Just write! How many times have we all heard that or said it to ourselves? As a writer, I know how impossible that can sometimes feel. But when you practice mindful writing, it becomes so much easier. Once you’ve taken the long walk from getting up to getting to your desk, mindful writing can help you to just write—to start writing and stay focused on writing.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Write with a wild abandon.
Ok, now that you’re sitting at your desk. Now what? Just write. That’s right. Pick up the pen or open the computer and prepare to write. Take a deep breath in and practice 3-Part Breath. If you’re not familiar with this practice, you can read about it in my post “Easy Writing: 3-Part Breath for Writers.” Breathe in. Let it go. Once more, deep breath in, let it go. Because the more relaxed you feel, the more easily you’ll be able to engage the areas of the brain that are connected to creativity.
Notice the thoughts that arise—that you don’t have anything useful or original to say, that your writing is stupid, that you don’t feel like you can sit still, and whatever other thoughts arise. Try to take a step back from the thoughts to avoid becoming entangled in them. Try to objectively observe them as though you’re an objective witness to your own thoughts. Rather than reacting to them, see if you can respond to them by reminding yourself that they are just thoughts. Try to notice the thoughts with a non-judgmental attitude, meet them with friendliness, view them as the distractions that they are, and bring your attention back to the present moment, back to writing. (This all becomes so much easier once you understand the principles and practices of mindfulness meditation that serve as the foundation for this practice. See my post on “What is Mindfulness?”)
Rest your attention on any sensations, feelings, and thoughts that arise. Write what you feel or hear. Move the pen. Or move your fingers to start typing. If you hear in your thoughts, “I am writing,” then write down “I am writing.” What tends to be true for many writers is that we have an endless stream of words that will flow if we just learn to release the distracting thoughts and start listening to what really wants to be written, the story that wants to be told in this moment and the next.
When feelings of anxiety about the writing arise or thoughts arise from your inner critic, just keep sensing into what you feel or hear, and write that down. Don’t let those become distractions, just let them become the subject of your writing until the next thought or feeling comes and goes. You’ll gradually learn to see that all feelings and thoughts are like waves. They rise, swell, crest, and fall, and if you practice observing them rather than becoming entangled in them, they will pass through, and your mind will try to glob onto the next thing that arises. Try to remember that all of it is impermanent.
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