If you’re a creative person, you might have noticed that stress negatively affects your creative output. I’m no different.
The world is a stressful place to live. First we had Covid. Then we had inflation. With inflation, now we have a serious problem with Russia and possibly China. Wherever we turn, there’s something else.
I remember when I was in high school, an important swim meet and a fun extra curricular convention overlapped. I wanted to do both. I sat on my bed and cried while my parents consoled me. I remember saying it wasn’t fair. Why was I being forced to choose?
Wow. I had it rough. Can’t you tell? But it was a learning experience. I was learning, in a very gentle way (in hindsight), that life throws punches.
Having kids made me more resilient. When I was pregnant with my second child, my husband lost his job. During that time, life punched me in various other ways, and I became better at accepting the inevitable strikes. Yeah, it hurts, but you get up and keep moving. There is no other choice.
It’s no different today. It seems like life is punching me. A lot. But I know it’s just life. This is how life works. We get knocked down. We get up again. I feel like there’s a song that goes something like that.
Today I feel knocked down. I want to pull the covers over my head and stay there for a while. It’s difficult to write in this head space, and so, I might give myself a little break. It might be time to rest, nurse my wounds, and reorganized a few things.
In the meantime, I’m sure the seemingly unlimited ideas in my head will percolate. Stories will take shape despite me. I’ve been at this long enough that my brain is always working on something in the background.
If you are feeling discouraged today, just know, it’s not you. This world is throwing some heavy punches right now. I think we’re all feeling it. Especially when we peek at our bank accounts.
Be kind to yourself. Take a warm bath. Make a hot cup of tea.
This too shall pass.
Talk to you soon.
Erin
