Creativity and depression seem to go together. In a 2017 review involving 36 studies and thousands of participants, researchers found a clear relationship between being creative and having a diagnosis of a mood disorder, like depression. They did not find, however, that people diagnosed with a mood disorder were moreContinue Reading
By Ben Allen J.K. Rowling once described her experience with depression in an interview with The Times: “Depression is the most unpleasant thing I have ever experienced…It is that absence of being able to envisage that you will ever be cheerful again. The absence of hope. That very deadened feeling, whichContinue Reading
When you wake up in the middle of the night, do you have trouble going back to sleep? If this happens now and then, it’s no big deal. But if it starts happening frequently, your health may suffer. There’s an actual name for it: middle-of-the-night insomnia. Or middle insomnia. Cute,Continue Reading
by Jodie Eckleberry-Hunt In 1986, social psychologist, Dr. James Pennebaker began an experiment that would transform mind/body medicine for years to come. He asked people who had experienced a traumatic event to write. One group (control group) was asked to write daily about superficial topics for four days. The otherContinue Reading
Certain products for writers become critical to our daily work. You may have a special pen that you sign your books with, for example, or a laptop that you can’t be without. But then there are products lend themselves particularly well to the winter months. When the cold, dark daysContinue Reading
Welcome to the Writing and Wellness annual “writing quotes” round-up! Below you’ll find the best quotes from the authors featured on the site this year. This is the eighth year I’ve put these together. They’ve all been popular posts and I love how they capture certain overarching themes in theContinue Reading
Do you have a writer’s workout? by Hamza Benharrouse Writing can be a sedentary activity, and that’s not great for your health. Sitting for long periods of time has been linked to an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and anxiety, and even cancer. Working out,Continue Reading
For me, the biggest emotional challenge of being a writer is also my biggest emotional challenge in general, which is perfectionism. My standards for myself are often unreasonably high, and the (obvious) inability to live up to these unrealistic expectations can lead to anxiety, depression, self-doubt, etc. This certainly spillsContinue Reading
As someone with anxiety issues, dealing with imposter syndrome and anxiety have been the hardest part of being an author. It’s easy for me to get caught up worrying that whatever step of the process I’m in won’t work out. I would worry that I wouldn’t find an agent, thenContinue Reading
Are relationship problems sapping your motivation to write? If so, you’re not alone. In a recent Writing and Wellness survey, several writers expressed their concern about this. Our relationships are important to us, and when there’s conflict or underlying stress, it’s often so pervasive that can quickly rob us ofContinue Reading
by Beth Castrodale Late last summer, I was in something of a rut with my fiction writing. I’d recently completed a novel and had no idea what I might work on next: a short story? another novel? When I tried to generate story ideas through brainstorming, this backfired. Instead ofContinue Reading
I think that any good writer is emotionally challenged at some level. Otherwise, how could we create and write about the emotionally damaged characters in our stories? Readers expect authenticity in our characterizations. If we haven’t felt things like grief, anxiety, depression, love, and fear, then how can we createContinue Reading