Every Writer Needs A Coffee Break From Writing

Now and then, writers need a break from writing to be in touch with the real world, recollect their thoughts, and, most importantly, spend time with themselves. It might be our full-time jobs, our careers/side hustles, or simple a hobby we love to do, but rejuvenation isn’t just a day spent at the spa or some fancy resort. It can be a relaxing day at home too.

I’m touching upon this topic of rest because I don’t see many writers incorporating it. I see more articles about how to write 50 stories in one week and fewer stories discussing how to unwind our minds and body. There are more hacks on how to accomplish maximum productivity. While there’s minimum advice given on how to loosen up and kickback.

This article is not a Ted Talk on how to be lazy. It’s a gateway to pause and take it easy. When your mind and body are begging for relaxation, don’t ignore those signals your brain is trying to tell you.

Rest is undervalued. When we associate ourselves with too much rest, we begin to feel like sluggish couch potatoes. Instead of feeling rejuvenated, fully charged, and restored. Meanwhile, when we associate ourselves with a pinch of rest, it's just enough to keep us functioning throughout the day. Although we are more likely to yawn every five minutes and seek energy boosters. Simply because rest takes up a large portion of our day but time to improve yourself is a bright decision to make.

As human beings, we tend to be antsy and impatient. We are tempted to move and do the next thing we can. While stillness is a few people’s fortes, it’s not for many of us.

As a writer, there are always demands to meet. You want to write, write, write. Get as many articles out as you can, be featured on the main page, retrieve views, hearts, comments, tips, and shares. Writing is like magic. It stirs up a pool of creativity in us. Our minds go presto, and we go into action.

Taking a break from writing can be organized around the time you want to take off. Adjust downtime around your schedule accordingly. It can be for a day, a few months, a year. You name it. There's no such thing as taking too little or too much time off. Sometimes it's those breaks, pauses, and rest days that spark up something different in you when you approach your works. Sometimes it's that time away that makes you realize you need to do more of this and less of that.

Ask yourself this question, if you're busy all the time, with no rest, how effective will you be? How would you feel? How would you think? What would your health look like? How would you treat people? How would you write/work? Imagine what your output would be. You can either be well-rested and creative or restless and unproductive.

Some days I have no clue what to write about, and I don't think it's always writer's block. I end up so busy that I do not give my mind time to chill, loaf on the sofa, and toss its feet up. The room in our minds needs a resting place. We don't always have to put our brains to work 24/7. Eventually, we will become agitated and full of frustration because we are lacking a key part of ourselves. If our mental performance isn't great, our physical performance won't be either.

I'm sure this upcoming New Year our bucket lists are marked with new things we want to succeed at, along with new ways we want to work on ourselves and get a lot more done. Take the initiative to make rest your #1 reminder now, and move forward in the future. It's something I'm incorporating by not being so hard on myself with minimal expectations. For the most part, I am just being and taking life as it comes.

New Year resolutions do not stay very long, and it's not because we’re quitters or failures. It’s because our expectations are set to do every little thing that we can, only to be burnt out in less than a month. We try too hard. We fail to realize that downtime is essential to accomplish our biggest plans. We go right back to our original selves and realize that some things aren’t practical and most things require a coffee break.

Of course, it’s easier to add more to your plate, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Some of us can carry heavier things, but it’s time to drop the baggage and unpack all the weight you’ve been carrying. There is a saying I heard from somewhere once, and it goes like this, "Addition equals subtraction and subtraction equals addition."

In simpler terms, this saying means the more you add to your life, the less you’ll have. This can be feeling mentally or physically depleted or not being fully happy. Externally you might be putting in the work but internally, something’s wrong. No matter how much you do or how much you have, something is lacking. And the less you have in life, more will be added onto your life but without force, from a natural state that flows on its own.

As a writer don't feel like you'll lose touch with creativity. If you take time off, this will only enhance it. And as human beings, don't feel like the world is slipping away from you. You only slip away from it when you don't give yourself the space you need. Let go of FOMO (fear of missing out) and know that time away is more fruitful. Doing so will only help you attend to your life and the people around you better. Strengthen your relationships, increase your productivity, and improve your overall health mentally and physically.

Your goals are likely to be accomplished when you start with that main objective. A chill day off is not just for writers, this statement expands beyond that. How you define rest may not always be sleeping. It may be doing something active like walking, running, or swimming. Perhaps it may be cooking, painting, playing video games, or meditating. It can even expand to stargazing at night or sitting at a park to observe the beauty of nature. Everyone has their form of namaste. Don't be afraid to visit your comfort zone from time to time.

Make sure it is something that effortlessly makes you feel at ease and not overwhelmed. Let it be enjoyable. You have to do what is best for your soul. Don't feel rushed to go to your busy life. It's okay to take a step back, don't beat yourself up.

Accumulate rest at all costs because without it, you may be risking your life. Breathe, calm your nerves, and take a few moments to be still. Soak up as much time as you need. Find your Zen place. Then see how you come out of that.