Don’t Panic When Your Mind Goes Blank — Writer’s Block.
It is taking a break to gain clarity after.
I realized that my best painting or writing moments come when my mind is uncluttered. It has calm and clarity. Writing will be effortless, with words flowing like liquid gold.
But in reality, that does not happen all the time; mental fog does happen. It’s as if the brain is signaling that it needs a break — a Time Out. It’s shutting down.
When this happens, our brain is prompting that it needs breathing space to rest. It wants to distance itself from the ‘noise’ around us. It requires a time out to check its algorithm in peace.
While it does this, this precious organ starts to reorganize itself, and after a while, patterns emerge during the process.
This recalibration process helps the brain to refuel its creative juice. Your writer’s block is unblocked.(finger crossed 😊)
I learned that this happens when we go into meditation. Today, with thousands of proven meditation techniques and apps, achieving this mindful state of clarity is within our grasp.
Some of us would have tried it at least once or know someone who has tried it. According to market research, the meditation market has been growing, becoming more mainstream with potential growth of $1.2 Billion in the USA. It’s something to explore if you have not already done so.
But for those who have yet to hack medication, a simple exercise of staying still with no thoughts whatsoever is as effective.
For a few minutes — ‘DO NOTHING.’
I found and tested this simple alternative to ‘switch off’ and do nothing with no rules to follow, much more straightforward.
I follow my petite brain and let it dictate its rest time.
All you need to do; sit and not think about anything. You can do it with the lights on/off. You don’t need to count; you don’t need to sit cross legs, you don’t need to count your breath.
You might find it easier to stare into the ‘outer space’ or close/rest your eyes. There is no rule of how long you need to do it. Let your body tell you.
(Note to readers: I would recommend putting your phone to silent, though)
‘Doing nothing’ is like art itself. It does take effort and dedication to practice. Writers do have ‘busy minds.’
But this skill of ‘Doing Nothing’ is often underestimated for its benefits. I find it helpful with so much going on social media. The few minutes I switch off is precious. It helps the inner critique inside me to find some peace.
Being still and doing nothing is not new. Eckhart Tolle published the book Stillness Speaks in 2008 and summarised it perfectly — “True intelligence operates silently. Stillness is where creativity and solutions to problems are found.”
Unless you are a cyborg robot, getting a bit of brain fog is natural for writers. Perhaps it is part of the growing process. We have our own regulating techniques but if all else fails, may I suggest a cold shower? 😊
Thank you Vivienne Teh — your Haiku poem White help me write this piece.
