Self-Care for Writers and Bloggers
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Self-Care for Writers and Bloggers
Self-care for writers and bloggers. Self-care is important for everyone, but it is especially true for bloggers and writers. I have been suffering from an ugly case of tendinitis for the last couple of weeks. This has not been a pleasant experience, believe me.
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Not being able to work without extreme pain has been a nightmare. Once I figured out the problem, I started researching root causes and solutions as well. This really made me start thinking about how I take care of myself. One of the biggest things I read about tendinitis is that it isn’t one big thing that causes it. Instead it is a bunch of repetitive motions over time that wear on the tendons and cause them to become irritated.
Here are some tips on self-care for writers and bloggers and products that have helped me immensely and are allowing me to write this post!
BioFreeze
Whoever invented this stuff is a genius. I’ve heard of this stuff before, but never paid much attention to it besides the fact they sponsor the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team. But once a good friend recommended it after a fall, I gave it a try. I use the spray for hard to reach places and the gel on easy to reach places like my hand. I love that the gel is individually packaged, so I can throw a couple of these in my vehicle if I am out and about when the pain starts.
Ergonomic Mouse
I never realized how hard I gripped my mouse and the strain it was putting on my wrist until I purchased this! It takes some time to get accustomed to because it is different than a traditional computer mouse. After using it, I went back to my normal mouse, and it was painfully obvious that was a big part of the problem.
Wrist Pad
I have a tendency to rest my wrist on the edge of my desk, placing a strain on my entire arm, from hand to elbow. This memory foam wrist pad helps to elevate my wrist and provide not only a more comfortable work area, but it is easy to type with. I use it with my laptop, and there is no discomfort or odd angle at all. It also comes with a second pad for the mouse as well.
Office Chair
A quality office chair is essential! Here is my favorite, and it isn’t expensive. Office chairs don’t need to cost a small fortune. They just need to provide the proper support. Posture is a big part of how we feel in general. I am one of those people who can curl myself up in a chair, almost in a little ball and sit and work for hours, until I can’t feel my legs or feet, and stand up with sound effects.
It may be comfortable in the moment, but it isn’t helpful overall. Bad posture can affect a lot more than just immediate discomfort. Taking consistent breaks is also essential. Stand up, take a quick walk, even just around the house. Get the blood moving back through your body.
Another great option that I’ve used is a stability ball in place of my chair. This forces me to sit up straight and I can’t curl myself up on a stability ball. I find that if I’m working for a long period of time, I’ll swap out my chair for the stability ball because when I’m so focused on my writing, I tend to ignore the obvious needs.
Water
Are you drinking enough water every day? My guess is probably not, and I am bad about this as well. I’ve started keeping a log of how much water I drink every day to make myself accountable and pay attention. Also try to avoid excessive amounts of caffeine. In reading about tendinitis, caffeine consumption is a really big part of that.
Avoid Processed Foods
In looking at the causes of tendinitis, this was a big red flag. I don’t normally eat processed foods, but in the last couple weeks I have found myself so busy that I hit drive-thrus several times. This unfortunately made perfect sense to me as a cause. With my wrist issue, eating better became a big deal.
Making a full meal for myself isn’t easy right now, and I opt for easy choices. Cottage cheese is an excellent source of protein, and easy to prepare. Snack throughout the day! Sixteen almonds is 100 calories. A perfect healthy and tasty snack. Pick things that work for you that are just as easy as going through a drive through. They’re usually much cheaper too.
Rest, rest, and more rest
Getting the proper amount of sleep each night is absolutely essential! Not only to our brains, but our bodies as well. Our bodies heal when we are sleeping. This is why when we have the flu, we sleep a lot more. Our body demands extra rest to get better.
Notes
As a writer and blogger, this bought of tendinitis was obnoxious. It is hard to build a business when I can’t type. Or take care of myself when I can’t cook a meal without pain. It really reminded me that I need to take the best care of myself. When we fly on an airplane, the safety message about the oxygen masks reminds us to put ours on first, then assist others who may need help. But the main focus is to put our mask on first.
That is how I think we should all look at taking care of ourselves. Especially when the businesses we are building can hinge on the ability to work. If I can’t type, I can’t work. How can my business grow if I’m not working? I have to take care of myself in order to keep growing.
This also really made me take a better look at the tools I need to be successful. Such as the mouse and wrist pad, as well as eating correctly. I am responsible for setting myself up for success and not just causing myself unnecessary injuries. Now I pay a lot more attention to these things instead of just running full steam ahead and forgetting there are consequences for that.
Discussion
Do you take self-care for writers and bloggers seriously? Tell me about how you take the best care of yourself in the comments! Read more of my tips on self-care and productivity.
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25 Comments
Despite Pain
Why do we forget to take care of ourselves at times? You’re right, we batter on full steam ahead, then we fall!
Great tips here. The BioFreeze gel is amazing, isn’t it?
The Prepping Wife
I love Bio Freeze! Such an amazing product. It really helps to rub the gel into my hand too, massaging the tendon as I go. I’ve been doing that at night before I put my wrist brace on to sleep and it helps so much.
jerry godinho
Hi Erica, this year I am focusing on mental health and self-care. In this busy and super rushed world, we all get caught up in achieving that leaves us empty and so taking care of ourselves emotionally, mentally, psychologically, spiritually and financially is correct. Tendonitis is common for writers and again eating, sleeping and seeing a good physio and putting balm every night. I invested in an expensive chair and it is paying dividends. Tks for this much needed post.
Kelly Martin
This is such a timely article for me. I’ve just been researching ergonomic keyboards and mice for my computer. I bought a new computer recently and the keys on the keyboard are so hard to press down and the mouse takes a real effort to click. My wrists and shoulders are really aching! I’ll have a look at the ergonomic mouse you’ve suggested.
The Prepping Wife
The mouse feels funky at first, but once you are accustomed to it, it is a total life saver! I’m sold on it and find myself constantly recommending that and the wrist pad as a combination to really help out.
Lene Andersen
You can’t take care of your business if you don’t take care of yourself first. Highly recommend that you look into Dragon NaturallySpeaking, which is a voice-recognition software. They have versions from fairly inexpensive for student and/or home, up to several hundred dollars for highly specialized professions. I write everything (including this comment) using it because of my chronic pain and disability. It’s what enables me to be a writer, it protects your hands and your tendons, and sometimes, helps you write faster.
The Prepping Wife
Thank you for the recommendation, Lene! I’ve heard of programs like that, but had no clue where to even start looking for one. I’ll definitely look into this to help me out.
Sarah Emery
I can’t agree with you more! Self care is so important for writers & bloggers. Especially on how we position our bodies when writing and what tools may impede or help our health. What great tips, advice and reminder for self care. Thanks for this!
LuLu B - Calabrisella Mia
Self-care is essential, especially when you have a business to run! We often forget how the little things can have such a big impact on our health and productivity. I noticed a huge difference when I purchased an ergonomic mouse. But like you said, we also need to rest! I’m the worst for this and it’s something I’m trying to change! I hope you get back to 100% soon!
Scott DeNicola
Tendinitis is no joke. I got a bout of it a few years ago when I was remodeling in my house. The continual swinging of a hammer did it. Be careful. Biofreeze is definitely a miracle. I used it on a torn calf and it is wonderful. Posture, and a good chair at the proper height is your best friend. Rest up so we can all read more of your stuff.
Anstice Brown
Great tips! I try to keep hydrated when I’m writing but always forget about my posture. I got an ergonomic mouse for work and really helped with my wrist pain.
Subhashish Roy
I have of late been getting symptoms of tendinitis and the pain at times is unbearable. Thank you Erica for these tips. We certainly need to start caring and do things right to continue the passion with which each of us have started our blog and business.
The Prepping Wife
Take care of yourself, Subhashish! The pain is definitely no joke. I’m just getting back to where I can grip things without pain and start typing again. Still can’t lift anything yet though, so I’m not fully healed. I’m just to where the pain is tolerable enough to get some work done each day. This has been going on for almost a month for me, and it was a couple weeks before I finally realized what was going on and started taking better steps to heal.
Megan Kerry
Man, I’ve been working really hard lately trying to get together a few digital products to launch. My posture is terrible! lol! But-I have been doing a whole foods challenge for the month of January. I feel great and I’ve even lost some weight! So for sure getting the ergonomics right and eating well make such a big difference for self care at home! Great post!!
Dreams Abroad
I totally agree with this post and although we put in long hours we must take care of ourselves. I use both BioFreeze and have a very good chair. I have had back problems for a while now but having a good chair makes a BIG difference.
Smita
Working in corporate and being glued to my laptop for the last 4-5 years I’ve seen my share of wrist/ back/ eye issues – something which is so common now with blogging too! You’re absolutely right on the self-care part which unfortunately does not come easily to most of us. Your tips are a great reminder to me to get back on track. I used to have an app to remind me to drink water every hour – think I’ll go back to it!
Lyosha
I started taking a bottle of water with me while blogging lately. I often find myself thirsty but also often don’t want to leave the spot so I put it off. It results in decrease of water consumption. Nice tips! comfortable mouse is a must for me as well
Britt
Great advice – my office chair was one of the best purchases I made. I picked up an ergonomic chair with heat and massage options… on the days when I’m feeling sore or achy, it’s a beautiful thing! Another suggestion worth considering is a standing desk. I already had a desk I loved, but I got a standing desk attachment that I was able to set up on it and it has made a big difference for me.
Sonia Seivwright
You have no idea how much I needed this article. Bloggers really do work hard, so it’s important to take care of ourselves too. At the end of the day, we are still human and our brain can only take so much. Thanks for sharing.
Alexandra
Wow! I always saw Biofreeze too but never thought it could really help that much. I am glad to read about your experience because I am likely to give it a try the next time I need it.
I don’t have problems with tendinitis but I do have carpal tunnel syndrome. I didn’t get it from writing because when I started having trouble I wasn’t really writing. However, it is becoming a major problem for me. I did get steroid shots twice but the doctor said I can’t do it a third time and need to just have the surgery.
I also really love using the stability ball. That is a great recommendation. It even helps tighten your an muscles!
Luna S
Great list of selfcare ideas! I don’t really like the way bio freeze smells so I use those re-heatable pads you put in the microwave/ice packs when needed.
Iris Findlay
Oh my gosh, when I first started blogging, I sat hunched over a laptop in bed. Buying a desk and an office chair saved both my back and my posture. This list is great!
Nicole Anderson
I love the analogy of putting on your oxygen mask first. This is so true. I also use the tools you have mentioned, except BioFreeze, which I have never really heard of, but then again, I have been lucky not to suffer from repetitive strain injuries (so far). Drinking lots of water and taking appropriate breaks are also important things for self-preservation as it is too easy to just get carried away and not leave your desk for hours and hours! Great article to remind us all to look after ourselves before we do damage we will regret!
Stela Pasic
Great tips and ideas here. Your post reminded me that I need to get a wrist pad ASAP! I used to have one and it was really helpful, I completely forgot about it. No processed food is always my go-to self-care hack. I wish I could keep it as a lifestyle choice forever.
Kat
Some wonderful tips here! The office chair has become incredibly important to all of us with the pandemic and having to work from home every day. I also think rest is crucial and overlooked, especially in modern work culture. I haven’t had a proper break all year – working from home is amazing, but it does lend itself to not taking proper time off. Luckily, I’m on a very reduced schedule for the last two weeks this year, and really enjoying it!