10 Self-Care Tips for Writers

Self-care is more than a long candlelit bath and chocolate—it’s prioritizing your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. As someone with anxiety and chronic depression, I’ve learned the hard way what happens when I prioritize “bed rotting” instead. Making the conscious decision to look after myself has helped keep me going, even when those tasks are very unglamourous. I thought I’d share 10 of my favourite self-care tips I use in my writing life—hopefully you can use or tweak some of them to work for you too.

Many of us find value in sitting at a desk for hours and writing thousands of words. Conversely, many of us simply can’t write on a consistent schedule. Depending on your project, work schedule, family commitments and other things, the structure of your writing day may look very different from someone else’s. Creating goals and structure that work for your unique situation will help you avoid the burnout that comes from biting off more than you can chew.

On a related note—your writing space should work for you, not against you. For example, I can’t focus if my desk is a disaster zone, so I tidy it up before I start writing. 

Stay mindful

An old habit I’ve recently picked up again is spending five minutes in the morning journalling about how energized I feel and why, what my day’s top goal is, the one thing I can do to meet that goal, and generally about what’s on my mind. Mindfulness is all about acknowledging your feelings without judgement and trying to remain in the present moment. If journalling isn’t your thing, try meditation, yoga, running, or a good walk.

At the very least, try to be mindful of your levels of stress and overwhelm, and take a break or redirect your activities before that point.

Take regular breaks to move

Hands up: who’s reading this hunched over their keyboard with shrimp posture? No judgement here—I just had to remind myself that my chair does in fact have a back. As writers it can be easy to lose ourselves in the zone and realize an hour or more has gone by without us moving more than our hands. Taking regular breaks to stretch, go for a walk outside, or dance like nobody’s watching will not only refresh your mind, but it’s great for your physical health as well.

Prioritize rest and nourishment

I know the heady rush of staying up late writing, but it rarely feels worth it the next day when I’m trying to write on four hours of sleep. Prioritizing sleep and nourishing food can help you maintain your energy levels and keep you focused. And you don’t need me to tell you that good sleep and good food are, well, good for you. Don’t stress too much about getting this perfect—every little bit counts.

Oh, and if you can take naps during your day—go for it! A 20-30 minute nap can work wonders for mood, alertness, and memory.

Challenge negative self-talk

It can feel all too easy to compare ourselves to other writers and decide we’re not good enough. Hell, sometimes we don’t even need other writers to compare ourselves to! Unfortunately I have a lifetime of experience with negative self-talk and I know that it can be difficult to counteract. But here’s the thing—not only is negative self-talk wrong, it’s also rude and unfair. The inner critic is often useful in our writing but it doesn’t need to hit below the belt or make you believe things that aren’t true. There’s a difference between, “I think I’m using too many clichés in this chapter” and “I’m a no-talent fraud who doesn’t deserve to be a writer,” you know? 

In cases like this I often divert my thoughts to some neutral topic, or interrogate whether the thing I’m telling myself is objectively true. It usually isn’t, and knowing that helps.

Investigate helpful tools

There are many tools available for writers who need things like focus, quiet, or scheduling help. For example, I’m fairly easily distracted so I find it helpful to use a browser extension that blocks my access to frequently-visited sites while I work. Writing with noise-cancelling headphones or calming music helps me too. You may want to try things like setting alarms to remind you to take breaks, using glasses that block blue light and reduce glare, or investigating writing software with organizational features built in. There are many tools available to make the actual physical task of writing a little easier, which is great for overall wellbeing. 

Develop healthy coping strategies

One of my favourite ways to relax is playing a video game. That’s a great, healthy coping strategy—until I realize I’ve been sitting on the couch straining my thumbs for four hours. Find healthy coping strategies such as exercise, talking with a loved one, journalling, or a hobby you particularly enjoy. They should make you feel better not just in the moment, but overall. Use these coping strategies when you’re starting to feel stressed or overwhelmed, but please do take care that you don’t overdo it!

Create a self-care kit

A list of healthy coping strategies is one thing in my self-care kit. Now I’m talking mostly metaphorical here but you could have a purely physical one. My self-care kit is a mix of the tangible and intangible: the aforementioned list, lip balm, tea, and a blanket to drape over my knees plus the strategies I’m sharing with you now. You may already have a sense of what your own self-care items might look like, but if not, ask yourself what you usually turn to when you need relaxation, grounding, focus, or distraction. Would they be considered healthy coping strategies? Perfect! Chuck ’em in the kit!

Stay connected

Writing is a solitary activity as you’re doing it, but it doesn’t have to mean a solitary life. Even if you’re deep in the creative flow and being the genius that you are, make time to connect with others. Yes, even if you’re an introvert. I’m an introvert too and trust me, I know it can be tough to remember that we do in fact live in a society. But connecting with others, even if it’s a quick message in a group chat or a regular coffee date with a friend, does wonders to make the world feel a little more pleasant. 

Be patient with yourself

Life is busy and nobody’s perfect. Take it slowly and start small if you need to. Unfortunately we’ve been led to believe that self-care is something aspirational, something beyond our reach unless we have endless time and resources to devote to it. The good news is: that’s not true! You merely need to practice showing up for yourself as often as you can, in whatever ways you can. You don’t need to do everything perfectly all the time, but please do a few things to support your wellbeing. You’re worth caring for.