Caring For Yourself While Writing

Writing is an activity that often has writers sitting for long periods of time. These long periods of time sitting around can cause neck and back pain as well as poorer overall health. This can be avoided by standing and moving more. One way to do this is to take a scheduled break every 30 minutes to stand up and move. It doesn’t need to be intense, just taking the chance to move can help. Another thing you could try is to work at a standing desk, but that isn’t for everyone. It is also important to stretch throughout the day. Here are a few stretches you can do:

1. Neck circles

a. Tip your head towards your right shoulder and stop when you feel a stretch. Then slowly roll your head forward until your chin is touching your chest before rolling towards your left shoulder and end by rolling your head back, chin tilted towards the ceiling. If rolling your head back is uncomfortable you can tip your head into an upright position instead.

2. Shoulder stretch

a. Place a hand under your elbow and lift your elbow stretching it across your chest. Hold that position for 30 seconds before slowly relaxing and returning to your starting position. Then repeat the stretch with your other arm.

3. Standing thigh stretch

a. Stand up straight and put a hand on your desk or chair for stability. Then grab an ankle and pull it towards your butt. Hold it for 30 seconds before returning to your starting position. Repeat the stretch with your other leg.

These are only a few of the stretches you can do. If you feel tension in different places, you can probably find stretches to help with that. The most important thing is to remember to take care of yourself while you write in whatever way works best for you.