Blogger: Mary Keeley
My well-being tank is full. A week away with family has done it for me. And now I’m eager to be back at work. Likewise, writers need to take regular breaks to recharge. Writing on a full tank increases the quality of your work.
You might not identify what precipitated this feeling consciously, but you’re aware of heightened clarity of mind. Your enthusiasm returns, and your general outlook is more positive. Your writing goes more smoothly; the right words pop in your mind when you need them. Those times of renewed energy when creativity flows that you wish would last forever. Employers saw the positive results when companies began to provide paid vacation time for their employees. They had discovered workers returned to work refreshed and more productive. And they were happier employees.
It’s hard to ignore the mounds of research and examples, going back to the seventh day of creation in Genesis, that 
confirm the need for routinely taking a break from our labors. Few of us can take a week off very often, but occasionally stepping back for short breaks is the best way to increase forward progress. Sure, we carve out time for exercise to care for ourselves physically. We set aside time for daily Bible study and prayer to care for our spiritual growth, and we try to get enough sleep to give ourselves mental and physical rest. But these aren’t the kinds of stepping away from routine that recharge our spirits. The getaways where we commune with God, where our sense of well-being is renewed. These kinds of breaks are as individual as we are. Try a few or all on the following list and see which produce the greatest results for you:
- Spend an afternoon in a beautiful park or arboretum, taking only your Bible with you. Let your five senses take in your surroundings and God’s quiet voice.
- Take an hour at a spa or recreate the atmosphere at home with scented candles and soothing music, soft towels.
- Watch an inspiring movie.
- Visit a local history museum.
- Play with your children and grandchildren. Shower them with your love and affirmations.
- Get a sitter and spend a quiet day in a favorite, restful place away from diapers, dishes, laundry, and all electronic input.
- Visit homebound members of your church. Listen to their stories.
- Participate in a favorite activity away from your normal daily routine and responsibilities.
- Do something new and different.
Give yourself permission to take regular well-being breaks so you can be writing on a full tank more consistently. After a few months of experimentation, look back and record which kinds of breaks best re-energized your spirit. Don’t assume you already know; you might be surprised. Perhaps you’ll find there are several you can rotate in the future. Or maybe some are more effective at certain times of the year. Plan accordingly. The point is to make regular breaks to refresh your spirit a part of your normal routine.
What kinds of breaks can you add to the list? When was the last time you took a break to purposefully re-energize your spirit? Are you writing on a full tank now?
TWEETABLES:
Are you writing on a full tank? Take regular breaks to clear your mind and recharge. Click to Tweet.
Occasionally stepping back from your writing may be the best way to increase forward progress. Click to Tweet.
This post, and the picture that you chose to accompany it, is simply lovely. You elucidated powerful truths in a gentle way, and they echo like the sound of summer thunder across the Lake, tympani embraced by water and sky. The quiet, soothing balm of life’s truly majestic moments.
But not for me, as the song goes.
With a life that’s turned into something of an action replay of Isandlwana, I find that my creative tank is…surprisingly, overflowing.
It may be the adrenaline rush of having to deal with multiple crises, or the focus I need to transcend pain and accomplish anything, but both the enthusiasm and ability have been sharpened.
Colors are brighter, sounds are clearer, and like a car accident – life is moving in slow motion, allowing time to live it well.
Maybe it’s merely something like what Johnson said, that the knowledge that one is to be hanged in the morning concentrates a man’s mind wonderfully.
Perhaps. But I would prefer to think that it is God, using the wounds as openings to pour in Grace.
And I would not trade it. With a tip of my boonie hat to Tallulah Bankhead –
My candle burns at both ends,
it will not last the night.
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends,
it gives a lovely light.
Beautiful, Andrew.
I hope you are writing a book about all of this. I need to read it. Many need to read it.
Wow, Jim…thanks!
I hadn’t thought of writing a book on it; it felt presumptuous, given the presence of works like “The Last Lecture”.
But now, I will.
Amen!
I agree with Jim, I wish you would write about what you have endured.
Andrew, thanks for the different perspective, profound that it is. Truly your Battle of Isandlwana, as you describe your life, is saturated with God’s grace. You have much to say through eyes that see vividly and ears that hear clearly.
Here are a few breaks that work for me.
-Spending time enjoying a hobby
-Traveling, even if just for a quick weekend get-away
-Reading something completely different that the genre I write
Carol, I’m with you on the travel. The auto travel, not the flying kind. The ability to drive and stop where you want to just look at God’s creation is freeing. Well, except in Wyoming where there are so many natural wonders and yet they don’t let you stop on the side of the road to enjoy it. Still, I remember that thrilling ride past Castle Rock better than many other peaceful ones. 😮
Great suggestions, Carol.
Great thoughts!
When we were first married my husband would go out with friends to a movie or to play board games. He was often telling me “you need to get out and do something to just relax too. I’ll watch the kids so you can watch a movie with friends or go scrapbooking.” The problem, I didn’t want to watch a movie with friends or go out and go scrapbooking and I really didn’t want to play a board game until 2:00am. But he was right, I needed a break. Then it hit me. I wanted to sit somewhere far away from my dishes and just read and eat a snack without being interrupted. And thus the reading day was born. Whenever he has time to give me a break, my husband watches our kids and I go to a local coffee shop or bagal shop and I sit there and read all day, nibbling snacks, often buying a new book on my Nook. It is perfect and gives me energy like nothing else. I also like walks in the woods by myself. These things fill me up.
Kristen, you have an understanding husband. I’m with you. A day away reading in a coffee shop where snacks are nearby is what works for me too. A piece of heaven.
I’ve never taken a break by myself … not really. I do enjoy walks in our woods or sitting out there on the swing … time to think and pray, and watch the sheep put on a display. Escapes to a candlelit hot bath are nice … do my best thinking there. 🙂 I have a hard time resting though. If my body is resting, I assure you, my brain isn’t.
I have to really concentrate to “be in” each moment and not to be writing in my head. I guess it takes anesthesia for some people. 🙂
Shelli, it sounds like your walks in the woods and time in the swing are effective breaks for you. You’re right that it’s important to be in the moment at these times, resting your writer brain, so it’s refreshed when you get back to work.
Anesthesia??
Bahahaha!
Now WHO could that be?
I bet I had some great thoughts during my appendectomy! 🙂
I”m with you, Shelli. I am learning to choose to be “all in” each moment. As a mom it’s hard. Especially during summer! 🙂
How true this post is! After reading a lot about creating margin in my schedule and workaholic tendencies, I chose one small thing daily I could do to unwind–a cup of green tea in the evening that I would sip and not do anything else but enjoy television. My hands wanted to be doing something, so it was hard at first. Eventually I learned to unplug even more from my work on a daily basis–even without green tea’s help.
Melodie, it’s especially hard for type A personalities to relax and take these breaks but good to hear you succeeded. How have they benefited your writing?
Thank you for asking, Mary. I’ve written every day now for 74 days in a row! Writing a middle grade novel about a character that’s been in my head for 20 years.
I also attended my first professional writing conference this summer in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
So the readings helped me to quit working on school lessons all summer (I’ve been an English teacher for 25 years–I think I know what I’m doing by now)and spend time on what I enjoy the most–writing.
Admitting to myself I was a workaholic was a year-long process, but I am much happier now!
When my kids are in school and life has a predictable order, I can vork like Russian on potato farm. Ya.
But once summer starts, pfffft. Nyet possible.
Also, our East Coast summers are not long enough, and I want out be outside climbing trees and playing hopscotch and ordering my kids around in my garden and not leading by example.
Fine, okay, I confess! I don’t play hopscotch. And hubs won’t let me climb trees anymore. Something about the permanent injury in my lower back. Fine, HE can be Tarzan. What. Ever.
Later that same day, when she got to the point…
I NEED to do other things, to refresh, to recharge. I love to garden and my kids are great help because they know I’ll do too much and get side-lined. And they take pride in their work because I make sure they know it’s a group effort.
And today I begin the prep work on one of my greatest joys, re-finishing antiques.
Once I rack open the laptop, I am full of creative fire, because I let the writer in me play at being a normal. And I realized, I NEED to write!
Jennifer, I understand that “need” to write. When I finished my nonfiction, I thought that was it. I just couldn’t leave well enough alone …. 🙂
Well, now we know whence the “War and Peace” email you mentioned yesterday.
Sorry, I should be clear – the War and Peace email mentioned on Rachelle’s B&S blog post yesterday.
Jennifer, it’s clear you’ve found the kinds of breaks that work for you because when you get back to writing, you’re all in.
One break that I recommend is walking a labyrinth. Walking the labyrinth is great for clearing the mind and allowing you to relax and put things in order. Labyrinths are considered a walking meditation and a pathway to prayer. When I walk one, I feel at times that I am having a heart to heart with God. Labyrinth are located in many places: churches, universities, hospices, and hospitals etc… One can locate a labyrinth near you by going to the World-Wide Labyrinth Locator located at http://labyrinthlocator.com/.
One can also use a finger labryinth but walking one is so much better and healthier.
I very much agree with the practice of labyrinth walking.
For those of you on the west coast, there is a splendid example in Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, which is also the largest Gothic cathedral in the western United States.
Lori, I’ll have to look into it.
I love being outside listening to the leaves rustle and the birds sing and twitter as they carry on their housekeeping duties. But our summers are so short, sometimes we never even take out our patio furniture set.
This year, I gifted myself with something I’ve wanted for years… a cast iron Bistro set. One that won’t blow over in our prairie wind and is easy to hose down for cleaning.
Instead of putting it out on the back patio which is a chore to get to, I set it up on the cemented unused area beside our front door, out of direct foot traffic. Because we live 1/2 a mile from our neighbors, I can step out in my bare feet and jammies to enjoy my morning coffee, or any time I need a break. It’s also a great place to drop when I come back from a walk or need to think away from my office. This year, I’m enjoying more time outside with nature – in short bursts – than I have for a long time.
Anita, it sounds like that set was a perfect way to gift yourself, so you can have short but needed breaks enjoying nature during your brief summers.
Ohhh, that sounds so NICE!!
In Sikh tradition it is customary to wake before dawn, and partake of what is called “the ambrosial hour”, using it for prayer and reflection.
In the traditional Punjabi culture in which physical responsibilities are often unrelieved by machines or automation, this offers the opportunity of a daily vacation in the hush of night’s end.
As a Christian, I find that I can most clearly hear the still, small voice of God in these quiet watches, and find refreshment which I may carry through the day’s travail.
Surpreet, after reading your lovely description, I feel like I’ve just experienced a refreshing break myself.
Mine is taking an evening off of writing to just play. My 4 yr. old daughter and I did manicures and pedicures the other night (and somehow my 2 yr son was included as well — bright red and blue nails). It was SO refreshing. My word count doubled the next day. 🙂
Jaime, better stock up on nail colors. This is a double blessing…time away from your manuscript and also fun time with your children. Sounds like everyone’s tank is full.
Mary, what a great and challenging post. Our summer has been incredibly busy, though I tried hard not to make it so. With my hubby out of country most of June we began the summer running, and I haven’t stopped yet. Writing time has been more scarce than I’d hoped, so I take every moment I have to write.
That being said, my hubby gave me the opportunity to run away to a B and B this weekend to write and relax. I loved it! I had a little cottage, with a kitchen a table and a covered porch that overlooked a wildflower garden. I loved sitting out there to have my quiet times and to write while the rain fell. I loved setting my own schedule and writing, but also relaxing. I think I’ve fallen in love with humming birds. There were so many there. 🙂
I’ve found that having time to myself where I don’t have to take care of anyone else is refreshing. I was productive, but I also had time to just soak in the beauty around me. I was still connected to the outside world, but I didn’t spend a lot of time online or in contact with other people.
Breaks I try to take on a more regular basis are walks in our neighborhood, coffee dates with good friends and the occasional soak in the tub.
Your post reminded me of the necessity of taking breaks. Thank you for that.
Jeanne, I read about your B&B trip on FB, and it sounds like heaven. You have a great hubby!
Jeanne, your break sounded so lovely. 🙂
Jeanne, that B&B sounds like the perfect setting for a weekend break. And you made valuable use of it. It confirmed that kind of break is what refreshes your spirit after an extended time managing the home front on your own. Add to that your favorite short breaks, and you have a balanced routine going.
Definitely travel, Mary. We’ve been building a house, so travel hasn’t happened this year like it has in the past, and I’m counting the days until that weekend in St. Louis at ACFW. We have a couple of short trips planned later this year and next spring, and I’m eager to climb in the van and just stare at the scenery passing by. No demands, no responsibilities. Just the open road.
Meghan, we take one vacation a year, usually … we drive to Florida from Texas. I do NOTHING that whole trip … just be with my family. No thinking, writing … just being with them. Though I love writing … it’s nice to have that down time. Then I get home and immediately start planning how I can use my photos for stories! 🙂
I love road trips, Meghan. I hope yours is relaxing and refreshing!
Sounds like bliss, Meghan. In the meantime I hope your time at ACFW fills your well-being tank.
Love this. Thank you!
Erin, your website is so pretty. I didn’t know you were a writer … 🙂 What a sweet influence you had/have!
You’re welcome, Erin!
SO true. I just had major surgery with a major complication. Between the drugs and the pain, creativity is not in the cards at the moment. Yet I trust the Lord will return it as I heal, so in the meantime, I rest and fill my mind and heart with His promises.
Praying for you, Susan. I went through that in March, had complications, and am still trying to mend. It’s piddle compared to what others endure, so I’m trying not to complain. It’s never easy when it’s “you” though. Praying-
Thanks, Shelly
Surgery + complications = slow healing. I’m so sorry you’re walking that road, Susan. I’ve walked it. It’s not easy. i hope God heals you quickly and that your creativity returns. It sounds like Rest is your prescription for now.
Thanks, Jeanne.
Susan, that’s surely a break of a different sort. But it’s good to hear you’re on the other side of the surgery. I hope the recovery is quick and your creative juices are blessed and multiplied.
“Live in the moment – and the moment will live in you.”
Donnie, you just made a former security contractor weep as though he’ll never be able to stop. That does not happen often. Well, ever.
With shaking hands and blurred eyes, I thank you.
Donnie, you have such a way with words.
I think Pastor Paul Simon and Rabi Garfunkle said it best:
Slow down people, you’re movie’ too fast
You’ve got to make the morning last.
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feel in’ groovy.
Ba da da da da da da, feelin’ groovy.
Hello, lamppost, what’cha knowin’?
I’ve come to watch your flowers grown’
Ain’t’cha got no rhymes for me?
Ba da da da da da da, feelin’ groovy
I got no deeds to do
No promises to keep
I’m dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morning time drop all its petals on me
God, I love you
All is groovy
I’m singing it! Haven’t heard that in ages! Thanks, Donnie.
I’m singing along too, Shelli.
Lots of great tips. As a workaholic, I struggle with not knowing I’m tired and need a break until I’m totally wiped out. I’m a little like a kid who’s exhausted and doesn’t want to go to bed – a blessing and a curse because I’m enjoying all the things I do, but my body has its own needs.
In the past, yoga has been helpful, walks, and connecting in real life with friends.
Thanks for this lovely forum, Brandy
Brandy, thanks for joining the conversation. I struggle, too, with making myself stop to take needed breaks.
I love walking the windy beach, finding seashells and agates. When weather and time limit me, I sit on the porch of our historic home and watch the leaves of the tall trees across the tremble in the breeze. During the cold, wet months I sit down with a puzzle, a friend and a cup of tea. Usually, I discover answers in the sand, see God in the quaking treetops and find everything fits together better after a puzzle.
Heidi, you already know how to step away from work and what refreshes your spirit. Thanks for sharing your ideas.
Welcome back, Mary. We just returned from two weeks away and I’m fueled for writing. Something about being in the mountains wants me to reach for the impossible.
Go for it, Sondra!
I just returned from a mini writing type retreat. There were no workshops or any such thing. I just drove to see Diann Hunt’s movie premier and spend time with writing friends for a few days. We laughed, chatted, and talked story. A beautiful and restful time.
Sounds like a blissful break, Michelle.
Mary, you read my mail on this post. Idea #1 is my favorite thing to do. I live in Tennessee, and I took a little writing trip up to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park recently. It was beautiful. I found a creek, sat on a boulder with my laptop, and stared up at the sky through the forest canopy. It was so inspiring and peaceful. I wrote what I think was one of my most helpful blog posts ever while sitting on that rock.
Next month, my husband and I are headed to Rock Mountain National Park for another writing break. I can hardly wait.
There’s something about majestic mountains and untouched wilderness that ministers to my spirit in a way that few other things can. I can see the raw power of God in those places, and hearing Him in nature’s stillness is easier than in other places.