Trust Your Gut to Get Out of Writer’s Block

By Lynda Maschek

I could fill a book with everything I do NOT know about writing. Methodology, creative license, and how to create compelling characters are all concepts I have yet to learn. 

There is one thing I DO know about writing: The dreaded Writer’s Block. I get writer’s block just writing a note to my paper boy. I have theories, though, on how to bust out of this depressing trough. We can take positive action to break through instead of wallowing and waiting, and waiting, and waiting, for the next best idea, phrase or plot twist to magically appear.

The Ancients believed that our belly was our brain, where all thinking and guidance came from, hence the term “gut instinct.” In my experience, the solution to writer’s block does lie within our gut. Here are a few strategies that effectively mobilize this belly-brain connection:

1.      Physically activating abdominal muscles, will increase overall blood flow and circulation throughout the body, thereby sending additional oxygen to the brain. Oxygen to the brain increases mental acuity and alertness. If you are not ready to throw yourself on the floor and cop some crunches for your literary art, then stay in your chair and perform what is known as, isometric ab crunches. Do this by sitting up straight and focusing on the action of inwardly pulling the belly button to the spine, and then releasing. Pull the belly button in again, and release.  Do this about 20x. Or 200x.  Your brain will thank you.
 2.      Keep a strong core. In yoga philosophy, the belly region is regarded as the Driver, the Motivator, the “get-up-get-going-I-can-do-anything,” region of the body. The navel area is what drives us forward when we know we are on the right track and supplies the instinct we need to rethink or back off our set agenda. When our abdominal area is strong, we feel strong and in control with super confidence. If our core is under-active or under-used, we may become passive and indecisive about what should be the flow and direction of our writing.
 3.      Feed your gut with nutrients that will support your brain’s performance. Increasing foods that are rich in probiotics will enhance the quality and quantity of gut micro-biomes, (the good bacterium in our digestive tract,) which are essential for boosting brain power and mental endurance. An optimal diet, loaded with fruits and vegetables, has been shown to influence mental acuity as well as mental health. Improving the quality of our diet may reduce the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression that can be associated to the frustration of writer’s block.
 

So Buckle-Up Buckaroos, because the unbridled awesomeness of your literary talent lies just behind your belt. Writers, authors and novelists who make an effort to tighten their core muscles and spend some time in the produce section at the grocer, will be the first horses out of the gates of Writers Block Hell. Bet on it.