what is difficult while it is easy. Do what is great while it is small.”

As a burgeoning writer, you can’t afford to not have a content plan. You can’t go on to social media and start pushing out what doesn’t resonate with your author/ writing brand.

Otherwise, you would get your audience confused.

A content plan will guide you to curate your brand message as it’s meant for a specific audience. Your content plan will vary with the aspects of writing you wish to focus on.

As a part or full-time author alone, your content plan will differ from an author who’s also involved in the business of writing.

If you’re a writer testing the waters, your content plan will differ from a freelance writer who already has a specific niche, services to offer, and a target audience in mind.

Your content plan could be:

Business of Writing, Storytelling, Social Media Strategy, Book Marketing, Content Marketing, Content Creation

Knowing the above, you must carefully research topics or create your ideas under these categories and craft content that suits your readers/audience’s needs or solves their problems.

Note that the content plan is not complete without having guidelines and a content calendar.

A content calendar is a strategic schedule for your content. It helps you as a writer in checking what’s next content. It includes months, weeks, days, times, topics, tags, and social media channels.

Long-form content (1000+ word count) suits Facebook. LinkedIn and Instagram are more medium content channels.

Twitter is a short-form-content channel while YouTube thrives on any form of video content, long or short.

Take time out to draft your content plan. If you have a strategic content plan, it makes the audience feel relatable to the content and gives them a sense of your authenticity.

Having a content plan places you in the right position on social media.

Five Strategic Social Media Growth Tips for Writers

Telling Stories

As a writer, if you are infusing storytelling into your content. You are on the right path!

If you are an author, storytelling is already your way of life.

Kieran Drew once said, “Storytelling is a superpower.” Using storytelling in content draws the emotions of the readers.

In his writing theory, Kieran Drew created what is called ‘Magnetic Writing’.

Magnetic writing consists:

  • Storytelling
  • Advice
  • Personality

Kieran Drew believed that good content should have storytelling infused in them. And so, magnetic writing is incomplete without stories.

As a writer, there are niches you can carve, but the need for learning the art of storytelling and applying them to your content is important.

For content writers, here are eight practical steps to writing stories:

  • Bullet Headline
  • Introduction
  • Hook
  • Stories
  • Development of characters
  • Questions
  • Answers
  • Conclusion

You can source stories from your personal experience, trending stories, and stories around you.

If you have been telling stories in your content, continue to do so.

But if you are not, dare to put storytelling into practice while creating your content, because people love to hear stories.

Identifying Target Audience

80 percent of writers create content that is not directed at a specific audience. And again, most writers confuse the two; an audience and a targeted audience.

Audience — the random person consuming your content without yielding results.

Targeted Audience — the person whose needs you’ve identified and solved their problems through the consumption of your content.

You can now see the obvious difference between the two.

As a content writer, storyteller, or author, when crafting your content, put it at the front of your mind of having at least a goal.

This goal could be:

  • Who is the content for?
  • What are the person’s needs?
  • What are the person’s problems?
  • How can I proffer solutions to the person?

When you ask those questions and get them answered rightly. Then you have identified your audience. You have also tailored your content toward a specific audience.

Build on the audience. Turn them into followers. And gradually they would become your fans, readers, and clients, which establishes you as an authority in your niche.

Tracking Engagement Count

Good content is likely to have high engagement. And even if that doesn’t happen, there is nothing much to worry about.

However, as a writer, you need to monitor your engagement count.

The purpose of engagement count is these:

  • To know how many engagements you had
  • Know the metrics of your content
  • To have feedback on the content.

Anytime you experience a low engagement count, it indicates the quality of your content is not low or you’re experiencing slack.

Create good content. Track your engagement count. It helps your growth on social media as a writer.

Engaging and Responding to Comments or Interactions

Engaging and interacting connect you with your audience.

Being a writer, you communicate through your content, and your audience gives feedback through their comments.

A writer’s rise is with him/her taking comments or interactions on content seriously. So engage, interact, and comment on your content. It grows your authenticity and influence as a writer, storyteller, or author.

Endnotes

If you are practicing any of the above on your social media platform, go back to the drawing board and re-strategize. To scale your results, you need to implement these growth steps to dominate on social media!

CREATIVE WRITING RESOURCE HUB

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3 Beautiful And Breathtaking Places In Nigeria Writers Should Visit
Guests PostsWellness & Lifestyle

3 Beautiful And Breathtaking Places In Nigeria Writers Should Visit

by Precious Adaey
written by Precious Adaey

There are beautiful, and breathtaking places in Nigeria writers should visit that inspire and stimulate creativity.

Finding creative sources of artistic inspiration is always a thrilling adventure for burgeoning writers, especially for writers who enjoy traveling and exploration.

Traveling and seeking fresh adventures is a great way to unwind, free your mind, and allow nature, culture, and heritage to unlock your creative imagination.

As an African writer, there are three beautiful and breathtaking places in Nigeria you must add to your travel bucket list.

What’s A Travel Bucket list?

This is a cool list, where you have your dream travel destinations penned down and crossed off when you eventually travel to these places.

Your travel bucket list may include both local and international locations you’ve longed to visit.

Why Should Writers Make Travelling Plans?

Tourists are not the only ones permitted to make traveling plans. Writers need a change of scenery and exposure too.

Traveling switches up things and jolts your imagination. It refreshes your inspiration bank and paints a perspective in your mind’s view that you may have never imagined.

Making travel plans is a recipe for experiencing new and revitalized versions of yourself as a creative writer.

3 Beautiful And Breathtaking Places In Nigeria Writers Should Visit

Top 3 Breathtaking Places In Nigeria, Every Writer Should Visit

Lagos

This city is the heart and bustle of Nigeria where you can run out of creative ideas. A city filled with so much culture and artistic displays of unique human characteristics that only one encounter can trigger something exceptional.

Everything in this city triggers your creative imagination from the soulful graffiti on the wall to its people, food, environment, music, and landmark areas.

Abuja

This is the serene and breathtaking capital city of Nigeria.

Do you want to get out of the noise and find comfort in writing? Take a trip to Abuja and you’ll find the peace and inspiration you seek.

This beautiful city is rich in exotic natural habitats and has interesting landmark areas that intoxicate and amplify your creative senses.

Calabar

This is the capital of Cross River State, Nigeria.

It’s a beautiful place and a major tourism center in Nigeria. It boasts of significant history, beautiful scenery, and outstanding culture.

Calabar has great tourist centers, natural habitats, a beautiful city, and a cultural heritage to die for.

It is a definitive must-add to your travel bucket list.

Intentional Plans To Make Before Traveling

It’s difficult to visit a place for the first time and not get lost in the thrill of adventure and exploration.

I advise you to make intentional plans for your visit before traveling, so you’re ready to tap into your flow when you arrive at your destination and make the most of your visit.

Here are 3 intentional plans you should make before traveling:

Documenting Your Journey

It doesn’t matter what you go searching for when you travel, make an intentional plan to document your journey.

Take notes of everything and the tiniest feeling as you explore the cities on your travel bucket list. Journal your experiences with the culture, people, food, environment, and even music.

Write about your perception of the characteristics of the people you encountered, their uniqueness, and their relationship with one another.

Document your encounter with nature, the sunrise, and anything else about the place that catches your fancy or triggers your emotions.

Learning Something New

Stay intentional about learning something new while visiting these breathtaking places in Nigeria.

As a writer on an adventure, you must explore and learn. Don’t put yourself in the box or remain static throughout your visit.

Allow yourself the liberty to open up to the call of nature. Ask questions about the people’s culture and heritage, myths and stereotypes, hidden truths that are whitewashed, and anything else that interests you.

Fill your knowledge bank with as much information as you can about your location but also build unforgettable memories and moments with that place.

There’s nothing as beautiful as that for a writer.

Savouring The Experience

Your purpose for traveling mustn’t lean toward finding inspiration alone. It is a time for you to unwind, relax, and rejuvenate.

Allow your mind to wander and reflect, and enjoy the moments spent visiting these breathtaking places in Nigeria.

Plan to savor every aspect of the experience, both its good and terrible parts.

Allow your creative mind to swim in the many explorative possibilities your journey could bring and savor them.

Endnotes

Making travel plans isn’t a bad idea, even when you don’t have the means to fulfill them. Add these 3 breathtaking places in Nigeria to your travel bucket list and, who knows, the universe might just grant your wish.

However, your inability to fund your travel plans shouldn’t prevent you from exploring other places within your immediate environment.

Visit parks, resort centers, natural habitats, and places known for the cultural heritage in your location.

What you’ll find around you may surprise you.

CREATIVE WRITING RESOURCE HUB

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How To Manage Procrastination And Work Smart As A Writer
Guests PostsPersonal Development

How To Manage Procrastination And Work Smart As A Writer

by Grace Malik
written by Grace Malik

Procrastination is not an uncommon action among writers. It is an avoidance pattern exhibited by writers resulting from unpleasant emotions influencing our moods.

Making serial excuses that sound like, “I’ll write that article later,” when you could write it now, or “I’ll do my research when I wake up,” when you have all the time in the world to do it, is a sign of procrastination.

In simpler terms, it is putting off something you ought to do till the “perfect time” which honestly doesn’t exist.

Are you caught in the vicious avoidance loop caused by procrastination? This article will provide actionable guides on how to manage procrastination better and work smarter as a writer.

Before we dive in, what is procrastination?

What Is Procrastination?

Procrastination is the act of unnecessarily postponing an action or activity until a later date.

It’s a habitual pattern of continually putting off a certain happening or action, postponing it, or pushing it forward, way down your to-do list.

As a writer, the time used to fine-tune your excuses to procrastinate, you could use to take action immediately, especially when it’s what you should be doing.

How To Manage Procrastination And Work Smart As A Writer

Why Do We Often Procrastinate?

Even knowing what procrastination is doesn’t stop us from doing it sometimes. Everyone procrastinates, that’s a fact.

So, it raises the question, why? Why do we still procrastinate even knowing how unproductive it is?

Here are three reasons you procrastinate.

You’re Waiting For The Perfect Time

It’s common for us, as humans and creatives, to push certain things forward or to not do them because we are waiting for the perfect time, which again does not exist.

You want it in such a way that when you finally hit “publish” or click “research” everything should fall in line, and when it isn’t, you decide to wait, for that time, that sign, that signifies the perfect time.

The above scenario is one of the biggest reasons you and I end up procrastinating, even when we know it’s unnecessary.

Fear

It similarly relates to imposter syndrome.

The fear of failure, fear of imperfection, fear of wrong timing, fear of people’s perception, fear of creative block, fear of the future, and many more.

I honestly could go on, because yes, fear is terribly gripping, and mind-sucking like that. It has sharp claws that are ready to pick on any sign of your hesitance and empower it.

It is an underlying reason you procrastinate.

Lack Of Priorities

Sometimes, all you need is to set your priorities right, because until you do, all your affairs are going to be pretty much all over the place. That’s a fact.

Not setting your priorities straight can cause you to procrastinate because in the end you’ll do so little and overlook important tasks because you have no working strategy in place.

Time waits for no one, and the earlier you work intentionally, the better.

Effects Of Procrastination On Creative Productivity

The personal consequence of lack of intentionality aside, there are major effects of procrastination on you as a creative and on your creative productivity.

Drains Your Mental Health

You might find this hard to believe, but procrastination spreads its tendrils even to your emotional and mental health.

That fear stopping you from writing and pushing you to procrastinate will eventually make you become weary, frustrated, and angry at everything and nothing at the same time.

Worse still, it makes you avoid doing anything which is mentally draining.

Procrastination Leads To Loss Of Opportunities

Imagine being in a writer’s contest, perhaps, or a speaking contest, and instead of doing it or going for it right away, you procrastinate.

What happens then? You might miss out on that opportunity. The opportunity to put yourself out there, to shine, to show your works, to be.

You missed out on it because you procrastinated, and that alone can damage your productivity as a creator, because it makes you feel as if you’re doing nothing, wasting your time.

Lack Of Motivation

When you procrastinate, you put off what needs to be done. It is scheduling tasks in your planner and not doing them regardless, despite having the time to do them.

Procrastination affects your productivity by hindering your motivation.

Let me break it down.

Procrastination leads to a fear of inadequacy that eats away at your time and opportunities and makes you feel stuck. Pray to tell, what better way is there to lose motivation?

When you don’t have the self-motivation to write, create, or stay productive, your results will remain as they were.

Ways To Manage Procrastination And Work Smart As A Writer.

As terrible as procrastination is, there are ways to manage it and work smart as a writer. I have highlighted some very effective ways below:

Set “SMART” goals

It takes a lot to set intentional goals, but I’ll try to break them down.

One reason you procrastinate is that you set unattainable goals. Yes, that’s a thing.

Having accepted the fact that you’re drowning in the avoidance loop, you have to set intentional goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

Before you set these goals, be strict with yourself. Ask yourself how and why.

Done that? Break these tasks. Don’t just crumple them together. Batch them separately and ask yourself how you plan to achieve each of them. Write it down if possible.

Start Doing

Yes, you have planned it all, but nothing magical will happen if you don’t put in the work. Do it now! That’s your mantra.

Don’t overthink it. Just do it with intention. And don’t forget that the little things matter. Start small, it’s what will build the big acts soon.

Clear Distractions

Do away with apps that distract you, distracting environments, and whatever else that might keep you procrastinating.

In addition, always prioritize, be confident and be positive.

End Notes

It’s work. It’s actual work to make procrastination stop for good and to actually turn it around to make you work smarter as a writer. But it is attainable. After all, who said good things come easy?

Dear reader, you can battle procrastination. Believe that you can do it and start putting in the work. Trust me, procrastination will soon be a thing of the past.

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7 Toxic Effect Of Sleep Deprivation On Creative Productivity
Guests PostsWellness & Lifestyle

7 Toxic Effect Of Sleep Deprivation On Creative Productivity

by Mbam Mary
written by Mbam Mary

Sleep deprivation is a norm among writers that has devastating toxic effects on our creative productivity.

Have you ever worked for a full 24hrs straight and felt normal the next morning? I guess not. Your morning routine will feel like crap.

You’ll feel drowsy, disoriented, and exhausted, along with the head-splitting migraine, lack of focus, and motivation to do anything except stare at your cream-colored walls or go back to sleep.

These are signs of sleep deprivation.

Consciously depriving you of sound, quality sleep as a writer for lengthy periods because of your creative projects is injurious to your mental and physical health.

Sound sleep, relax, repair, rejuvenate, and refill your creative bank with enough juice to keep you active and productive daily.

Writing is exhausting and mentally tasking because your mind is constantly in overdrive, imagining, thinking, plotting, and reshuffling pieces to fit the picture you are painting on your canvas.

This process is consuming and demanding, especially as a young writer striving to develop yourself, which may push you to opt for longer work hours while sacrificing your sleep.

Forfeiting your sleep for more work hours might seem like nothing important until it becomes a repeated, addictive process that drains your mental energy and leaves you out to dry.

You don’t want to cultivate poor sleeping habits as a young writer. The toxic effects on your creative productivity are innumerable.

Relationship Between Sleep Deprivation And Creative Productivity

Sleep deprivation is a consistent, conscious avoidance of sleep. It is depriving you of quality sleep to create more time for your scheduled activities.

Creative productivity is the volume of creative work you tick off your daily planner as scheduled by you.

Measuring creative productivity is subjective to the writer, but it’s usually about your set writing goals for a period.

Sleep deprivation has a direct relationship with creative productivity because a lack of sleep leads to poor productivity, inferior quality of creative work, lack of will and motivation to write a word, and disorientation.

Lack of sleep can lead you to produce draft copies that are half-baked and ridden with errors, lack clarity, and are devoid of style, begging for mercy because you wrote them while half-asleep on your monitor.

Or after depriving yourself of sleep for days.

The result? You’ll have to start afresh. After an uninterrupted week or even a month of sleep and proper self-care.

To produce quality work as a writer, you need to take your self-care seriously, which advocates quality sleep as an effective way to practice self-care.

Without enough sleep, your creative productivity will suffer alongside your consistency and goals.

7 Toxic Effect Of Sleep Deprivation On Creative Productivity

Effect Of Sleep Deprivation On Creative Productivity

The effects of poor sleep on your productivity as a writer are glaringly obvious when you measure your performance.

Sleep deprivation impairs your crucial cognitive and executive functions which are vital to your creative productivity.

Here are 7 effects of sleep deprivation on your creative productivity.

  1. It Impairs Creativity

Fatigue and micro-sleep in the long run impair your ability to think creatively because your mind is in a chaotic state and has jumbled together your thoughts in a muddy mess.

For your imaginative mind to thrive, it needs a healthy space that provides room for clarity of thought. You can’t expect to think or write clearly when half your body is screaming at you.

Nor can you create any quality piece of work, when you’re half struggling to keep your eyes open and figuring out why the keys on your keyboard look so strange.

  1. It Causes Irritability And Terrible Mood Swings

Sleep deprivation causes a drastic change in your mood swings and increases your irritability levels.

You’ll become grumpier and easily put off by the things you previously enjoyed doing. This impairs your productivity because mood swings and irritability create room for procrastination to thrive.

  1. It Causes The Production Of Erroneous Work

It isn’t out of place for exhaustion to cause you to make mistakes while working. A lack of concentration precedes it.

Your inability to focus will cause you to overlook tiny details in your work, which will ruin long hours of good work in just minutes.

Imagine writing and struggling to keep your mind alert at the same time. I sure bet that you’ll find paragraphs laced with repetitive words or obscure sentences in the morning.

  1. It Reduces Your Productivity

In the absence of quality sleep, your creative productivity will suffer. Your performance will rank below average and way below your expectations, which may cause you to spiral negatively.

Frustration and disorganization will set in, making a simple task seem unworthy, laborious, and time-consuming.

Your future projects will suffer from a backlog of uncompleted or poorly done projects which tanks your writing goals and drag your creative productivity through the mud.

  1. It Causes Easy Distractibility

Fatigue causes you to become easily distracted by the most insignificant of distractions. Things that will not normally hold your attention will have it for a long period.

Imagine staring at the wall for hours. It’s usually but not uncommon if sleep deprived. It’s your mind’s way of trying to grapple with the chaos inside your head.

  1. It Causes A Lack Of Motivation

Usually, even non-sleep-deprived writers struggle with maintaining motivation and riding with it, how much more a sleep-deprived one.

Your motivation will pack its bags and take flight once your muddy mind beckons to it. No matter how many times you try to grasp a hold of it, it’ll only flicker and slip through.

Without motivation, there’s a very high possibility that’ll remain stuck in a spot for the longest, most excruciatingly painful moment of your career struggling with writer’s block.

  1. It Causes Break In Consistency

Consistency is the key to improving your performance and creative productivity as a writer, but allowing your lack of sleep to rub you off is unwise.

Writers need to maintain a consistent creative flow to grow and thrive, but there’s a lot that hinders that goal.

Consistency and creative productivity have a yin-yang relationship. One cannot attract the expected results without the other.

So, take that nap when needed and return to your keyboard revitalized.

Tips For Sound Sleep To Improve Your Creative Productivity

  • Schedule your sleep time and keep to it daily.
  • Wind down with a relaxing activity like yoga, reading a book or magazine, listening to soothing music, or having a bath 30 minutes before nap time.
  • Exercise regularly, about 30 minutes per day (done earlier in the day or 2–4 hours before bedtime)
  • Limit naps to about 30 minutes and none after 3 p.m.
  • Avoid stimulants (alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine) 4–6 hours before bedtime
  • Your bedroom should be prepared to serve the purpose of sleep. Take work to your study.
  • Eat healthily. Avoid heavy and spicy meals 2 hours before bedtime.
  • Turn off your television, computers, and phones an hour before bedtime. Don’t keep your phone close to your bed.
  • Let go of the day’s failures and be grateful for what you have achieved.
  • Make a to-do list for the next day as this reduces worry and anxiety.
  • Switch off the light and take out any source of noise from the bedroom. The temperature of the bedroom should be just perfect for you.
  • Avoid unnecessary use of alarm clocks. They affect your sleep.
  • You can play relaxing background music to lure you to sleep.
  • Invest in a great mattress and suitable bedding for a comfy feel when sleeping.
  • Consult a health practitioner where these tips aren’t substantive.

Endnotes

It is impossible to separate sleep from creativity. Better concepts, ideas, and innovation filter through your mind when you have clarity of thought.

In the long run, sleep deprivation and micro-sleep will impair your creative productivity and eventually ruin your physical, emotional, and mental health.

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Effective Ways To Practice Self-care As A Burgeoning Writer
Guests PostsWellness & Lifestyle

Effective Ways To Practice Self-care As A Burgeoning Writer

by Grace Malik
written by Grace Malik

Self-care is a practice focused on preserving and improving your health and well-being as a writer, and there are effective ways to practice it.

Sometimes, when we hear or think of self-care, we think it’s something that we should only take the liberty to practice, perhaps once in a while.

Self-care demands more. It’s more than enjoying a bubble bath, a day in Paris, or a ski day. Although these are acts of self-care, it’s much more personal than that.

Self-care is caring for yourself and taking time to do acts of service for yourself, physically, emotionally, mentally, and in ways that matter. It is taking accountability for yourself in ways that count.

When you’re in a good relationship with yourself, and you constantly take deliberate acts to better yourself, that’s self-care.

It comprises the actions you take to nourish your mind, body, and soul, which will enhance your productivity as a writer.

Practicing self-care big doesn’t have to be an elaborate event. It only has to be significant and mindful, and you can show it to yourself in a lot of ways.

Don’t convince yourself that you don’t need it and can carry on without it. Don’t lie to yourself that they built your body out of mechanical parts because it isn’t.

At some point, it’ll get weakened, and you’ll get sucked into an abyss of burnout, frustration, stress, anxiety, and other forms of harmful tendencies that’ll affect your health, creativity, and productivity.

Importance of Practising Effective Self-care

Practicing self-care is important and a necessity for you as a writer to improve your well-being, state of mind, focus, and personal health.

It increases your happy hormones and helps you live a healthy and enjoyable lifestyle.

As a writer, practicing self-care improves the following.

Self-care Ramps Up Your Productivity As A Creative

Practicing self-care increases your productivity levels.

When your body, mind, and soul are at peace and in sync, your creative flow will remain untampered, which enhances your productivity.

Self-care Improves Your Intellectuality

As a writer, you intentionally have to check your mental and emotional state to filter what you feed your mind.

This helps to detach your mind from toxic consumables and clears a path that is refreshing and more in sync with your creative pursuit.

When practicing self-care, you take more time to see yourself, to focus on yourself, and to make yourself your utmost concentration, which is an important detoxifying process for writers.

Self-care Reduces Stress

Intentionally practicing self-care reduces stress from your life as a creative. It also reduces the chances of spiraling into anxiety and helps you rejuvenate.

Effective Ways To Practice Self-care As A Burgeoning Writer

7 Effective Ways To Practice Self-Care As A Creative

Give Yourself The Chance To Say No

Saying no is an enormous form of self-care. Repeat this mantra severally till it sticks, if that’s what it takes.

Most times, you feel ashamed of saying no, to reject that last-minute job that is at the detriment of your me-time, your sleep, and your break.

That “help me out with this” will sometimes demand more than you’re willing to give. Still, you do it regardless.

I’m not faulting you for helping, by all means, lend a hand. Help a friend when you can. Take a last-minute job if you can. But make sure that you’re not doing this to the detriment of your sanity.

Learn to put your priorities and needs first.

Prioritize Your Healthcare

Don’t disregard prioritizing your health over anything else.

It is an effective self-care practice to engage in activities that’ll improve your health and personal wellness.

Do not abandon your health self-care routines because you’re too busy to care. Take time out for proper care.

Go for checkups, eat regularly, and eat healthy meals. Exercise as much as you can, and practice meditation.

Have Off-screen Time Intervals

One of the best things that you can do for your creative mind and productivity is to steer clear of your phone at scheduled intervals.

Honestly, creative ideas flow to me more when I’m off my phone than when I’m on it.

And admittedly, it’s different for everyone.

You may get more ideas when you’re on your phone or laptop 24/7. Still, too much of everything is not good. Take out the time to set aside distractions — in which your phone plays a significant role.

Stepping away from the screen is an act of self-care, so schedule some time for you every single day offscreen and find something in your schedule to tick off or take as your break time.

Take Regular Breaks

Yes, take breaks. Take long walks with yourself and breathe.

Do something creative that is not your job. It could be journalling, exercising, or even decluttering your space.

Set out a specific time for you to have breaks and take them.

Breathe

In life, there are moments when the most effective form of self-care is to inhale deeply and exhale.

Breathing is an uncommon act of self-care but is highly effective in mindful meditation. So take out time to step back from what you do and breathe.

Simply breathe.

Sleep

One of the worst ways to create is when you are sleep-deprived. Sleep is important to you as a creative and as a human.

I know you have deadlines to meet, and a trailer-load of work to complete, but when you compare the amounts of time you spend working versus the actual time you set aside for rest, does it balance the scales?

Sound sleep reinvigorates your creative mind and keeps it active and alert, but when you are sleep-deprived, it is glaring in the quality of work you produce.

To avoid this drastic outcome, ensure you have quality hours of sleep daily. Don’t compromise having a good night’s sleep or you’ll risk hurting your creative productivity.

Find your flow/timeline

Finally, you can decide how to practice your self-care. It’s not dependent on what you see others doing. Get to know yourself and what works best for you, and start actively doing it.

Endnotes

As a writer, it is easy to get tired, burned out, frustrated, and stressed. Self-care is one way that you can effectively elevate your mood and engage in a more uplifting lifestyle.

Slight changes and small habits go a long way in ensuring your productivity and health stay in check. It improves your efficiency and lifestyle as a writer.

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6 Intentional Growth Strategies For Burgeoning Writers
Guests PostsPersonal Development

6 Intentional Growth Strategies For Burgeoning Writers

by Toby Funsho
written by Toby Funsho

You may have made firm resolutions to pursue intentional growth as a writer this New Year. To achieve that, you will need new intentional growth strategies and a plan to elevate yourself, even as a burgeoning writer.

A lot happened in the last year. You probably were inconsistent, lacked motivation, were less productive, and feel concerned about your efforts.

It’s also understandable that even with a firm resolution carved in stone, you still have no idea how to grow as a burgeoning writer this New Year.

I have outlined six growth strategies to help you succeed effortlessly and fall in love with your writing journey again.

Six Growth Strategies For Burgeoning Writers

Have The Right Mindset

The idea of growth first blossoms in your mind.

With a defeated mindset, it is impossible to hold your conviction on any possibility of growth and success with your writing. You need to develop a positive growth mindset to conquer the battle of the mind.

Sporting a negative growth mindset already defeated the aim of success before writers even encounter real challenges. So, settle in your mind that you will excel, irrespective of your challenges.

Encourage yourself to find conviction in the conscious, positive steps you are taking to keep improving and getting better.

Manifesting affirmative words is important to help your subconscious mind align with your growth mindset because if you can see it, you can be it.

Be Authentic

Be you! Your writing skills are so unique to you alone. Do not act like somebody else, because no one can write as powerfully as you can.

You’d love yourself even more if you discovered what distinguishes you from every other writer. Do not allow the success of other writers to intimidate you, rather, challenge yourself to strive for excellence!

Show up as your authentic self, and your readers, who can see through any facade of pretense, would love you for who you are.

With authenticity and an aura of originality, in your writing, you can shine in your natural habitat, so find the niche you love passionately and serve your audience.

6 Intentional Growth Strategies For Burgeoning Writers

Enjoy The Process

Most writers are only interested in the results. 1000 YouTube subscribers in a month. 12k followers and over 100k in sales of books in the shortest time possible.

You can’t skip the process and expect to get the same results.

Growth takes time. The process is tedious and gets boring along the way sometimes. However, if you can follow through, the results will amaze you.

What do you do on those long, lonely nights? With several rejections and rejected manuscripts.

Your goals may not manifest within one month of intentionality. It’s going to take time. And if all your fixation and obsession is on results only, you will become frustrated and anxious.

But when you are obsessed with the process, your efforts will cumulatively pay forward. So, go with the flow!

Start with picking a niche that resonates with you, such that when you hit a wall in your writing journey, you can still hang in there.

Show Up Consistently

Consistency is a skill you must learn now. It does not mean showing up every day. It is showing up on the days you have agreed to show up for your brand.

It means embodying discipline as a life principle to help you stay focused on your commitments and goals for yourself as a burgeoning writer.

The more you show up, the more you are present in the minds of your audience, and the more they’ll come to like and trust you.

Develop Your Writing Skills

Developing your writing skills is the most important strategy of all. Learning never ends. So, stay on top of your game as a writer.

Constantly practicing and implementing what you’ve learned will set you up for success and set you apart from the crowd.

Read books, take up writing courses, and read blog posts. Just stay up to date, not just so you can have contents to churn out to your audience, but for you.

First, grow for yourself before anyone else. So, this year, plan to invest in yourself.

Find A Community

To grow faster, belong to a community of creatives.

When you find a community that aligns with your needs as a burgeoning writer, it makes your writing process a lot easier and enjoyable.

Writing communities are significant and helpful in all areas. There are knowledgeable individuals in these communities who are ready to guide you through your journey, those on the same level as you, and even those with whom you are more knowledgeable.

A community provides you with opportunities and keeps you from slacking if you’re actively involved. You will also have people who encourage you to keep on track.

Being among people journeying to the same place as you help focus your mind, motivate, and fuel your drive, rather than trying to figure things out on your own.

Endnotes

If you are already familiar with these strategies, please keep at them. If you are not, then re-read this and get to work.

I hope to see you excel this year beyond the previous years. You can do it. And like my friend Jane always says, ‘I’m rooting for you!’

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Simple DIY Mental Wellness Tips For Burgeoning Writers
Guests PostsWellness & Lifestyle

Simple DIY Mental Wellness Tips For Burgeoning Writers

by Stephanie Ideho-Iraoya
written by Stephanie Ideho-Iraoya

Mental exhaustion is a challenge encountered by burgeoning writers in their careers. By implementing these simple DIY mental wellness tips in your writing routines, you can protect your mental space from burnout and acute stress.
The demands of the writing process can be brutally taxing, making it normal to feel anxious at the beginning of your journey. But overly accumulating stress can impact your productivity and cause severe burnout.

Maintaining a healthy and productive writing lifestyle demands that you prioritize your mental wellness alongside your creative pursuits.

As a writer, if you are feeling overly distracted, lack concentration, are depressed, or otherwise unwell, it can be difficult for you to think creatively and produce your best work. On the other hand, if you are feeling happy, relaxed, and healthy, you’ll create better content.

In this article, we will explore simple DIY mental wellness tips you can implement to prioritize mind care as a writer.

Establish A Writing Routine That Effortlessly Blends With Your Daily Schedules

Succeeding as a writer demands that you establish a regular writing routine and stick with it to induce long-term writing habits. This produces positive results only if you establish a writing routine that effortlessly blends with your daily schedules.

Dedicating ample time to focus on your writing that doesn’t upset your regular routines provides a sense of structure and purpose that increases your creative productivity without causing too much strain on your mental health.

Avoid scheduling your writing routine haphazardly without considering your triggers, creative time, and daily obligations because this could fast-track your journey to burning out.

Seek Support/Professional Help When Needed

Although writing is tagged as a solitary pursuit, it is important to resound the reminder that you do not have to go through it alone.

If you are struggling with your creative pursuits or sense that it is taking a toll on your mental health, do not be afraid to seek support from friends, family, or a mental health professional.

These individuals will provide you with the valuable guidance and support you need to retrace your steps, reprioritize, and maintain a healthy and productive writing life.

Stay Organized

Have you ever wondered why your thoughts are all over the place? Psychologists say a cluttered workspace can lead to a cluttered mind, making it difficult to focus on your writing.

Take out time to organize your writing space and create a system for managing your projects and ideas.

Simple DIY Mental Wellness Tips For Burgeoning Writers

Practice Mindfulness And Meditation

Practicing mindfulness and meditation is a powerful tool in managing stress and anxiety when ingrained in the writing process. It also helps improve your overall well-being.

Incorporating mindfulness techniques into your writing routine, such as deep breathing, meditation, and paying attention to your thoughts and feelings in the present, is a great way to prioritize your mental care even while writing.

Another way to practice mindfulness is to connect with others. Consider joining support groups, an online community for writers, or reaching out to friends and family for support.

Sharing your experiences and struggles with others who understand can provide a sense of belonging and validation that makes your writing journey feel less isolated.

There are many techniques and approaches to mindfulness and meditation, so experiment to find what works best for you.

Take Regular Breaks

The simplest DIY mental wellness tip in the books is taking regular breaks.

Writing can be mentally exhausting, so making time for activities you enjoy outside of writing is important. These activities may include exercising, spending time with friends and family, or engaging in a hobby.

Taking breaks and engaging in activities you love reduces stress, prevents burnout, and boosts your mood. It also improves your mental state by making you feel less overwhelmed and drained.

These activities can be as little as taking a walk, listening to music, or doing something refreshing that relaxes your mind when you get swamped and occupied with writing and meeting deadlines.

Take Care Of Your Physical Health

Eating a healthy diet and getting enough sleep can positively impact your mental health. Be sure to prioritize these things in your daily routine.

Only a healthy body can support a healthy mind and help you maintain the energy and focus you need to write.

Setting Realistic Goals And Expectations

The pressure of achievement induces stress, which is made worse if you’re chasing unrealistic goals and expectations you’ve set for yourself.

A key aspect of conditioning your mind for success and protecting your mental health as a writer is setting realistic writing goals and expectations.

It is easy to become overwhelmed and stressed out if you are trying to achieve too much in too little time and with few actionable plans. Instead, try setting smart goals for yourself and give yourself the time and space to work toward them.

This will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed and allow you to enjoy writing rather than getting bogged down by unrealistic expectations.

Endnotes

Prioritizing your mental health by incorporating these simple DIY mental wellness tips into your daily routine, you have intentionally improved and created room for a productive writing experience.

Whether you are just starting as a writer or have been writing for years, protecting your mental space is essential for success. Overall, it is important to remember that mind care is not a luxury but a necessity for maintaining mental wellness.

As a writer, it is easy to get caught up in your work and neglect your well-being. Properly caring for your mental health as a writer requires a combination of self-care, support, and a healthy approach to your writing practice.

By setting realistic goals, taking regular breaks, and cultivating positive support systems, you can ensure that your writing remains a positive and fulfilling pursuit.

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5 Reasons You Are Stuck Writing Your First Book
Creative WritingGuests Posts

5 Reasons You Are Stuck Writing Your First Book As A Newbie Writer

by Toby Funsho
written by Toby Funsho

The idea of writing a book has been idealized even among newbie writers as the greatest goldmine, yet there are several reasons you are stuck writing your first book and unable to live that dream.

Capturing your ideas, experiences, and knowledge into a book poses you as knowledgeable and an authority in whatever genre you choose to write in; however, several new writers never make it past the idea stage and many get stuck writing their first book.

The excitement has worn off and pressure is beginning to set in. Some may eventually conclude that writing a book to completion is tedious, demanding, and unachievable.

In essence, they quit writing and give up pursuing their creative passion barely a mile into the race.

Outlined below are the 5 reasons you are stuck writing your first book as a newbie writer.

You Have No Writing Experience

It’s quite easy to belittle a task until you are faced with the same. ‘Writing a book is easy, you might say,’ but in reality, it’s not as easy.

Writing takes a lot of mental hard work, research, and the ability to convey your message in a way your reader understands and can relate to –  that’s definitely not for the weak.

As a newbie writer, jumping to write a book because you’ve got some fantastic ideas, without first practicing how to write the right way is like putting the cart before the horse.

It’s doomed to fail! That is a possible reason you are stuck writing your first book.

Gather momentum, start with writing consistently on your social media pages, develop your writing skill, and then launch into your book project.

These simple writing habits and processes prepare you for success as a newbie writer.

Perfectionism

Being a perfectionist has its perks and as good as that may sound, it does quite the opposite in writing. As a newbie writer, your first book might not be perfect, the earlier you accept this, the better.

No one; absolutely no one had their first attempt at writing a book perfectly (that’s not an excuse to write crap though). But focusing more on polishing your book will only stall the process.

Truth is, your growth is more important and that only happens when you consistently practice. The more you write, the more you are criticized, and then the better you become.

Edit, edit, edit, and then it’ll go into the trash because you end up feeling like it’s not good enough. Do not fall for that trap and cut your editor some slack. They’ll do the perfecting for you.

Editing While Writing

Nothing slows you down or distracts you more than trying to edit while writing especially as a newbie writer. This will not only break your creative flow, but it will also take you a long time to finish your book.

It is better to take time out to write and finish your first draft before diving into editing in detail. This gives you the opportunity to capture all your ideas uninterrupted.

As tempting as it might be to jump into the editing process as you write, I advise you to quell the urge to do so, especially as a newbie, because it’ll slow down your writing progress.

5 Reasons You Are Stuck Writing Your First Book

Juggling Multiple Book Projects

As a newbie writer, resist the temptation to write multiple books at the same time. Taking up multiple projects gets your attention divided, drained, and confused as hell and you’d end up with half-written books.

Resist this as much as you can.

When Ideas might drop randomly as you write, store them up on your notepads or whatever device you choose and refer to them later. These ideas can be developed into beautiful and captivating stories that can serve as your next book project.

 This doesn’t mean you can’t juggle essays, short stories, and articles. The emphasis is on lengthy book projects.

Lack Of Discipline

Getting the story idea or any idea whatsoever is the most thrilling part of writing a book, but soon enough the whole excitement begins to dwindle and the reality of the task ahead begins to settle in.

Every author has had to go through this, so you are not alone.

What would take you through to the end is discipline. Discipline helps you focus more on your end goal (to become an author) and less on any distractions. It also applies to your personal life. No discipline, no achievements, right?

Did you know only 80% of books started by authors are completed by consistently showing up?

You should do the same. Set deadlines — daily, weekly, and monthly and meet them. This is the best way to measure your progress as a writer.

Showing up constantly isn’t easy and requires extraordinary discipline, but when you carefully master the art of consistently showing up, completing your book project becomes achievable.

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