Mindless and Wordless

Yesterday, I sat staring at my computer, before finally conceding the day to writer’s block. I have plenty I want to write about it coming posts, but the words just wouldn’t come. They wouldn’t come, in part, because I was being the opposite of mindful. I was being mindless. And wordless.

Writer’s block is, of course, something all writers struggle with. And I am certainly no exception. Although my anxiety tries to convince me that there is something wrong with me, that I am just fooling myself trying to be a writer, I know that that isn’t true and that, like I said, all writers deal with this from time to time.

For me, yesterday’s writer’s block was caused by a lack of mindfulness. As often happens with depression, I was dwelling in the past. And as often happens with anxiety, I was also worried about the future. And even though I couldn’t do anything about the past and even though I do have a plan in place for the future, I nevertheless wasn’t paying any attention to my thoughts in the here and now.

Writer’s block is nothing new. But when it is caused by the negative thought patterns of depression and anxiety I can redirect those thoughts to something more positive, rather than dwelling in the shadows. I may not always remember to do that, I certainly didn’t yesterday, but I can at least keep it in mind to reduce some of my anxiety about the next time that writer’s block hits.

And until that next time, be well, and thanks for reading.