Are You Experiencing Drought Conditions
Can you imagine Sweden having forest fires? Hard to imagine but that is a reality that happened in Sweden during the month of July. You see like most of the world, Sweden has been experiencing a dry spell with extremely high temperatures and that has caused the forests to be sensitive to wildfires. Temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius are being experienced in places in Africa and people have actually died, due to the heat in Canada and Japan.
To me the concept of a forest fires in Sweden are like snow in Las Vegas. It is not something you thought you would ever hear or see. Both locations do not have the capacity to manage these types of situation. In fact, Sweden had to send an international call for help. Both Italy and Norway responded to the call.
Along with sustained conditions of high temperature comes the drying up of water sources and drought conditions occur.
Where I am currently vacationing in a part of Jamaica, Boston Bay, Portland, that is known for its rainfall we are experience the heat and dry conditions. It is widely known that rain falls daily somewhere in Portland. Not necessarily for long periods. The current conditions however, stretches right across the island and water restrictions are in place for some areas, especially in the corporate areas of Kingston, the capital.
What has this to do with Wealthy Affiliate? Well when you are staring at that blank screen and are trying to write that next post but nothing seems to materialize, you are experiencing what is commonly called “Writer’s Block.” I am sure we have all experienced this in some form or the other. It is not water, but the drying up of words. That is a form of drought.
You have done your research, gathered together the information you want to share, but the words just are not coming together. What do you do?
Well if you are like me you buy a plane ticket or jump in your car and take a trip. I carry my iPad with me, because of the length of time I will be away. When I was working however, and there were deadlines, the trips were out of the question. What I did then was to get up from my chair, go for a walk and change my environment. Most of the time that worked.
Another approach, and one that I teach to my karate students is to meditate before doing something active. Take your mind off what it is that you need to do or what problems that are bothering you, and focus in on the activity you are about to do. Then spend 30 minutes or more being active what ever your sport or activity may be, karate, racket ball, basketball, hockey.
The idea is to get your adrenaline flowing, work up a sweat, and your mind off the post that you want to write or the problem that needs to be solved. After the workout mediate again, still no focus on the post, but reflect on the activity in which you just participated. This does work, and there is actual scientific proof that it works.
If the above two do not break the block my last effort is to write down all the information that I have gathered in no particular order. Similar to Brainstorming solo. Once I have everything down I start to re-read it and see if I can make sense out of it.
Those are my solutions when I am experiencing a writing drought. I would love to hear how you deal with this common phenomenon?
Please leave a like below and if you have some other approach for solving the writer’s drought, please comment.
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Those are great ideas, I find doing something physical helps clear the mental. I also find that golden nuggets of ideas come when I’m out and about (or taking a shower!) so I’ll put them into my notes in my phone or scribble them down or repeat them out loud until I can record them for later. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing your approach to breaking writer’s block. With the smartphones and smart speakers of today, you can record ideas while on the move or working around the house.
good thoughts there Harvey hot and humid there and cold here in Sydney...lol..wish I was somewhere warm!
Thanks Gus, for the drop by. The drought final broke here we had heavy rainfall on Saturday and this morning. So the water tanks are filling again and the temperatures are livable. 30 degrees Celsius during the day and around 26 at night. I still have the winter in Canada to look forward. Have a great day.
sheesh..well enjoy the rest of the summer ...am looking forward here to summer myself..lol wishing you well
Yes ... meditation and deep breathing are very effective and resetting the mind and achieving a refreshed state. Positive affirmations are also very useful during this process to remind yourself that you are OK and Worthy etc.
Thanks Allan, for adding your approach to meditation. In the martial arts world we meditate to achieve a state of Mushin, empty mind. To not focus on any particular thought or emotion. That way the mind becomes free and adaptable. Positive affirmation comes from knowing you gave the workout your all, physical, mental and spiritual. I does not hurt when the instructor also confirms that you are on the right track. If you have time look up the Buddhist parable of taming the bull.
Thanks for your input Bellon. It is very important to try and conserve our planet, by doing some act of conservation.
A great post Harvey.
When I encountered with ' writer block' either I take a nap or go for a short walk. It's kind of clearing browser cache on a computer. LOL. The brain need a break from time to time.
Joe
Thanks Joe, both methods have proven helpful over the years, especially the walk. I like the browser cache analogy. The brain very much needs a shut down every so often..
I go out in my garden and sit for a while
This refreshes me almost instantly
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and keep on with the good work
Vicki
Thanks Vicki, change of surroundings is a good way of clearing the fog and giving the mind a rest.
Australia is a country of extremes.
The tropical north was flooded earlier this year while the center has not seen rain for two years. The Snowy Mts in the south has had the best snow for years. The south-west is having a lot of rain.
A big drought is hurting the middle eastern state and thousands of sheep and cattle are dying. Hundreds of huge trucks are sending feed thousands of miles to help out.
Thousands of farmers are on their last legs. Now huge bushfires are starting.
Thanks for the information Tom. It really is incredible what is happening around the globe. Thanks for the photo, that is a lot of hay and really demonstrates how people will pull together in a time of crisis.
People are donating millions of dollars to help the farmers on the brink of losing everything. Hundreds of kangaroos are coming out of the bush and eating the hay as well.
Lol, water and aromatherapy are two excellent ways to relax the mind and body at the same time. I usually reserve the wine or beer until after I have completed the task. Might get carried away with that part and not return to the task at hand. Thanks for sharing.
If I get writer's block during the day, I just walk away from it for a while. I focus on something else. I may not get back to writing that day. But that is OK. I give myself permission to take breaks. I am my own master! No more due dates for me!
Thanks Virginia, that is a proven approach. We are sometimes our own hardest masters when it comes to delivering post and setting time.
I love the fact that I do not have to rush this. I have a meager income right now, so I get by. I can take my time working on my dream. I love to write, so I know that I am where I am supposed to be. Writing is not a problem for me. It is the training that is tedious . But I'll get there! I'm not a quitter!
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Thank you for the inspiration, we all need it.
It is not only a motivator but also a reminder that we need to:
"Appreciate where you are in your journey even if its not where you want to be. Every season serves a purpose."
Thank you Gabriel, for your input.