Do you need to change your work area? You may not have thought much about it, but it’s important. Really important. Did you know that certain things about your writer’s nook can actually make you stressed out or sleepy? Other things can cause you headaches, make you less productive, orContinue Reading
Last year, I reported on studies indicating that the more hours we sit every day, the shorter our lives will be. One study, for example, showed that women who reported sitting more than six hours per day were 37 percent more likely to die during the study period than thoseContinue Reading
In his book Awaken the Giant Within, Tony Robbins said something that has stuck with me ever since I read it: “Emotion is created by motion. Everything that we feel is the result of how we use our bodies….If you repeatedly use your body in weak ways, if you dropContinue Reading
Could you be making mistakes today that increase your risk?
My father always loved coffee, but when he got into his later sixties, his doctor recommended he avoid it. It’s an acidic drink—hard on aging or sensitive stomachs—and my dad was swallowing too many antacids. If you have a sensitive stomach, too, you may want to avoid coffee, or atContinue Reading
Are you a grateful writer? I believe that our thoughts and words can create our reality. Too much wallowing in the difficulty of our chosen occupation and pretty soon that’s all we see—how difficult it is. It’s only a short step from there to seeing ourselves as unable to overcomeContinue Reading
People who work at the computer for hours each day—full-time writers, designers, office workers, etc.—get more headaches than other folks. I don’t have any studies to back me up. I could be completely wrong—but I don’t think I am. I used to work at a corporation, a really long timeContinue Reading
by Annette Mardis I started my writing career in the newspaper industry, not known for fostering healthful lifestyles. Thankfully, we’ve long since left behind the era when ashtrays overflowed on desktops, smoke hung heavily in the stale air, and booze bottles shared drawer space with notepads and pens. But newspaperContinue Reading
The Romantic Notion of the Self-Destructive Writer We’ve all heard the romantic stories of writers who lived on alcohol and drugs and still wrote masterpieces: Truman Capote experienced frequent breakdowns, was in and out of rehab clinics, and died at the age of 59 of liver failure caused by phlebitisContinue Reading
It’s not your imagination—your computer is hurting your eyes. If you’ve been using more eye drops lately or wondering if you may have dry eye syndrome, it may have nothing to do with aging. According to a recent study, it could be that you’re just staring at the computer forContinue Reading
Over the last few weeks, I’ve felt a nagging and persistent pain in my elbow, right between those two little bones on the underside (if you hold your arm slightly bent). “Tennis elbow” was the first thing that came to mind, but I haven’t played in years. I type, though.Continue Reading
Housework is a bad thing for writers. It’s intrusive, creeping into our thoughts when we least want it to. Blank screen? That’s when we realize the bathroom needs immediate attention. Plot struggle? It’s time to mop the floor. We try to stop it. A messy house isn’t going to self-destruct,Continue Reading