Writerly touchstones to find your flow again, to write with momentum & ease—& keep writing, no matter how long you've been away.

No matter how much you love a writing project — whether a novel, anthology of short fiction or poetry, memoir, screenplay, non-fiction book, series or course — sometimes after the initial buzz of inspiration and flurry of work, things shift. Maybe you hesitate because of doubt or that nagging feeling that what you're doing is no good and that unease filters into your work.

Perhaps it stems from a far greater fear, that of sharing your offerings, after all, we bare our souls through our creative work. It can be hard to let it sail out into the world, make us feel vulnerable, exposed. Other times our words slow and stop because of circumstances beyond our control, when life takes takes centre stage. You may even lose a little of the love for your project as so much time has passed, eclipsing your initial inspirations.

Though to return to that place, to reignite your passion, you need momentum, and to create momentum you need tools that enable you to find your flow again, to write with joy again, to write with ease—and keep writing. For once you find your flow, your passion creates its own momentum, leaving the metaphorical muse grinning so grandly, you'll wonder what she's been up to in the interim since.

Let Yourself Write Badly

“I write one page of masterpiece to ninety-one pages of shit,” Ernest Hemingway once said to F. Scott Fitzgerald, echoing his most famous writing advice: “the first draft of anything is shit.” To find flow in your writing and keep momentum, write without concerning yourself with whether or not it’s good writing. Write without censoring yourself or worrying about what others might think.

“Only by giving yourself permission to write poorly will you write anything at all," says Elizabeth Sims, novelist, Writer's Digest contributing editor, and author of 'You've Got a Book in You: A Stress-Free Guide to Writing the Book of Your Dreams'. "Once you have something down on the page, you’ll find it easier to keep going, to find the groove, the flow. When you give yourself permission to write poorly, you are implicitly saying:

"“I’ve got the skills to make this better later if I decide it’s no good.” You’re reinforcing your own inner strength." Even if it first seems far from how we envisaged, unless we relinquish the need to judge it or delete, and trust ourselves to the writing, let it carry us, flow through us in this raw, unfiltered state, we’re not allowing our true voice to speak.

These first thoughts are precious and can form the bones of a piece but you have to let go of the internal censor, the critic too, and allow yourself to write badly to create this momentum and flow. “Too many people postpone their writing dreams because of self-doubt,” says author and writing coach, Rochelle Melander.

“The more you practice, the easier the writing will be for you. But remember: Every book gets revised and edited. Whatever you write can be perfected. For now, you need to get that book out of your head and onto the paper.”

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“You don’t have to have everything in immaculate perfection on the page, only on the page.”'
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If You're Paralysed By Over-Analysis

If you find yourself repeatedly editing the first sentence in a story or introduction to a piece before you’re able to continue, it’s easy to become paralyzed by this overanalysis, which slows your process as much as hampers with your flow, and can further freeze you in a state of creative anxiety.

"You go over it again, and again. You strike a line out there, and add another one here. You fix a comma that doesn’t need to be fixed. You have this sinking feeling in your stomach,” says writer, writing coach, and author of The INFJ Writer, Lauren Sapala. "Creatively, you know you’re just pushing your food around on the plate, but you can’t seem to stop.

"Welcome to analysis paralysis, otherwise known as overthinking. Once a writer falls into the trap of overthinking, anxiety rears its ugly head and the worries start to pile up.” As author Jodi Picoult so aptly wrote, "Anxiety's like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but doesn't get you very far." Because it is a self-perpetuating loop you find yourself caught in, though equally one you can liberate yourself from.

1. To quell anxiety, calm your body & help your mind relax, activate the calming parasympathetic wing of your nervous system by taking a few deep breaths with exhalations around twice the length of each inhalation.

2. Then, try these acupressure points that are potent tools to ease anxiety.

3. If you find yourself unable to liberate yourself from this uncomfortable state because of overthinking, the psychology tools outlined in this post are also effective to calm unhelpful thoughts.

4. Finally, write yourself out of it. Refining our work is, of course, important but to find your momentum, save editing for later drafts. For now, you don’t need to have everything in immaculate perfection on the page, only on the page.

It’s only when we allow ourselves to let go of any anxieties or preconceptions about how our writing should be, and simply write, that the creative faucet is loosened and with it, our paralysis is loosened too. In fact, unless you grant yourself a little liberty when writing, give yourself the freedom to write wild and messy first drafts, it will always be tricky to move forward, and if your progress slows or stops, your momentum can become as stilted or as hesitant as the prose.

"Like the old joke says, if you have insomnia, sleep it off. And if you suffer from writer’s block, write yourself out of it," says James Scott Bell, novelist, writing coach, and bestselling author of Write Great Fiction - Plot & Structure. "With the paralysis-by-over-analysis type of block, your head is tangling itself up in your fingers, like kelp on a boat propeller. The motor is chugging but you’re not moving. You’ve got to cut away all that crud."

Find Your Anchors of Existing Momentum

"The world is brimming with advice about how to write more and write better. Chances are good that you’ve explored some—or maybe even many—of these recommendations. Before you can make good use of someone else’s advice, it’s important to develop a realistic picture of who you are, what your tendencies are, and what you’re realistically willing and able to change,” says Sage Cohen in her book, Fierce on the Page (Writer’s Digest Books).

"So many of us are so entrenched in our unconscious ways of doing and being that we have no idea what’s broken, and therefore we are not in a position to intelligently decide what needs fixing. Nor do we recognize and appreciate our gifts, our strengths, and our anchors of existing momentum.” Sage suggests asking valuable questions about your process, including:

• Where do you stall and when do you take flight?

• What are you doing when you have your best ideas?

• How do you waste time?

• What writing do you admire?

• What do you want so badly that you haven’t even articulated it yet?

Give Yourself Permission to Be You

"Simply paying attention to the way you write—and don’t write—can be the start of a sea change," says Sage Cohen, who goes on to say that alongside this, the key to unlocking your momentum is giving yourself permission to be you, as if you're holding back, if you're trying to project a certain voice or particular style that's not your own, finding your flow, and your own voice too, will always be a little thwarted.

One of the finest writing tips I've ever been given was to write the things you wouldn't dare let anyone see, not those closest to you, not your parents or that nice old dear who lives down the street. It has a way of removing the filter, lets you slip into a more authentic relationship with your work, and that seeps into the language.

"Just because you read once that “serious” writers get MFAs doesn’t necessarily mean you are called to do the same. Maybe most poets write only poetry, but you span multiple genres. Perhaps you think you should write faster, be less stiff in front of an audience, sharpen your pencil more often," says Sage Cohen.

"When you know yourself well, you can let go of advice about what you should be doing and spend time doing things that actually help you succeed. Once you’ve emptied your mind of protests, pick up that pen or keyboard and get going. If you love to write, trust yourself to the writing."

Outline & Use Steinbeck's Tip to Find Flow & Rhythm

“These are some of the things I have had to do to keep from going nuts," wrote John Steinbeck in a letter to a friend (read his 6 Tips for the Aspiring Writer here). "Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down.

"Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on. It also interferes with flow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material." There's power in writing freely, unhindered by the many considerations that need be addressed after this initial draft.

While writing consistently, even if it's the humblest amount, creates the unconscious connection Steinbeck spoke of, Hemingway too. "Let that first draft WHOOSH OUT of you as much as possible," agrees Robert Vaughan, author, fiction and poetry editor and judge for numerous literary journals. Some writers love this stage, this liberty, others find it too uncertain.

If you fall into the latter but find a detailed outline takes away some of the magic, try a loose outline, which still guides you — making you less likely to write yourself into a corner — and keeps you focused and moving forward. One tool I've found invaluable is writing out the milestones, the most significant scenes in fiction and individual points in non-fiction, then write as freely and as consistently as you can.

"Stories have natural turning points, where the plot increases the pressure on the characters. When you build a story from beats (episodes where something changes) you’ll find they often fall into a pattern. The audience seems to have an internal clock, and feels the story needs these emotional shifts," says Roz Morris, novelist, blogger and author of the inspired Nail Your Novel series, including Writing Plots With Drama, Depth & Heart.

"They also find it most satisfying when played out in these phases." If you prefer more detail but find yourself overwhelmed and unsure how to use outlines most effectively, I also highly recommend K.M. Weiland's book Outlining Your Novel. "Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood and correctly wielded, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a writer’s arsenal," says K.M. Weiland.

Hemmingway's Technique to Keep Moving Forward

"You write until you come to a place where you still have your juice and know what will happen next and you stop and try to live through until the next day when you hit it again," Ernest Hemmingway told The Paris Review. It may seem counterintuitive but these are the moments which create that addictive love for and connection to your writing, especially fiction.

In the interim your mind incubates the unfinished scene or chapter, often with new creative inspirations, while also setting you up for more ease in your writing as you are not perturbed nor hampered by a blank page but can continue, pick up where you left off, without any creative anxiety or stress.

"When you stop you are as empty, and at the same time never empty but filling, as when you have made love to someone you love. Nothing can hurt you, nothing can happen, nothing means anything until the next day when you do it again. It is the wait until the next day that is hard to get through," said Ernest Hemmingway, and many famous authors agree.

"To keep your momentum going, Roald Dahl said, echoing Hemmingway, “When you are going good, stop writing.” When things are going well, stop," says Chad. r. Allen, writer, editor, speaker, creativity coach and editorial director for Baker Books. "It takes great discipline to stop when you know where you want to go next, but that’s the advice of these two great literary masters. Stop, they say, so you’ll be excited to get back to work the next day because you’ll know what you want to say."

Watch Out for Rabbit Holes

Perhaps you stop writing midway through a piece as you need to find out a specific detail, such as a product from the era, setting or a fashion detail in historical fiction for instance. If you're anything like me, you'll find research so enjoyable, so deeply fascinating that you might as well call yourself Alice and fall down a rabbit hole.

Instead of stopping to research and interrupting your flow, use square brackets, notes in the margins if writing on paper, and capture other ideas in your notebook and keep writing. “I use the margins for research notes such as, “what’s position of Sirius over L.A./August? Write a box around a phrase; stack two competing adjectives atop each other; make notes in the margin,” says Elizabeth Sims.

"If you want to add a word or a block of text, don’t stop at using carats to show an insert. Circle stuff, draw arrows, loop one piece of text into the middle of another. And keep going. If it’s instantly obvious that one version of a word, sentence or graph is better, strike out the bad one and go on without looking back. If you compose on a keyboard, make the “return” button your best friend: Set off a new idea by hitting two carriage returns.”

Use Over-Writing to Keep Your Momentum

Although separating the two processes of writing and editing does help you maintain momentum and find your flow, sometimes there are two distinct ways of conveying something but to keep moving forward, simply make a note, and write down both. "The common wisdom in writing workshops is that you shouldn’t stop to revise,” says Elizabeth Sims.

"But let’s be honest: That’s unrealistic because sometimes you really do see another possibility right away, and you should be free to pursue it. I recommend over-writing as you go. If, in a single moment, you think of two different ways of saying something, just write both, one after the other. Later you’ll be able to decide which is better."

If Your Writing Slows & the Inner Critic Steps In

If you're having trouble finding flow in your writing because of fear — whether of the blank page or fear of failure — it may force you to stop. Creative doubt may lull you into inaction, convince you that you're not good enough, talented enough, intelligent enough nor important enough to be writing but beneath all this fear and insecurity is someone who longs to write.

Don't let emotions such as these threaten your dreams. They feed off each other and are only interested in self-preservation. "In order to write anything that even has a shot at satisfying our artistic desire, we have to move through fear and face the things that consume us," says Lauren Sapala.

Don't allow fear, doubt or the opinions of others, even the perceived opinions of others prevent you from writing, from your passion and from making that passion an important part of your life. "If you feel a strong and steady message coming from your heart about what you want to write—even if your rational mind is totally freaking out—you are on the right path," says Lauren Sapala.

"It doesn’t matter what anyone else says and it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. It’s up to you to make up your own rules." If you long to write, write. No one need see it until you're ready for them to. Write for the love of it, write for the joy of it. Write because unless you articulate your thoughts and feelings, and translate it all through the working magic of language, you feel displaced, disconnected, off-centre.

Embrace the Uncertainty to Find Your Flow

Uncertainty is a particularly weighty facet of the human condition. We like to know where we're heading, have a guide, a plan, a map. Even the most adventurous, the most wilderness-hiking, mountain-clambering vagabond likes a certain point to navigate from. Fuse this ongoing uncertainty with creativity, with writing and making your art, and all bets are off.

"That ever-mysterious process of not knowing and then somehow listening inside is one of discovery and uncovering," says Noelle Sterne, author, editor, dissertation and writing coach, and spiritual counselor. In writing her first novel, Noelle used a process of asking and answering questions, as detailed in this piece: 5 Helpful Lessons for Writing a Novel | WritersDigest.com.

"I’ve always loved, and fallen back on, a well-known quote by E.L. Doctorow: writing is “like driving a car at night; you never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way” (quoted in George Plimpton, “E. L. Doctorow: The art of fiction,” no. 94. Paris Review, 101, 1986). And I believe in that unknowing. It can yield the richest fields.

"Nevertheless, the question-answering helped me crystallize my purpose, mission, focus, themes in the novel. And priming that pump gave me direction in the novel and drive to continue steering the car, even if I couldn’t—and can’t—see very far and may rearrange the very map."

Find Your Own Unique Writing Process

Sometimes writing can be a joyful and serendipitous experience, other times filled with frustration. Too much of the latter and your inner critic may chant the equally grand fib that you should quit. Give up, after all, if it's not moving forward even when you're giving so much, why keep going? But before you turn your garret into a games room or flog all your writerly books, consider this:

Each of us has a process as unique as we are and finding that process, embracing it too, tending to it as one might tend a garden is literally and metaphorically what allows those glorious seeds to push through the soil and grow. "Each one of us has to figure out our voice, our expression, our style, our path, on our own," says Lauren Sapala. "What works for one person may very well be a disaster for another. And we never know if something is going to work until we try it."

Just keep writing, keep watering, keep feeding your tender shoots, consistently, without drama or stress—even if you miss a day or even if you've been away all week. Even, as in my case, you have a condition so capricious it keeps half-inching the use of your hands, though only mention it as I hope you know what a gift it is, what a blessing it is to be able to write.

Writing Changes Everything

Like the brightest star in the night sky, we can use our own inner compass to guide us, to locate and move towards our writing goals. The night's only as dark as the moon allows but you can always shine more light. No matter what dreadful eventuality your internal critic or inner killjoy has conjured up, for they’re perhaps the greatest storytellers of all, the real fear isn’t of the greater, grander picture but instead, taking the first step. Yet it’s precisely that which is the antidote.

“In the middle of the world, make one positive step. In the center of chaos, make one definitive act. Just write,” says author Natalie Goldberg. No matter the length of the journey it only begins when you do. Much about creativity is beginning anew. Each project, each line or work of art is drawn from the act of beginning again.

“All of it begins at the beginning, with the first small and scary step. Wherever you are is always the right place. There is never a need to fix anything, to hitch up the bootstraps of the soul and start at some higher place. Start right where you are,” wrote artist and author, Julia Cameron.

It is only through the act itself that you can allow your writing to discover itself, to find that flow and become acquainted with the sensation of writing, with the feeling of writing, with the images that come to you, through you. Your passion can pull you forward, generating its own momentum, and even a single spark can ignite the grandest fire but you have to first trust it, to let it. To begin.

Take a Moment, Take a Breath

If you find yourself slowing and stopping, take a moment, take a deep breath. Drop your shoulders and let go a little, of any building stress no matter its source, whether from doubt, perfectionism or anxiety, simply return yourself to the moment, to a state of presence. Writing may be far from easy but it can be joyful too. If things are becoming far too seniors, and that stress is hampering with your flow, step away from the desk.

Even five minutes can reinvigorate you as much as your prose. A huge part of my writing process when feature writing for magazines was taking, teeny yoga asana breaks. Maybe not when working in-house (cue: sideways glance) but they are invaluable as they give you a break, of course, a moment of calm and deliver fresh inspiration but also inject clarity, stretch your mind just as they limber your limbs.

In fact, there’s nothing finer for writer’s block, writer's indecision, writer's [insert problem here]. Try these yoga asanas which hold special properties for writers and artists.

Capture & Be Ready to Receive

If immersed in another task or project, inspiration for another so frequently descends. Sometimes these fragments are so delicate, so fleeting and so easy to forget. So capture every idea — even the briefest summary — so you never lose a trick, and return to these later. Thereby keeping the momentum for whatever you are working on without losing any of the magic for this project nor creative offerings in the future.

By creating the habit of capturing everything the instant it comes to you — even if you think it might amount to nothing at all — also creates a shift in thinking, ensuring that you're always in a receptive state for creativity, for your writing and art, whether working on it at the time or not. “The best ideas happen at any time, so one must be ready to receive them,” says author Alexis Landau in her 7 Habits of Highly Effective Writers on Signature Reads.

"I’ve written down thoughts or an idea will come when I’m doing something entirely different from writing. A phrase, an image, or an idea for a character or scene will arise and the important thing is to write it down otherwise, I’ll forget it entirely later on. Then when I’m actually at my desk, will I develop the fragment, and see if it becomes something real, that I can use, or if it is just an ephemeral aspect of the creative process.”

"The secret of it all is to write in the gush, the throb, the flood, of the moment – to put things down without deliberation – without worrying about their style – without waiting for a fit time or place." ~ Walt Whitman

Whether you’re just starting out or have been writing for a lifetime, your writing is always evolving, your process and craft, always growing. When you are supportive of that growth, during the frustrations, the rejections, the dips of creativity or absence of time, the longing to be better, and the need to produce more work — it helps ease you past the awkward phases where you do not know how to move forward or find yourself stuck, as you know it is all part of the process and you know it will pass.

"I believe in myself and my abilities. Throughout the ups and downs of the writing journey, I’ve clung to the dream of being published," says author Jody Hedlund. "Sure, occasionally I hit depressing dips that have made me feel like giving up. But I always crawl through them and make it to the other side. I brush off the gravel, ignore the bruises, and plod steadily onward toward my goals."

Even the finest writers have times when their creativity ebbs or inspirations slows, every writer has days that are a little less creatively lovely but they keep going anyway. Though if it all overwhelms, step away from your desk. Read, research, try a different medium, location to write or time. If possible for you, take a long walk in nature or people watching through town.

So much of writing and the creative process is not writing. Be kind to yourself, supportive of your own process. We all have our own unique ways of working, and embracing that process, responding to that process, to discover it, enhance it, and continually refine it, with an awareness of our own internal energies and personality too, ensures it becomes a part of us, regardless of how different, how out of sequence or unconventional it may be.

Summary of points

• Write wild and messy first drafts.

• Don’t stop to research. Instead use square brackets, notes over-write if you find you have two ways of writing something, and keep moving forward.

• Do stop when it's going well.

• Write as freely and as consistently as you can.

• Remember to enjoy yourself, remember to play.

• Find your own unique process, no matter how unconventional, & embrace that process. If something works for you, use it.

• Capture inspirations & keep going, always be ready to receive.

• Give yourself permission to be you.

• One of my favorite antidotes to writer's block is yoga, even just an asana or two (click here for some examples).

P.S. Sign-up to my newsletter if the mood takes you

 

You may enjoy:

Essential Skills for Writers: Having the Courage to Make Up Your Own Rules - Lauren Sapala

Pace and story structure: a blueprint for keeping the reader gripped | Nail Your Novel

How Hemingway Kept His Momentum Going and You Can Too - Chad R. Allen

Avoiding Writing Paralysis Due To Over-Analysis

Author, Jody Hedlund: 5 Traits That Foster Publishing Success

A. L. Kennedy's 10 Rules for Writing Fiction

These writing tips were gleaned from an interview A. L. Kennedy gave to the Guardian. Writer and performer, Alison Louise "A. L." Kennedy is the author of 17 books: 6 literary novels, 1 science fiction novel, 7 short story collections, and 3 works of non-fiction. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

1 Have humility.

Older/more ­experienced/more convincing writers may offer rules and varieties of advice. ­Consider what they say. However, don't automatically give them charge of your brain, or anything else – they might be bitter, twisted, burned-out, manipulative, or just not very like you.

2 Have more humility.

Remember you don't know the limits of your own abilities. Successful or not, if you keep pushing beyond yourself, you will enrich your own life – and maybe even please a few strangers.

3 Defend others.

You can, of course, steal stories and attributes from family and friends, fill in filecards after lovemaking and so forth. It might be better to celebrate those you love – and love itself – by writing in such a way that everyone keeps their privacy and dignity intact.

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Find out what keeps you happy, motivated and creative.
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4 Defend your work.

Organisations, institutions and individuals will often think they know best about your work – especially if they are paying you. When you genuinely believe their decisions would damage your work – walk away. Run away. The money doesn't matter that much.

5 Defend yourself.

Find out what keeps you happy, motivated and creative.

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"Write. Writers write. On you go." #amwriting
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6 Write.

No amount of self-inflicted misery, altered states, black pullovers or being publicly obnoxious will ever add up to your being a writer. Writers write. On you go.

7 Read.

As much as you can. As deeply and widely and nourishingly and ­irritatingly as you can. And the good things will make you remember them, so you won't need to take notes.

8 Be without fear.

This is impossible, but let the small fears drive your rewriting and set aside the large ones ­until they behave – then use them, maybe even write them. Too much fear and all you'll get is silence.

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"Let the small fears drive your rewriting & set aside the large ones ­until they behave."
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9 Remember you love writing.

It wouldn't be worth it if you didn't. If the love fades, do what you need to and get it back.

10 Remember writing doesn't love you.

It doesn't care. Nevertheless, it can behave with remarkable generosity. Speak well of it, encourage others, pass it on.

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"Remember you love #writing." #amwriting
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Sharing this humble offering as — for those unaware of my current pickle and plight — I'm in a painful setback of the condition that's traded my hands for embers, rendering them quite useless until it abates, which wouldn't be quite so bad were there other limbs to pick up the slack.

This painting 'Today’s Forecast' by Cynthia Yolland, depicts systemic CRPS far finer than words...much as I love words. Though in the process of relearning all hands-free, as it's taking a little longer than envisaged, and not wanting to leave you short-changed, sharing this.

Know I hide the severity, for this portal is my own sanctuary of sorts, and for you, not about me, well, gloriously pain-free at least, but should you wish to read it or know another it may give comfort to, a shimmering silver-lining is in this resource to help others with CRPS and other painful chronic illnesses here.

Less writerly souls would perhaps stop rising at silly o'clock, rest and recover far more passively but it’s been months of medical madness and disconnection from all so loved, from social media, life in all her magic too, and I’ve never made a good-lie-there-and-rest-type patient. A nurse however, a writer, artist, poet, and purveyor of love, of giggles and joy, that I can do. Just finding new ways to do it, solutions, means and methods, without flaring the flare.

And now, after reading this great post by the endlessly inspiring Lauren Sapala, How to Write Super Shareable Content for Your Author Blog, I'd love it if you'd share this article with other creative souls you think may find it helpful or edifying. Thanks so much, it's always appreciated.

Feel free to share the love and sign-up to my newsletter if the mood takes you

 

Doubt can affect every aspect of the creative process, from confidence in your craft to your passion for a project, even thwarting the act itself. Try these acupressure points for easing creative doubt, no matter the medium of your art.

As a prequel to the post on overcoming writing doubt, these acupressure points to help alleviate creative doubt, are potent healing tools, bringing balance, clarity and calm, quietening overthinking and repetitive thoughts, while soothing the overwhelm that can come with creative unease. In turn boosting self-belief in writing, and helping you to trust your creative abilities.

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), our emotions play a huge part in every imbalance, from the humblest symptom to full blown illness. The emotions we feel in excess can be a symptom or the cause of a deeper issue, a symbiotic relationship, with each of the emotions linked to an organ in this ancient healing system.

Doubt [and worry] has a strong relationship with the stomach and spleen in TCM, and the Taoist system, and treating these organs and meridians with acupressure can be a surprisingly powerful antidote.

While the points on the two main meridians on the body, Du and Ren (also called the Governing Vessel and Conception Vessel), are some of the most healing acupressure points on the body with often profound and calming consequences, that only serve to augment your creativity.

Every writer and artist experiences creative doubt, but excessive doubt, according to TCM, causes discord between mind and body because too much of your chi (qi), is trapped in your head, leading to overthinking, with repetitive, unhelpful thoughts, and finding ourselves feeling stuck or caught.

That is, if filled with doubt, your chi is being used for these unhelpful thinking processes instead of in more nourishing ways that support you and your creativity. You mind is distracted and busy instead of collected and calm. By attending to these healing practices prior to your work, you can find renewed clarity and calm, and creativity.

Equally, just as small shifts in internal dialogue can reduce unnecessary stress and improve overall energy, so too can this conscious effort to love and support oneself, rather than criticise oneself, through holistic techniques, establish a virtuous energy flow, promoting better mental and emotional wellbeing.

On a physical level, with excessive doubt and overthinking in TCM, you may find that your digestion is affected or sluggish, that you have frequent headaches, hyperacidity, stomach pain, even food cravings, which are all signs of an imbalance.

Fuai Point

Fuai or Spleen 16, is located below the edge of your ribcage, in line with your nipples on both sides or 4 cun (finger-widths) from the midline of the body. By pressing these points and breathing deeply for a couple of minutes, it rebalances feelings of doubt, worry, also sadness, grief and eases digestive problems. It is especially useful if worry and doubt are overwhelming.

Three Hundred Mile Point

The Three Hundred Mile point (Stomach 36), helps alleviate doubt, mental confusion, overwhelm and worry, and also helps digestion and gives an energy boost. The point is four finger-widths below your kneecap and one finger-width outside the shinbone, in the depression between the shinbone and the leg muscle. Make two fists and rub both S36 points for about a minute.

Sea of Tranquillity Point

Sea of Tranquillity point or CV 17. I mention this point a lot as it is truly powerful, soothing and extensive in its healing applications. Otherwise known as the Sea of Tranquillity, this point can instil you with courage, bring calming reassurance, alleviate anxiety, restlessness, depression, as well as clear your mind of worrisome thinking. It's found in the centre of the breastbone.

Feng Fu

Feng Fu or GV 16 (Governing Vessel 16), is the finest acupressure point of all to quieten overthinking, excessive thought and repetitive thoughts. It's found in the centre of the back of your neck, in the hollow at the base of your skull. It also reduces neck pain, insomnia, tension and is useful to know in an emergency for treating shock or trauma. Press fairly firmly, obviously not so firmly that it hurts but you want to feel a subtle but pleasant ache radiate through this region.

Finally, another lovely way to benefit from Feng Fu is to squeeze the region with your thumb and forefinger on each side of this point. It creates a feeling that I guarantee you will bring you a smile, a feeling of instant rejuvenation and increased endorphins. In TCM it is said to bring the body into balance and also return you to a state of enjoyment.

If feeling out of sorts or a little deflated with things, try this point. Some acupressure points have a more obvious effect than others, and though I'll expand on the wonders of this point in terms of creativity and living too, for now enjoy the sensation of being alive.

Contraindications: Do not use Feng Fu during pregnancy, if you have a pacemaker, epilepsy or schizophrenia.

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“We should write because it is human nature to write.

Writing claims our world.

It makes it directly and specifically our own.

We should write because humans are spiritual beings and writing is a powerful form of prayer and meditation, connecting us both to our own insights and to a higher and deeper level of inner guidance.

We should write because writing brings clarity and passion to the act of living.

Writing is sensual, experiential, grounding.

We should write because writing is good for the soul.

We should write because writing yields us a body of work, a felt path through the world we live in.

We should write, above all, because we are writers, whether we call ourselves that or not.”

~ Julia Cameron, The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life.

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Find your motivation and boost your energy levels with these ancient tools and techniques.

Every writer and artist has days where their drive dips or motivation flags a little, when instead of being filled with creative splendour, they find themselves creatively stuck, unable to express much less motivate that expression. If struggling to find that discipline or drive, attending to the following ancient healing techniques can help you find your motivation, and increase your energy.

No matter the medium, finding the motivation to create — and keep creating — is, of course, essential. Yet for many writers and artists two of the greatest obstacles to creating are procrastination and a lack of motivation. Your inner artist longs to be free, to write, to create, which is after all why you are so drawn to this process, even if unable to begin that process but that is exactly what these tools offer you.

Martial Arts Technique for Motivation

This martial arts technique and is very effective when you feel your motivation or commitment waning and need a little boost:

• Stand with your legs far apart and knees softly bent (never take your knee past your ankle to prevent injury).
• Then curling each hand into a fist, drum up and down your thighs, hard enough to stimulate the meridians and blood flow (obviously, not so hard you hurt yourself).
• Gradually move from the inside of both thighs, over the top, and the outside, then repeat up to nine times.
• Once you finish, become aware of the sensation of chi releasing and circulating around your body, then allow it to settle and collect behind your navel. Although I’ll expand more on this, the idea in the ancient Taoist healing arts, is to always store your chi in an area called the [lower] Tan Tien, which is about three or four finger widths below your navel.

Rub Your Kidneys for Willpower, Drive & Fearless Focus

According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), practicing this ancient Taoist technique daily is good for relieving fatigue, increasing will, and drive, overcoming fear, and also relieving back ache.

It is often used to ‘warm the kidneys’ after a session of Chi Kung. According to TCM, it’s especially useful in the winter when the ‘water’ element associated with the kidneys and bladder is at its most vulnerable.

How to do it: Making a fist, rub with both hands vigorously over the kidney area. Along with the kidneys, there are two acupressure points that are stimulated as you do this: Bladder 23 and Bladder 47. These points are good for relieving fatigue, overcoming resistance to a project or action, creative or otherwise, and benefit your entire being. Practice it every morning, or for a boost to your overall wellbeing, do it three times a day for two months.

Ear Acupressure for Motivation

If you are feeling displaced, spaced out — and lacking in motivation because of this — try this auricular therapy acupressure point. The Heavenly Gate point or Shen Men, is wonderful for wellbeing in general, and rebalancing to your entire being.

This heavenly acupressure point behaves much like its counterpart on the wrist and brings your spirit back into your body. A phrase often heard in T'ai Chi is draw down chi from Heaven and up from Earth. This point brings heavenly energy into your body for healing. It is fantastic to use if feeling ungrounded or disconnected, to return your spirit to your body and find motivation and focus.

It is also useful in healing addiction, reducing pain and inflammation, increasing energy flow, improving immunity, and calming the sympathetic wing of the nervous system, helping to reduce overwhelm and stress.

• Shen Men is found almost in the centre, upper third of the ear, just a little way forward, in the dip.
• Massage this point gently between your index finger and thumb, making little circles. Do so on both ears, for a couple of minutes. Repeating this daily is healing for your overall wellbeing.

“This is your life. You will not live forever. Don't wait.” ~ Natalie Goldberg
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Acupressure for Motivation & Energy

For a quick mental pick-you-up, use your right (or left, if left-handed) forefinger and thumb pinch your nose at the top. Hold for 3 seconds, then release. Repeat 6 times to ease mental tiredness.

Inspiration and motivation can be far more elusive if low on energy. If you're finding it hard to motivate yourself because you are too tired or feeling lethargic, fusing the two energising acupressure points, Liver 3 and Stomach 36, always delivers a welcome boost of energy.

1. 

   Liver 3 is found on top of each foot, where the tendons that run from between your big toes meet. Press here for two minutes on each foot for a swift pick-me-up.

2. Then, making your hands into fists, rub the outside of your shin beneath your knee for about a minute. Stomach 36 was always used before battle in ancient China for the increased stamina and energy-boost it brings.
3. Both Liver 3 and Stomach 36 relieve fatigue, tiredness, increase vitality, and can help you motivate yourself whether creating or embarking on any other endeavour.

Drum the Skull to Wake-Up Your Brain

Another ancient Taoist technique, known as ‘beating the heavenly drum’ or ‘sound the heavenly drum’ (Ming Tian Gu), is amazing for waking up your brain and stimulate your thinking processes. Although I've mentioned it before in this post, adding it here too as it's such a powerful tool for when you feel your energy or concentration flagging, causing a dip in your motivation. Beating the drum clears the mind, wakes up the brain and enhances your cognitive faculties.

• Relax your shoulders and cover your ears with your palms, with the middle fingers touching the base of the skull on the area known as the ‘Jade Pillow’, which is the cavity area under the external occipital protuberance. The heavenly drum means the head, while the Jade Pillow (Yu Zhen) is the name of a cavity located on the back of your head under the protruding ridge of bone.
• Place your index fingers on your middle fingers and snap them down with force, hitting your head, roll all over the rear of your skull and ‘drum’ with your fingers, generating a drumming sound in the brain cavity.
• When you do this exercise, do not let your ring and pinkie fingers touch your head as it will muffle the sound. Instead focus on the sound, and allow each beat bring your attention more fully to the vibrations in your skull and brain.
• When you are finished, take your hands off your ears and enjoy feeling like you just woke up refreshed and ready to work.

"If you have the words, there's a chance you'll find the way." ~ Saemus Heaney
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Stretch Your Body

It's hard to feel filled with passion for a project when your body is exhausted or tight and stiff. Loosening and lengthening your muscles – while breathing deep into each stretch – benefits your entire being, Stretching is one of the easiest ways to release tension, and increase energy.

Just a few minutes will loosen your muscles, ease joints and allow blood to flow more easily around your body, which benefits your creativity and focus too. “Stretching each day will provide the perfect pick-me-up because it improves your blood circulation, which increases your energy level, helping you to reduce any lethargy,” says personal trainer, Nicki Waterman.

When you loosen those muscles, stretch and breathe deeply into them — oxygenating your body and releasing tension — you’ll find it has a positive effect on your creativity, and your motivation too.

Try This Chi Kung Energiser

This simple Chi Kung technique boosts energy levels and unblocks imbalances by stimulating all of your meridians:

1. Tap all over your head with your fingertips.
2. Now stroke the inside of each arm, from armpit to fingertips, and then on the outside, from fingertips to shoulders.
3. Tap the centre of your chest and then run your fingertips down your breastbone.
4. Pat your hips and brush down the outsides of your legs, pass your hands over your feet and then continue up the insides of the legs.
5. Repeat up to eight times.

Try This Yoga Asana for Instant Energy

The body is designed to move, and unless moved regularly, it isn't only our physical state that suffers but our drive and motivation too. It can stagnate our thinking processes, make us far less likely to feel and find our passion for a project, and of course do the work.

If you are blessed with the use of your legs: Run. Walk. Swim. Hike. Climb trees. Move. Exercise is one of the finest ways of all to ensure you're filled with energy. I loved running. It's the most freeing, joyful thing. Yoga too is incredibly energising. For a simple and swift instant pick-me-up, try this asana (you may also enjoy these yoga asanas for writers and artists):

The Downward-Dog — is one of the most energising of all yoga asanas, and ideal if you only have time to pause for a single asana.

• Keep your feet hip-width apart, your hands shoulder-width apart and your legs straight.
• Press your palms and fingers flat into the ground.
• Imagine you’re trying to push the floor apart between your hands and feet. It can help to have an instructor guide you or use a mirror to check your technique.
• Hold this position while breathing smoothly, gently, evenly.
• If you regularly practice yoga, you can increase the strengthening benefits by raising your leg (never go beyond what is comfortable for you personally), and holding that position, then repeating with the other leg.

Eat. Drink. Create.

To feel filled with enough energy to motivate yourself, your body needs a steady stream of nutrients to be nourished and maintain balanced blood sugar levels. The dip of which tends to be the reason for low or erratic energy. Try these tips to ensure it's more consistent:

• Drink plenty of pure, plastic-free water.
• Always eat breakfast.
• Eat a varied, colourful, natural and whole-food diet.
• Ensure you eat every three to four hours or several small meals a day to regulate your blood sugar levels and keep your energy levels consistent.
• Adding a little protein to every meal slows down the release of sugars, so you feel fuller for longer and also ensuring blood sugar levels stay even too.
• Keep a selection of healthy snacks on hand, such as fresh or dried fruit, nuts and seeds.

Certain foods are ideal for alleviating a dip in energy and consequently your motivation for a project. See this post for a list of energy foods and other natural ways to keep you filled with energy. Alleviate tiredness or energy slumps with high-protein snacks at mid-morning and mid-afternoon, such as:

• Avocado (essential fats, vitamin E) on rice cakes with sprinkled sesame seeds (magnesium) and pumpkin seeds (iron and other minerals).
• Try a delicious brain-boosting smoothie with protein or these smoothie recipes. For optimum energy the nutritional info in this post will bring more pep to your process, more joy and optimism too.

Shiatsu for Fresh Energy

This Shiatsu technique can be used for fresh energy inspiration, and is also useful for easing headaches:

What Do You Really Want?

The drive to create, and keep creating, swiftly offers its own momentum when your heart is in it, when you feel passionate and compelled to create. As a writer who is up by the sparrow's (as we say in Blighty), partly through an unquenchable love of writing, and partly through the management of a nasty pain disease, as unless I do, it becomes impossible to physically produce the work I long to. So it comes down to what you really want.

As Chuck Wendig said, "The creative process is alarmingly internal. A great deal of it goes on up in our — *taps forehead* — brain-gourds, stirring around in a great bubbly froth. It’s imaginary. It’s intellectual. It’s ephemeral, if we let it be. It’s fairy dross and pegasus dreams, man. The only way to take what is imaginary and make it a reality is to put your ass in the chair and write." And it's the same for making art. You have to do the work, and if you want to, you do — even if it takes a few ancient healing techniques to get your butt on that chair.

“What is the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable?” John Green

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1 Decide when in the day (or night) it best suits you to write, and organise your life accordingly.

2 Think with your senses as well as your brain.

3 Honour the miraculousness of the ordinary.

4 Lock different characters/elements in a room and tell them to get on.

5 Remember there is no such thing as nonsense.

6 Bear in mind Wildes dictum that "only mediocrities develop" – and ­challenge it.

7 Let your work stand before deciding whether or not to serve.

8 Think big and stay particular.

9 Write for tomorrow, not for today.

10 Work hard.

Andrew Motion, novelist and former poet laureate, offers ten writing tips, which were originally published in The Guardian.

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“How tired I am,

my love.

How tired.

But not tired enough to

forget this:

That I would dig my fingers

through the earth

and lift forests by their roots

just to find my way

home to you.

How tired I am,

How tired.

But I hold on to the colour of

your eyes,

and the slopes of your cheeks,

and the way your palms

cradle my heavy head—

And I am reminded

that I almost rearranged

the entire universe for you.

How alive I am.

How alive. ”

—  Nikka Ursula, The Bad Seed.

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Sign-up to my email list here. Namaste

If you’re feeling a little mentally clouded, a touch hazy in the head, and want to liberate yourself from this place, so you can get on with the work — with writing, creating, and making your art — one swift means to clarity and calm is to practice this simple meditation technique each time you feel overwhelmed, stressed-out or in need of renewed focus.

It reconnects you to what author Tom Robbins affectionately named, 'the ecstasy of the present moment' — to your prose/paint/project with presence — which always inspires creativity.

Many deceptively simple techniques like this one stem from the ancient healing practices of the Tao, and can be potent healing tools, especially if your time is too slender to meditate but mind feeling foggy or scattered.

The Taoist Chill Pill

Yintang is a point often used in acupressure to calm the mind, for people who are anxious, overwhelmed or stressed out, also for symptoms related to this, such as: insomnia, over thinking — and especially for calming that overthinking — referred to in the East as the 'monkey mind'.

If you're feeling unsettled, anxious or agitated about things beyond your control, and your mind spinning at an impossible rate, with you unable to focus—that’s monkey mind. This point is calming to your entire being, easing this emotional restlessness, overthinking, and anxiety, creative and otherwise, and is the ultimate acupressure point to chill you out.

• Take a deep, luxurious breath & exhale with a little force—breathing out any built-up tension.

• Become aware of how you are holding yourself—scan your body for any places you've subconsciously tensed or tightened — relaxing each — in turn letting go of that tension.

• Breathe gently but do not force it—simply allow your breath to find its own natural depth & rhythm.

• 

  'Yin Tang' or the third eye point is at centre of the eyebrows, in the subtle indentation in the centre of the forehead.

• Close your eyes & using the gentlest pressure, lightly press this point.

• Facial points do not need a lot of pressure, often working far more effectively with a gentle approach. You'll likely feel a subtle pulse.

• As you gently press the point imagine that your fingertip is white-hot & your forehead the purest gold.

• Visualise your fingertip melting into the gold — & stay with this feeling — letting yourself focus on its tip as it penetrates, metaphorically of course.

• After a minute or likely less, a tingling feeling radiates through your face & skull, as your mind & body reconnect in presence & you too find yourself stilled, gently retuned to the moment—though the effects magnify after the practice.

• Continue to hold your finger here in stillness—until all mental tension dissipates, with you clear in mind, & calm in body.

• Then gradually lessen the pressure & ever so slowly lift your finger off the point, which may feel like it's still being pressed for a little while afterwards.

• Enjoy this ensuing peacefulness, clarity & calm—then start creating again.

You may like to fuse this with GV 20, also called Ba Hui or the 'One Hundred Meeting' point, which has the effect of waking you up, giving fresh insight, along with many other benefits that naturally enhance your creativity [click me to read more on GV 20]

• Press Ba Hui or GV 20 with your right hand.

• Simultaneously gently press Yin Tang or GV 24.5 with your left.

• Keep breathing gently for about a minute.

"Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself." ~ Herman Hesse

If you enjoyed this humble offering, there's a single healing creative tool every month. For a sequence of healing practices and techniques, you may enjoy: 7-Step Process to Align Body, Mind and Soul for Optimum Creativity.

For more acupressure to help writers and creatives, try these points to optimise your focus; these to ease creative doubt, and this little offering has more ancient healing techniques to add a little pep to your step, and increase your motivation if its in need of a little boost.

For more on the creative benefits of mediation, with these 7 Reasons to Meditate if You Write or Make Art.

Side note: Although many subscribe to there being two 'third eye' points, one slightly above the other — and most people finding that one is more sensitive than the other — both have a profoundly calming effect on your person (the latter also corresponding to 'ajna' in the ancient Indian vedas).  Yin Tang also corresponds to the 'Upper Tan Tien', which will be covered in its own offering.

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No matter if your creative confidence sings from rooftops or hides in the darkest garret, rise above the rantings of your critical voice and make peace with your inner critic with these techniques.

Speak Kindly to Yourself

"Every time you judge yourself, you hurt yourself," as Brazilian lyricist and novelist, Paulo Coelho once said, a statement that is true on many levels, and now echoed by science. Neuroscientists found that harsh self-criticism actually increases activity in the brain's fear centre, the amygdala, activating the sympathetic wing of the nervous system.

Whereas talking to ourselves in a kind, and gentle way supports us, and our creativity. "Self-criticism taps into the threat/defense response," says Dr. Kristin Neff, author of Self-Compassion and associate professor at the University of Texas. "The system is designed to protect us and keep us safe but when the threat is to our self-concept, you view yourself as the problem the reptilian brain kicks in and attacks yourself."

In contrast, when we talk to ourselves kindly, especially if in a nourishing voice, we actually alter the nervous system response to one of calm, moving out of the threat/defence system and into a state of safety. "When we criticise ourselves, we reinforce the illusion of control. We really believe that we need self-criticism to motivate ourselves, [but] this is the worst possible mindset in which to do our best," adds Dr Kristin Neff.

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"Every time you judge yourself, you hurt yourself." Paulo Coelho
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Bypass the Critic with Yoga

"The creative journey is one in which we expose our souls to the world," says writer and yoga instructor, Karen Macklin. "This can be a tremendously rewarding aspect of being an artist—to have the opportunity to connect with others on a deep yet subtle level. But it is also the reason why emotions like doubt, fear, and self-judgment—emotions that can cripple the creative impulse—are all too familiar to artists."

One of the many teachings a yoga practice can bring to writers and artists is non-attachment. This is healing in the act of bypassing the inner critic, as we find acceptance in non-attachment, we can just make our art without judgement or attaching ourselves to a specific outcome.

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“The #creative journey is one in which we expose our souls to the world." Karen Macklin
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“Whatever your art is, there are those moments of difficulty when it all just looks like garbage, and moments of delusion when it all looks great,” says yoga instructor Kaur Khalsa. “You need a way to ride those ups and downs, and yoga gives you that.” Of course it's a practice, just as art and writing are practices. Sometimes all we need do is sit in a single Balasana (Child pose) and be. Other times a yoga practice may extend for hours, much like with our writing and creativity.

"Yoga offers a powerful antidote: the practice of vairagya, or non-attachment. This principle teaches us to let go of expectations by diligently observing the mind without reacting to, clinging to, or rejecting anything," says Karen Macklin. "We begin to recognize that our negative emotions are not permanent truths, and we can more easily allow them to dissolve when they come up in the creative process."

Be On Your Own Side

“We never win an argument with our inner critics because when we argue with our inner critic, we just fuel it and bolster its power,” says Tara Mohr, author of Playing Big: Find Your Voice, Your Mission, Your Message. "Because arguing means we aren’t focusing on fulfilling our dreams, speaking our voices and nurturing ourselves. Ultimately, because we don’t ever want to make a part of us the enemy, to go to war with a part of ourselves."

Sometimes we are critical of ourselves because we want to do better, for that criticism to motivate change. The problem is that it doesn't motivate us but instead makes us feel worse on every level.  "Our inner critic has a long list of reasons why there’s something wrong with us, and it’ll just keep going down that list,” says Tara Mohr.

You have to be on your own side, even that part of you who doubts and criticises. As author Elizabeth Scott so aptly said, "The world will knock you down plenty. You don’t need to be doing it to yourself." When we are self-critical, it’s frequently in the voice of someone, such as a parent or a teacher, who was critical to us. We may not recognise it as such but still use that voice as a motivator but it will never motivate us — these ancient techniques, however, will motivate you, and in far kinder ways.

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“The world will knock you down plenty. You don’t need to be doing it to yourself.”
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Perk Up and Lean In

“The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently," says Pema Chödrön in her book, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times.

Each time you experience uncomfortable feelings, Pema suggests leaning into them, learning from them, seeing them as potent reminders for presence, as sign-posts in the direction of your own evolution.

“Instead of being bad news, [these feelings] are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re holding back. They teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we’d rather collapse and back away. They’re like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we’re stuck. This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are," says Pema Chödrön.

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This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are.
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Create Distance from Critical Thoughts

Despite the importance we place on them, our thoughts are not necessarily truthful or even meaningful. Labelling critical thoughts by prefixing a phrase in front of the thoughts can help you detach from them. Psychologist Dr Russ Harris, author of ‘The Happiness Trap’ suggests using the phrase:

“I’m having the thought that…” or “I’m noticing the thought that…” So for example, “I can’t do this,” becomes “I’m having the thought that I can’t do this.” When you do this, you are then able to recognise that it is just a thought and trigger for a whole set of unhelpful emotions that only serve to keep you trapped in this negative cycle and hinder your creativity.

We don't have to believe these thoughts or even act on them. In being mindful of our inner landscape and the critical thoughts we default to, we can instead observe them without engaging with them, and therefore stop seeing them as immutable truths that hamper our creativity and self-confidence too.

Make Peace with Self-Criticism

Choose to make peace with the critic. It may be irritating, it may hamper the delicate creative process and flow but instead of allowing your frustration to well up, make peace with it, even friends with it. "It helps to think of that inner censor as a beloved but annoying friend who has moved in for the duration," says Dani Shapiro.

"That friend is never going away. So you make peace with your inner censor. You say some version of, thanks very much for sharing, and then move on, past that censoring voice, and into your work.” There’s little point in trying to debate with the critic. It will always be there, saying this is nonsense but in making peace with it, you can override it and create.

Your Criticism as a Story

Marshal Rosenberg, author of Non-Violent Communication, calls self-criticism the 'tragic expression of an unmet need', as it makes us feel awful without motivating any positive change. This technique from ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) can be very useful for releasing critical thinking:

• The first step is to be aware of what you are thinking, so if you have a repetitive critical thought focus on that. When you stop to notice what your mind is actually saying it creates a space between you and your thoughts, and in that distance, gives you a choice in how you respond.
• The second step is to name the thought as the 'story' it is. For example, “here’s the my-novel-is-rubbish ‘story’,” or "here's the I'm hopeless at writing 'story' again. The thought may still exist but you are less caught up by it, distanced, instead able to see it for what it is, a story you tell yourself with little basis on truth.

Have Compassion for the Critic

Instead of battling your own inner critic, research shows that self-compassion techniques are as effective as meditation. Be supportive of yourself, encouraging. Though the internal critic may inevitably try to hamper your progress, have compassion for yourself.

Often our own mental scolding of ourselves has more to do with self-protection than criticism. "Self-criticism comes from a desire to keep ourselves safe. We have to have compassion for the self critic. So we first have to have compassion for the critical voice. The self-critical voice needs to be heard, and then paradoxically it can quiet down. Then you can bring in self-compassion techniques," says Dr. Kristin Neff.

"One of the main components of compassion is being able to recognise in the moment when you’re suffering. You can say to yourself, “I want to keep you safe too, but I want to do it in a more effective way." We have these skills that we use for our friends or our children. We just have to remember to do it for ourselves, be kind to this part of ourselves, because at some level it has our best interests at heart." Respond with self-compassion, be kind to yourself, and gently bring yourself back to the moment.

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We have to have #compassion for the self-critic.
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Return to Awareness

“When you experience judgment or perfectionism or self-criticism, it’s just another thing to notice,” says meditation teacher and yoga instructor, Sean Feit. “If we notice it, it starts to lose its power. That’s one of the things that the yoga practices can teach us as artists: to bypass the judge and just make the thing and let the chips fall as they may.”

Maintaining an awareness of the cycles and patterns in your thoughts can help you find the solutions to return to a calmer internal equilibrium. "It’s amazing how much negative self-talk goes on just under your awareness," says Dr. Kristin Neff.

Whenever practicing a new belief or technique, there will be moments where things slip up but in always returning to awareness — of where you are this moment, where you want to be — and having compassion, never mentally scolding yourself if your ideals and reality are not yet in sync — is the most healing approach.

Be supportive of yourself, encouraging and compassionate. Talk to yourself kindly instead of critically. Even if the internal critic inevitably tries to hamper your progress or justify its criticism, instead of believing this internal chitchat or engaging with the negative thoughts, return to the moment and keep going. Keep creating.

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Creative Risk Taking and How it Relates to Self-Esteem - Creative Katrina

The Art of Constructive Self-Criticism

“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.” ― Pema Chödrön, The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times