Relaxing the Writer:
Guidebook to the Writer’s High
by
Amber Polo
Relaxing the Writer:
Guidebook to the Writer’s High
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011 by Amber Polo
Cover Design by Connie Fisher
ConnieLeeMarie.com
Formatted by Laura Shinn
Wordshaping Press
Contact: info@RelaxingtheWriter.com
License Notes
Relaxing the Writer: Guidebook to the Writer’s High is a work of non-fiction. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be copied or reproduced in any manner without express written permission of the author. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy or copies. If you did not purchase this book or it was not purchased for your use, please go to Smashwords.com to purchase your personal copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
The ideas and suggestions in this publication are not intended to substitute for proper medical advice. Not all exercises are suitable for everyone. Pregnant women are advised not to practice twisting poses. If you have any chronic or recurring conditions, take prescription drugs, or when in doubt, always consult a reliable health professional.
Why Writers Need Relaxation Strategies
IV. Exploring Other Attractions
Hands *
Progressive Muscular Relaxation
Yoga *
V. Relaxing the Writer Audio Guides
Relaxing the Writer Relaxation
Relaxing the Writer Hand Meditation
Apps to Relax (iPhones, iPods, & iPads)
*Illustrations
Relaxing the Writer: Guidebook to the Writer’s High is filled with practical hints, reminders, and surprises which relax writers. Anyone who spends time in a chair will find useful tips, suggestions, and options. Relaxation can be learned.
First, a short detour to look at our goal, The Writer’s High, and one roadblock, Around the Writer’s Block.
Section II - The Ergonomic Writer - Setting the Scene explores the writer’s office and other physical needs that help create a relaxing writing experience.
Section III - Essential Stops introduces proven ways to quickly relax you: stretches to do at or near your desk, breathing practices, and eye exercises.
Section IV - Exploring Other Attractions surveys options from “Aromatherapy “ to “Yoga,” each filled with solutions from the mundane to the mystical to spark your curiosity and help you discover what relaxes you. If one technique doesn’t work, move on.
How to Use This Book - Choose several stretches and breathing exercises from Section III and practice for several days. Then choose a few from Section IV and experiment with those. Some practices will become part of your day and others will become refreshing breaks.
Why Writers Need Relaxation Strategies
Writing Affects the Writer
Writers lean forward, necks scrunch into shoulders, backs hunch, brows furrow, eyes bug out, and lower back, arms, wrists, and fingers tighten. Even our faces squinch tight and wrinkle. Eyes squint at screens without blinking. Repetitive use of muscles and unnatural postures create tension, the body’s natural response to imbalance.
Mental Stress & Physical Tension Affect Every Part of a Writer’s Life
Mental – Poor concentration, obsessive thinking, preoccupation, racing thoughts, worry, indecision, memory loss, poor problem solving skills, procrastination, conflicted personal relations
Spiritual – Lack of purpose, goals, and direction, disconnection, lack of inspiration, alienation, loneliness, cynicism, boredom, melancholy
Physical - Headaches, eye strain, constricted breathing, repetitive stress injuries, back pain, stiff neck, fatigue, insomnia, over-eating, loss of appetite, low energy, frequent colds, accidents, sweaty or cold hands, weakened immune system, teeth grinding, jaw pain, indigestion, hypertension.
All writers need relaxation techniques to focus the mind, de-stress the body, and calm emotions. Relaxation replenishes creativity. This guide will help you develop your personal user’s manual of relaxation methods.
Just as athletes revel in the “runner’s high” and an actor says “the muse is with me,” writers experience a similar phenomenon. Their “zone” is also an altered state of consciousness. In that place, time stands still. We are in our bodies, but not. This effortless creativity is the goal writers wish they could reach every time they sit to write.
The exhilaration felt when faced with danger, stress, and pain supposedly happens when endorphins, the body’s own morphine-like substances, prevent nerve cells from sending out pain signals. The most famous rush is the runner’s high, which takes an athlete over a threshold that activates endorphins. Going past an individual’s physical limits and ignoring pain may cause damage. Lucky for writers, there’s little danger, other than forgetting to get out of the chair.
As writers, we’d love to step into that absorbed state of mind at will. Yet without preparation, it’s likely to happen less often. Relaxation doesn’t negate the need for hard work, research, or analytical preparation, but does release the physical tension and mental stress that blocks the path.
In Section III - Essential Stops and Section IV - Exploring Other Attractions, you’ll read about techniques to increase your chances of finding that elusive clarity and activities that help put writers in a place where the writer’s high is more apt to happen.
Some dismiss writer’s block as simple procrastination or just “in your head.” Others label it a serious cognitive or emotional problem that requires professional help. Blocks can take a variety of forms, from lack of ideas to compulsive editing. The affliction varies in intensity from trivial or temporary to devastating.
Isaac Asimov said, “Writer’s block is a sign that you’re working on the wrong thing.” Tom Wolfe called writer’s block “…a misnomer. What is labeled writer’s block is almost always fear.” In The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer’s Block, and the Creative Brain, Alice Flaherty argues that literary creativity is a function of specific parts of the brain, and that block may be the result of disrupted brain activity in those areas.
Books, blogs, articles, and websites offer suggestions for those times when cleaning the toilet bowl seems more fun than facing a blank screen. Although not every writer’s block can be cured by relaxation alone, almost every prescription for beating it down includes relaxation techniques as a major element.
Before the internet, writing included a lot more physical tasks. Writers walked to a stationery shop for paper and ink or a few blocks to a library, drove or took a bus or subway to a large research library, or traveled to a distant city to peruse specialized collections and conduct interviews.
In libraries the writer pulled open card catalog drawers and flexed fingers through the cards, hiked through miles of stacks, stretched up or squatted down, then lifted and carried twenty-pound tomes to a carrel.
Some writers still do old-fashioned tasks, but many more turn on computers to find research materials in London or Tokyo. Others use Wikipedia as their all-night convenience store.
“Everyone gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.”
Gertrude Stein
The scariest fact I found in my research was a 2010 study by the American Cancer Society which lumped writers with obsessive TV watchers in the field of “inactivity studies” concerned with health, longevity, and obesity. The study found that sitting time was independently associated with mortality, regardless of physical activity.
Todd Sinett, author of The Truth About Back Pain, says sitting not only lessens blood flow to the discs that cushion your spine (wearing them out and stressing your back), but puts 30% more pressure on the spine than standing or walking. 80% of Americans suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. If you don’t already have issues, you need preventative measures.
If that’s not enough, a 2011 study in the American Journal of Epidemiology reported that people who spent a decade or more doing sedentary work were almost twice as likely to develop cancer of the lower colon compared to those with physically active jobs, regardless of all recreational physical activities. Inactivity also may encourage tumor growth due to inflammation.
What’s a writer to do when hours at a gym or track cannot make up for time spent sitting at a desk?
Basic tips
• Take breaks. Stand up frequently and move around.
• Don’t lean forward or hunch over your keyboard.
Standing & Treadmill Desks - Ernest Hemingway used a standup desk, as did Winston Churchill who wrote some pretty hefty tomes. Virginia Woolf, Thomas Wolfe, and Vladimir Nabokov were also standing writers. Men’s Health magazine installed standing desks in their offices. If you do buy a high desk or convert a conventional one, be sure your lower arms and hands can be placed at a right angle. Too low, shoulders will hurt. Too high causes slumping and awkward wrist positions.
Recently an incredibly expensive height-adjustable desk with a semi- recumbent elliptical machine has been advertised to help desk jockeys pedal as they work.
Literary Side Trip - John Grisham uses a Sharper Image chair with a built-in massager to rub his back while he writes.
Chairs - If you’re not going to stand, your chair must fit you perfectly. Lumbar supports on ergonomic chairs must be positioned at the base of your spine and contoured to your back to really support. Be sure the chair adjusts, has excellent back support, and wheels. If feet don’t reach the floor, use a foot support. Try out a kneeling chair or a ball chair. It’s also nice to have a second (reading) chair in your office to offer a change in position.
See also: Desk Stretches and Rolling & Passive Stretches.
The internet and ubiquitous wi-fi allow writing, research, and editing to take place anywhere. We’re able to Tweet epics, 144 characters at a time. Japanese writers often write novels on cell phones and BlackBerries. Electronic devices allow us to work longer while still offering limited body positions compared to writing on paper.
Exercise - Ask a friend to take a photo of you when you’re writing. And not post it on social network sites. Do you hunch over your keyboard or laptop, head jutting forward, back looking like an apostrophe or question mark?
Writing with Computers - Many aspects of a computer user’s discomfort can be alleviated with small adjustments.
Screens - Position the screen 20-24” in front of you at eye level or a few degrees lower, so your head looks straight ahead, not tilted down. This position also lessens both glare and shadows. More pixels are better. Choose a high refresh rate (flicker speed), at least 70 HZ.
Increase Text Size - Besides eyestrain, looking at small fonts can cause a rise in blood pressure and stress. I love two screens with research displayed on one and a document on the other. And the slight side-to- side eye and neck movement feels good.
Matte or Glossy LCD Screens? - Glossy screens add color, depth, and higher contrast. Matte screens with polarized coating, reduce reflected light and cause a narrower viewing angle. So, unless you’re a gamer or watch movies, a matte screen is a better choice for a writer.
Laptops and Tablets - When your laptop is lower than eye level, use your eyes to look down, not your head, neck, and back. To lessen the need to bend and to reduce reflection, adjust the screen to a 10-20 degree angle. For home use, obtain a stand for your laptop or tablet, prop it up on books, or attach a separate monitor. Add an auxiliary keyboard for position options and a mouse to provide alternative hand movements.
Hands - Try an ergonomic mouse, gel or cushioned wrist rests for mouse and keyboard, or wrist support bands. For cold, hurting or arthritic hands experiment with a heated mouse, mouse pad, keyboard pad or a mouse-hand warmer that covers the top of your hand.
Online Distractions - Some writers use one computer sans internet connection exclusively for writing and another for email, social networking, blogging, and promotion. I love my old AlphaSmart (Neo Direct, Inc.) word processing keyboard for writing, anywhere. With no distracting large screen, my thoughts flow effortlessly (most of the time) from brain, to fingers, into an easily downloaded file.
See also: Desk Stretches and Eye Exercises.
Creating a comfortable place to write is crucial. After your computer and chair, your writing space sets the scene for a relaxed and productive session.
Some Considerations
Lighting - Natural lighting is ideal. Use a desk lamp, if possible, instead of overhead lighting.
Colors & Decorating - Paint your walls your favorite color. Cool colors (blues, greens, and neutrals) tend to have a calming effect. Add inspiring art, photos or a bulletin board.
Air - Open a window if you can. Consider an ionizer or ozone generator to improve office air. Depending on the climate, a humidifier or a dehumidifier might add to your comfort. Bring a garden inside, a plant, bonsai, or Zen garden with sand, rake, and a few smooth stones.
Extras - A phone with an “off “ switch, candles, incense, music, a favorite pen and notebook, water bottle, tea kettle, eye drops, or a salt rock lamp.
Writers’ Wardrobe - Other than comfy pajamas, light-colored loose clothing made of natural fibers is considered most calming. Keep really nice socks, a sweatshirt, shawl, or hoodie handy to keep you warm. Choose non-restrictive garb for the most comfort, or for fun, dress up as one of your characters.
Tip for Writers - Choose the location that most evokes the atmosphere of your current scene or project to absorb details with all your senses.
Pets - Since studies show pets lower your blood pressure and increase life span, share your office with a devoted companion. If active pets just don’t work for you, consider a fish tank.
Feng Shui - Some writers swear applying the principles of feng shui (ancient Chinese interior decorating) induces peace and harmony and improves their work. You can go to great expense to remodel your home and office or try a few feng shui guidelines.
• De-clutter your work space. Mess confuses your mind. Simplicity encourages creativity.
• Don’t sit at a desk with your back to a door. If you must, add a small mirror to allow you to see the entrance. Mystery writers know the dangers of an unprotected back.
• Add plants to minimize the effects of the electromagnetic fields created by all those electronics so necessary for writing. Perhaps choose a lucky bamboo plant guaranteed to attract health, happiness, love, and abundance.
• Colors - Blue-green is a good color, but can be too relaxing, so balance it with a little red-orange to fire your muse and a splash of purple for creativity and prosperity.
Movable Offices - Not everyone has a beautiful calm office or, if they do, wants to stay there all the time. Location can enhance or detract from the writing process. A change of scene can literally add a breath of fresh air and shake up the creative juices.
Find Your Destination - Experiment writing in a variety of places. Besides coffee shops, try libraries, college campuses, restaurants, a beach, parks, or a nearby hotel lobby. Even your car can become a mobile office. Almost every public place offers a choice for the movable writer. Consider art museums and galleries, bookstores, and airports. Check your word count and evaluate the quality of your work in different locales. Find places that inspire you and visit regularly.
Does Starbucks make you feel more authorly? Imagine sitting a uber-cool coffee shop in your designer jeans and tight black turtleneck. A steaming cup of caramel espresso chai sits next to the latest wi-fi enabled device. You sip abstractedly, hardly glancing over your shoulder to see who might be noticing your intense labors.
If you honestly get more work done, it’s worth the Starbucks card and dirty looks when every table is filled. But if you just need a break or a chat with a friend, find a cheap takeout cup and a park bench.
“Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment
will be surer.”
Leonardo DaVinci
Every traveler’s itinerary starts with the must-see sights. Let’s begin with the most practical, quickest, sure-to-relax tips. These next five chapters offer maximum results in a minimum amount of time.
• Desk Stretches – release stiffness from sitting
• Hand Stretches – offer relief from keyboard or pen
• Rolling & Passive Stretches – get out the kinks
• Breathing – calm and focus
• Eyes Need Exercise, Too – ease eye strain
Find the techniques that work to de-stress your body without going to a gym and slow your mind without building a meditation room.
Take a break and stretch before muscles spasm. Stretching allows you to sit and write longer without getting out of your zone.
Take your hand off that mouse
Push your chair away from the computer
Simple Desk Stretches
Simple Desk Stretches
Seated Cat-Cow Back Stretches - (illus. 1) Sit tall towards the front of your chair. Inhale into a gentle backbend. Look up. Exhale and let the back round from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. Keep moving back and forth with the breath.
Forward Bends - Bending forward stretches the back and shoulders and lowers your head below your heart to bring blood to the brain for a quick pick-me-up. See more forward bend illustrations in Easy Yoga Poses (page 83).
• Push back from your desk. Sit near the edge of your chair.
Legs wide, feet on the floor. Inhale. Reach arms up or rest your hands on your knees. Exhale and hinge forward. (If necessary use a pillow on your lap for support.) Keep the spine extended. Relax. Take a few deep breaths. Try to let your head hang lower than your hips. Continue slow deep breaths. When ready, use your hands to support you back to sitting.
• Move the chair further back. Sit with legs wide. Straighten arms and place palms on desktop. Hinge forward from hips. Keep back long and straight and shoulders extended in a comfortable stretch. Allow head to hang slightly lower than shoulders. Breathe.
• Stand an arm’s length from your desk and place hands on the desktop. (illus. 2) Hinge forward from hips. Keep back long and straight and shoulders extended. Take slow deep breaths.
Neck Stretches - (illus. 3)
• Sit tall. Imagine the crown of your head reaching towards the ceiling. Inhale. Slowly rotate your face up, keeping the feeling of length in the neck. Exhale, bringing the chin towards the chest. Repeat, slowly, three times. Next, elongate the neck, exhale, moving your right ear in the direction of your right shoulder. Inhale back up. Alternate sides.
• Imagine a pencil balanced (point up) on the top of your head. Sit tall in your chair. Keeping the upper body still and your neck relaxed, write your name on the ceiling (or the clouds).
Jaw & Face - Press the tongue lightly against the roof of your mouth behind the front teeth. Allow lips to part slightly. Open mouth as wide as you can. With mouth open, lightly press fist under chin and use jaw to press down. Repeat.