It is December at last!

You have survived a season of NaNoWriMo and have lived to tell your tale. Were you successful? Do you feel like you came up a bit short? It can be a whole slew of emotions and it might take a moment to simmer down. However, as you dismount from your writing chariot, let me make a few suggestions while you find your feet again.

Recovery

This year my recovery from November has been literal. I managed to contract a new round of COVID-19, only to lose steam as I crawled across my personal goals. So these past few days I have been resting up and trying to get the phlegm out. The analogy of me coughing out the last couple words to cross the Finis line is brutal but true.

Even though I did manage to finish the fantasy project, I just feel drained. What can I possibly produce after sputtering out words between coughs?

Thus, I am forced to acknowledge that it is time to recover. And you should join me; let’s all just agree to stop this writing race and catch our collected breaths.

The best way to recover from a marathon or race is to ease out gently with a cool down. For example, I am treating this blog as my cool down.Prepping this post has dual meaning: it is manageable, short time frame, and does not have numbers “to hit”.

Find a way to gently release the fervor, to descend from the headiness by letting the words patter off; thoughts collecting in a notebook for later. That way you can return to your project when you are ready.

Holiday Happiness or Horrors?

What I’m not ready for: holiday season. I am nowhere near prepared for present shopping/crafting, let alone to consider the year 2024. The season is notorious for mental health issues and stress levels ^{which is completely out of my scope of practice but recognize it’s influence. For further information, read from reputable sources such as NAMI} . While nothing replaces assistance from certified professionals, which can be researched here, here, or directly linked to here, self-care can be up to personal taste.

Reading is my favorite form of escapism. Yet when paired with the magic of the holiday season, I feel wrapped up in the warm and fuzzies of a quiet escape. I accept the fantasy of winter mythologies, the familiar stories we hear at the dinner table. So don’t be surprised to hear that I binge read all the holiday mysteries and romances I can lay my hands and fingertips on.

There is an embarrassing amount of Christmas themed mysteries, murders, rom-coms, and spicy novels that I found at the library or bargain prices. I do my best to give thought out reviews as encouragement to the indie authors, since I usually find them through book promos.

But it is so comforting to know that I can sink my brain into cookie after cookie of mystery and romance. It is a lull to my brain. I enjoy every hokey, predictable, emotional scene and a nice cup of water. The other way to view this is to:

Splurge or Purge Your Mind

What else will your brain let you go to sleep? You can crowd out the sound with a mass intake of other media. Or you can experiment with notes or setting time aside for a solid 10 to 15 minutes of just writing.

Go Take A Nap

Speaking of sleep, I can tell that my brain needs to rest because I’m talking in circles.

However, this exemplifies the idea of rest helps clear the mind. Out of ideas? Go to sleep. Hard time thinking? Sleep. Is the screen starting to look weird and you have that headache again? Sleeeep.

Thankfully you don’t have to sleep all day to get vibe back. I am a fan of cat naps, catching a mid-day twenty minute span of no thought. It is quiet and soft, allowing the rest of the day to flow like a river around me.
Speaking of sleep, I can tell that my brain needs to rest because I’m talking in circles.

However, this exemplifies the idea of rest helps clear the mind. Out of ideas? Go to sleep. Hard time thinking? Sleep. Is the screen starting to look weird and you have that headache again? Sleeeep.

Thankfully you don’t have to sleep all day to get vibe back. I am a fan of cat naps, catching a mid-day twenty minute span of no thought. It is quiet and soft, allowing the rest of the day to flow like a river around me.

Restore the creativity and all that good stuff when the brain is filled with fluff. And I think that’s exactly what I’m going to do right now. Till next time!