Today, I want to quit. I have tried to sit down to write today’s blog several time this week with absolutely no direction. I will have an idea, pray about it, sit down to write a few sentences and then delete it all and stare again into the blank white screen in front of me. So, instead of trying to force a blog post just to satisfy my crazy desire to realize a dream, I am going to share some of the reasons that I get stuck in my writing and what my conclusion is this week as I attempt to sort out the mess in my mind.
3 mental blocks that put the brakes on any of my writing endeavors:
- Fibro Fog – I try my best to ignore my Fibromyalgia. I’m getting braver about talking about it, but I don’t like to feel limited by it. Even though it has been confirmed by three separate doctors, and even though proper treatment does help relieve the symptoms, I still try to deny the diagnosis and limit the treatments. However, when the symptoms get so bad that it affects my daily life it becomes harder to ignore. One of those symptoms is called “fibro fog.” It’s where your mind just gets clouded or confused. You can’t find the right word, even when it’s a simple word you use every day. You don’t hear things the first time, you don’t process what’s being said. You forget things that are part of your daily life, and simple things are either confusing or just too overwhelming to handle. A lot of people deal with this from time to time anyway, so most people understand what this is generally like. With “fibro fog” it is extreme and can often become a debilitating issue. Going from somebody who had a very sharp mind to someone who struggles just to remember a name of someone you literally see almost every single day is the most frustrating thing about this disease. I know that this is the main reason that I am stuck this week.
Solution: PRAYER. Staying in God’s word and devoting myself to prayer makes a big difference in how far the fog goes. I have also found essential oils to support a healthy mind and clear the fog are very effective to help me focus and get the words from my brain to the page.
- Fear – This is a big one for me. Fear of saying something wrong. Fear of offending someone. Fear of failing. Fear of being irrelevant, unimportant, or redundant. Fear of critics. Fear of the “mob-mentality” that our world has adopted. The list is a mile long and always seems to rear its ugly head when I sit down to a blank computer screen. The thing about fear is, it only holds power if I allow it to. Many times, throughout my life I have tried impossible things ignoring any fear that might be creeping about. Sometimes, those things don’t work out the way I expected, but sometimes they serve a purpose that wasn’t even on my radar. Other times I have let fear move in, buy some lake front property, build a house, and raise a family. That never ends well. The bottom line is that fear doesn’t have to exist in my life.
Solution: PRAYER. I have read from several sources that the phrase “do not fear” or some form of that phrase is written in scripture 365 times. I have never counted it myself, but if that’s true then that’s one time for every day of the year. Another reason to stay in the Word of God on the daily!
- Distractions – There always seems to be something that gets in the way of …. This was as far as I made it in this particular sentence before I remembered that I never started the laundry for my salon towels that I need for tomorrow morning and it’s already 9:30pm!! I’m gonna be up way past my bedtime tonight. Seriously, the distractions! Most of the time they are good things. Necessary things. Life things. Other times though they look more like scrolling through Facebook for 45 minutes as if I’m going to discover all the secrets of the universe…. On Facebook! Not likely. As much time as I spend alone studying, reading, and writing I shouldn’t have trouble with this, but there just always seems to be one more thing I need to do. Perhaps there might be a little bit of procrastination thrown in there somewhere too.
Solution: PRAYER. Yes, my solution to everything is prayer. Prayer changes me, calms me, helps me focus on what’s most important. Other things that help are making lists, turning off my phone, and setting a timer to keep me on task.
I read something last week that is probably what started this particular bout of writer’s block. I can’t even remember where I saw it, but it said “if you need inspiration to write, than you’re not a writer.” Maybe I’m not a writer then, because I definitely need inspiration of some sort. When I was teenager, I used to read TEEN magazine. There were always those pages that had a Q and A kind of thing on it. Kids could write in their questions, usually filled with drama, and if they were chosen the writer would give advice to answer their questions or help their situation. You see those in a lot of different magazines. Well, I can remember reading those things and thinking NOOOOO! That’s horrible advice! Of course, it wasn’t a Christian magazine and so my advice was completely different than theirs. I decided back then that I wanted to write my own column and call it “Dear Liza” where people could write in and ask for biblical, godly advice on things that they were struggling with. I haven’t done that yet either, but I do LOVE meeting one on one with people who are searching to understand the scriptures. Nothing excites me more than answering the questions on the heart of someone sincerely seeking the Truth.
So, maybe I do need “inspiration” for some of my future blogs. If you have topics, questions, or struggles that you would like to have some biblical insight on will you leave a note in the comments? You can also email me at Melissa@myanointedlife.com if you prefer.
Recent Comments