#ROW80 is A Round of Words in 80 Days. It’s a quarterly writing challenge where you define your personal goals and blog each week about your progress. It’s made to be flexible and allow for tweaking.
From when I was a little child I always remember my parents stressing that we should do something, that we are defined by our actions. I think that’s something I’ve carried with me my entire life, the pressure to always be doing something. It wasn’t enough to be someone. The actions were what mattered. It’s a mentality I think we all know very well. In our current culture we try to do more, in less time. The pressure is kind of unreal.
There’s been a lot going on in my life lately, and I don’t blog about all of it. But it’s there. I live and share space with it. The stress can really get to you. Lack of sleep, things sliding, always trying to get more and more done.
This last week has really driven home to me just how important it is to realize you need to take a break every now and then so you can just be. There’s nothing wrong with an evening on the couch or a day spent relaxing. It’s necessary and even beneficial to our health and creative process to vary our schedules and allow for flexibility.
For me, this week I let myself relax a few days. If I didn’t make word count or turn in a blog that’s not due for a month, that’s okay. Getting some sleep and taking care of me is just as important as the next word I put on the page. Even more important since without me, those words can’t happen. At least not the same way that I can write them.
So how do you recharge?
Having just spent most of the day semi-prone with a chunky book I have to say I agree with you:)
Taking care of self is good trying to do it is hard – we are conditioned to work, work, work but play is soooo good too – all the best for coming week:)
alberta recently posted..The Storyteller’s Tale in parts: alberta’s check in
I typically ‘recharge’ in two ways: 1) Watching ‘Covert Affairs’ (CIA spy TV series featuring female agent) while quilting and 2) diving into a book that promises a happy ending, a story that takes me far away from whatever else is going on. This week, I’m racing through a potboiler, David Baldacci’s The Hit. Can’t promise that either strategy will help you, but I do come away refreshed. Actually reading the ROW80 check-in’s also inspires me to try new ideas as I work through my own writing goals. So maybe taking care of you is part of taking care of the writing you. May you have a very good week, one without any guilt at all.
Beth Camp recently posted..The moment . . . Sunday check in for ROW80