How to make mental adjustments in a crisis to keep writing

As I write this, all the things I need to do today before hitting the road are battling for my focus. 

We're entering week 2 of my cousin’s radiation treatments. Last week, she and I stayed at the marvelous Hope Lodge hospitality house, and we’re headed there again this evening.

This season of caregiving for my cousin during her cancer journey (which we entered in August 2023), has me thinking about the many times in my writing life that I needed to make mental adjustments to keep my creativity flowing during short and long-term crises. 

Those events can take me into disruptive (and exhausting) places like hospital rooms, living in a hotel for three weeks, and being behind the wheel for long hours.

I’m sure you’ve faced similar challenges, so I wanted to take a minute before I leave today and write out some tips that help keep me sane and productive (and hopefully, patient and loving) during the harder seasons of life:

—Take time for quiet. When I’m caregiving, it’s for more than the person in crisis. It’s for my fellow caregivers who are focused on intense aspects like talking to the doctor and dealing with insurance (my mama usually takes on this role). 

My brain never stops as I think about what we should get to eat, what time we need to leave the hotel to reach an appointment, and who needs laundry washed? I’m on the phone with other family members and conveying the latest news, making calls for lodging arrangements, and tracking friends back home who are taking care of our animals while we're gone. 

Sometimes, I need quiet to regroup. And not just being by myself for a minute, but a time of no music, no podcasts, no audiobooks. Just quiet prayer, and hopefully, sitting outside and hearing the sounds of nature. (Although I’m usually most successful with taking a long, hot shower.) 

I think about my writing projects during this time and resolve issues that had me blocked amidst the needs around me.

—Be alone. While the above time is especially for prayer and contemplation, I also try to fit in some alone time with things that refresh me. Music in my earbuds, resting with my eyes closed. I may need to sit in the car for an extra minute to finish listening to a special song. 

I also try to take walks often, even if it’s just to the big windows in the hospital waiting room while listening to a novel on audiobook. It gives my brain a break to live in another world for a stretch of time.

—Eat healthy. This is a hard one! When you’re away from home and possibly in a new area, it’s hard to stay on track with healthy eating. Time constraints usually play into this and sometimes, all you have is the hospital cafeteria. 

Still, I make it a priority to ensure those around me are eating well. Yes, it’s a stressful time, but will that slice of chocolate cake really help me love others better? Will it fuel my brain and my body to stay on track with my work and writing? 

Okay, yes, we do splurge some when we’re in a rough situation. It’s a battle. But I tell myself it’s one I must win.

—Stick to your routines. Having a solid morning routine prior to this latest caregiving season was a game-changer for me. I don’t have to stumble out of bed and wonder what to do with myself first. 

Or worse, procrastinate even getting out of bed as I scroll through my phone, wasting precious minutes only to get up in a rush of confusion and anxiety when I realize what I need to do before leaving for the hospital. 

Again, I'm not perfect in this, but when I stick to my morning routine (brush my teeth, read my Bible, do morning pages, spend 5 minutes in stretches), it gives the whole day a sense of normalcy. 

That’s one reason I was able to focus on publishing my fifth novel from a hospital room.

—Take it easy on yourself. I had to do this last week while staying at Hope Lodge for the first time. It’s unlike any place I’ve stayed before, a mix of hotel, hospitality house, and support center. It’s just me and my cousin there, figuring out the glorious kitchen areas, what we’ll do in the evenings, and interacting with other patients and caregivers in the dining area.

I went into last week knowing it would be a tough mental adjustment, so I decided ahead of time to give myself grace. 

Yes, I had a bunch of writing work to do, but I wasn’t going to pack my days beyond realistic. I had to give myself time to adjust. 

And I did. 

It still wasn’t an easy week, but it was easier because I made the decision ahead of time to allow myself time to mentally adjust to the unique surroundings. 

Give yourself that time to adjust during a crisis. Don’t freak out about the writing you’d planned to do. Don’t try to force the adjustments all at once. Relax. Ease into the moments of inspiration as you can.

Speaking of which…

—Do something that inspires you. That’s key for me once the initial crisis has passed. 

When the dust begins to settle but the tension is still high, do a little something that inspires you. Read a novel (rereading one of your favorites is sometimes easier to do than tackling a new story). Or draw a beach scene using a YouTube tutorial.

You can also do writing sprints. That’s something I was able to do with a friend who was in the emergency room with her mom’s broken shoulder. We co-wrote while she sat in the room with her mom for hours, awaiting release. 

Don’t worry about working on your main manuscript. Go to something easy or that you’ve been excited to write. Have fun with it! Enter that fictional world where beeping monitors and uncertainty disappear for a time. 

Creative refreshment always helps me come back into the moment more ready to handle the mental and emotional strains.

—Earmark what you can come back to later. When a crisis hits, I immediately begin analyzing what I can put off until later. Sometimes this isn’t possible (I taught my Dictation Bootcamp for Authors from a hotel room), and that’s okay. I let people know what I’ve got going, then get into the zone of whatever I’m teaching (or writing). 

There are some things you can come back to, though.

For me, if I have an online conference or summit to attend, I save the material to review at a later date. Or at least make sure I download all the free materials before they disappear, and put them in a place I can refer to later.

For many summits, they give you the option to purchase a paid pass so you can come back to the content later. If you do that, be sure to mark a slot on your calendar so you remember to return to the sessions when you have a chance.

I hope these tips are helpful to you if you are writing in the midst of a short or long-term crisis.