In a post on Writer Unboxed, Diana Giovinazzo discusses writerly self-care, which is especially important at this time of year. “We are regularly pulled in many directions, especially during the holidays when there are family obligations and parties on top of the regular everyday stress not bound to the month of December,” she says.
Self-care may feel indulgent, but it creates important boundaries within ourselves. “The purpose of a boundary is to protect us, even if that person we need protecting is from within,” Giovinazzo says. “When I took the time for myself there was a renewed vigor in not only my writing but in my personal life as well. Those moments of tranquility brought my imagination back along with the desire to want to write vs. feeling like I needed to write because it’s my job.”
Self-care can take many forms: massage, hot baths, time to read, spending time with family or friends, long walks, extra naps. “It’s about doing healthy things to nurture ourselves which in turn nurtures our creativity,” Giovinazzo writes. “How can we, as writers pull from the well when it’s constantly being ladled out for others?”
