Why do I write every day? Well, it’s complicated. I personally prefer to, but lately life has been stressful, so I’ve been taking more mental health days than I usually do. Today all I managed was a couple lines in one document and two paragraphs apiece in two others. I got a few ideas started and I can always fill them out later. Which is good, it’s the most productive I’ve been in a couple weeks. Between constant stress and pain flares I couldn’t keep up any sort of productivity for a bit. As a result, I’m taking some time off to let my mind and body get the rest it needs.
That of course doesn’t mean you have to write every day. Maybe all you can do is squeeze it into your weekends. And that’s honestly fine. Not everyone’s schedule can accommodate writing every day. Having said that it works best if you figure out a schedule. Because I’m disabled, I don’t have a job, not in a traditional sense. I’m currently a late entry college student, and a stay-at-home parent, so my schedule is full. But because I don’t have to leave the house every day, I’m able to focus on getting words done which is a luxury not everyone has. Writing, school, and parenting are my jobs really.
However, due to how my life is currently going, my mental health leaves a lot to be desired. I do suppose that the words I’ve written at this moment show that I’m getting back into writing. Which is a good thing. Mental health struggles are no joke. I’ve learned over the years that as bad as I might be feeling in any given moment it won’t last forever. Sometimes it feels like it does, and sometimes it takes quite a while to pass, but ultimately it will change. Having said that, I absolutely have to put my mental and physical health first, because destroying myself to meet a word goal is counterproductive. Those days I save in the beginning I pay for later, and with interest. I’ve railed against that as hard as I can, but the facts don’t lie, and they’re telling me that I must come first.
It’s disappointing when my health forces me to take a sick day or a sick week, but I know from experience that if I don’t prioritize me, I will pay for it later. And frankly I’m not a fan of hospital visits, or doctor’s appointments for that matter. They exist to help, but if I can avoid going as much as possible, I’m better off overall. Pushing myself into exhaustion to the point I have to go to the hospital will only make my forced break that much longer. It will also be that much harder to get back into the habit, especially since it can take so long to get to where I’m feeling at the top of my game. I have a number of chronic conditions that are affected by stress, some of which (well, honestly, most) come with fatigue as a symptom. Because of that I have to manage my time carefully, and a break now will save me time down the road.
I’d love to write every day. The days I do 2000 words or more are amazing, but I have to work within my own means. Maybe someday I’ll manage to do 2000 words a day consistently, but right now I’m not there.