Mental Health Break (AKA Going On Hiatus)
Since January 2023, I’ve been an out and proud queer neurodivergent mental health advocate. Having experienced multiple rock bottoms in the past 21 months, like the characters I so joyfully write and read about, I know how important self-care is for my fellow neurospicy friends. Yet, making the time to take my own mental health break can seem unearned.
Johns Hopkins University extolled the impact this can have in the long term: “When employees are struggling with poor mental health, it can lead to reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, and high staff turnover rates.”
I tell my mom constantly that it’s great being my own boss. The problem comes when I realize I’m also my only employee. Being a full-time entrepreneur is not for everyone, that’s for sure, especially a solopreneur.
If I don’t get the to-do list done, nobody else is going to do it. At the same time, it feels like that to-do list gets longer every day. The strain on my neurodivergences gets heavier along with it. Mental health breaks give me a chance to reset, outside and in.
Just over a month after being laid off, I penned a LinkedIn article on the importance of being empathetic to those who may be struggling with their mental health. I’ve written multiple blog posts on how mental health plays into how I write my characters’ own inner struggles here and here.
I owe myself this mental health break. In fact, I deserve it. Though I don’t owe anyone an explanation, I will offer just a couple on why my blog will be on hiatus for the rest of October as well as all of November.
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash
Mental Health Break for Professional Development
I haven’t read a craft principle–specific book since the end of June. I barely started the Club Ed Freelancer’s Editing Mystery/Thriller/Suspense self-paced course. The instructor-led Editing for World-building and Setting starts in a month. Those three factors alone mean I need a lengthy hiatus.
I take pride in staying on top of my craft. Most of the sources for my blogs, though, have come from websites like Jane Friedman and Writer’s Digest. There’s nothing wrong with that. I know when to say I don’t know it all. Yet, this mental health break will allow me to start making a dent in my own craft book library again.
Falling in Love with Writing Again
Between July 1 and October 3, I wrote 44,949 words over the course of 37 blogs. My WIP saw 6,460 words added to its Scrivener file. In essence, over a three-month period, I authored just over 51,000 words.
I speak often with my edibuddies about my manuscript. I share snippets with them for their opinions and objective critiques. Not having more than a couple thousand words to share over ninety days means a mental health break is required. I miss my characters. They disappeared into the abyss for so long, I know it will take major dedication to tempt them out of hiding.
Spiritual Development Hiatus
Photo by Oluremi Adebayo on Unsplash
This past week, I added deep-breathing exercises to my morning routine. I’m up to 10 minutes at a time.
As a Hellenic atheistic pagan, most of those sessions center on calling in Athena’s energy.
As the Greek goddess of wisdom, war, and the crafts, being in tune with Athena means I start strategizing what the rest of Q4 will look like. Simultaneously, I plot how to put those strategies into action. In making this connection with the concepts Athena taught, I can prioritize my mental health better.
Photo by Helena Lopes on Pexels
See You When I See You
As I wrote above, I speak often of self-care. Neurodivergent individuals sometimes have a hard time knowing when to put our needs first. A mental health break can seem wasteful in this capitalistic hellscape we all inhabit. Yet Dr. Ann Teng at New York United Health Services argues,
Prioritizing our mental health is of utmost importance. It shapes how we engage with the world – our community, family, and work. We can only be present for others when we are able to care for ourselves.
I can only get through my to-do lists when I prioritize myself. So, I’ll follow my own advice and give myself a break that’s about two months overdue. Take care of yourself, too. See you in December. Possibly.
Reflecting On Your Story One Word At A Time!
