How do you write or create when you're stressed?
5 Thoughts I'm Having
It’s been a rough week…
My thoughts this week, as it relates to writing and work, have centered around: How do people write, work, create, complete mundane chores when life is tossing an avalanche of worries and stressful events at you?
How does an accountant who, let’s say sitting with a loved one getting a chemo treatment, return home to answer client voicemails demanding a call back to discuss something like, “Can I deduct my dry cleaning bills on my taxes? I mean, I wouldn’t have worn that dry cleanable dress if it weren’t for work. Call me!”
Or how does an author of romantic comedies sit down and write funny, romantic scenes while simultaneously waiting on people from nursing homes to call her back because she needs to find a long-term memory care facility for her mother who lives alone?
I find it near impossible to be creative or to concentrate fully on work when I’m in a season of stressful events, but I do try to keep up some reading in order to keep processing other people’s creativity and keep my mind active on the greater world. And if I’m lucky, reading will inspire my writing.
Here are 5 thoughts I’m having and things that inspired me this week:
When I’m looking for inspiration from other creatives, I can always turn to Austin Kleon for a boost in encouragement. Whether it’s “100 quotes that helped me write” or “Plant your garden,” an excerpt from his book, Keep Going, I can always count on Austin to keep things real and share his own inspiration he’s gotten from other artists.
I met a friend for drinks after work one day last week. Just before joining her at one of our favorite spots, I received some distressing news via a phone call—news so distressing that I almost canceled our meeting. I’m glad I didn’t. We need friends in our lives—friends who are supportive, encouraging, and who share in how we think and process events of the world, whether it’s events affecting us on a personal level or on a broader scale. This friend was there for me as I struggled in real time, and she introduced me to a new-to-me author and podcaster, Mo Gawdat. You might already know Mo’s work. He’s the best-selling author of several books, including Unstressable: A Practical Guide to Stress-Free Living and Solve for Happy, two books I ordered immediately after watching/listening to this episode and this episode of The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett, which my friend had recommended during our talk. (If you do nothing else, listen to the entire episode dated April 25, 2024.) I’ve already started reading Unstressable.
I’ve recently become a consumer of comedy. With everything going on in my personal life, I’ve needed comedic relief whether it is with the books I’m reading or the television I’m consuming. I devoured two books by Emily Henry recently that made me simultaneously laugh out loud and swoon. Book Lovers (a story about publishing, writing, and love) might go down as my favorite fiction read of 2025, and it’s only January. Look for a review of this book and People We Meet on Vacation soon.
Related to #3, I’ve also been watching Younger on Netflix. I can’t believe I didn’t know about this show until now. My husband has been traveling, and I took the opportunity to binge my way through seven seasons of a humorous, romantic, and sometimes dramatic look at New York living, the publishing world, and what it’s like to be a woman who’s had to navigate working in a man’s world and in a time of ageism after taking a break to raise a child (Hint: the main character had to lie about her age to get a job, and that lie follows her throughout the series.). Have you watched this show? It has been a great way to turn my brain off at night, but it’s also inspired me to think about publishing again.
My fifth and final thought is the opposite of the above consumption of other people’s information and art. When life comes at you with an intensity that makes you wonder how you’ll ever work, write, create again, maybe the answer is to do the opposite. Maybe take a break and give yourself some grace. If you need to talk to someone, do that. If you need to write in a journal, and not for the world to see, do that. If you need to do absolutely nothing for a bit, do absolutely nothing. I’ve received some great support this week from coworkers who I shared that I had some shit going on. These coworkers were quick to encourage me to take care of me.
So I want to encourage you: If you find yourself in a season of stress, take care of you first! The writing, the creating, the work… all of that can wait until you’re ready.
Until next time,
Heather
If you enjoyed this, do me a favor and hit the ❤️ button. And don’t forget to subscribe.
Thanks for reading. This newsletter is a consistently inconsistent publication of my thoughts, though I’ve vowed to be more consistent in 2025. You can find more of my shorter thoughts and links to things I’m reading in my Notes.
If you enjoy my thoughts and want to encourage more writing, you can do one or all of the following: leave a comment and join in the discussion, buy my books or become a paid subscriber (you can also subscribe for free, and I welcome it).