The Lightbearer’s Guide to Self-Care When Writing Your First Book

Ever since I was small, I’ve been writing stories and binding books.

My first stories were penned during grade school, and are nestled into my orange Mead 5-subject spiral notebook and white typing paper pad, in my best penmanship.

In high school, I became editor of the school newspaper.

When I found my love for music straight out of undergrad, aside from slam dancing at my favorite club, I wrote an underground ‘zine (independently published magazine), called Bamboo Girl, for 10 years.

So, yeah. Writing. It often saved the day, and kept me out of jail (because it helped me channel my emotions in healthy ways).

But, I’ve always wanted to write a book.

When Callisto Media reached out to me to help them create a beginner’s book on chakras, my ears perked up. Color me intrigued!

They happen to have an uncanny ability to anticipate health trends, and chakra healing seems to be coming up on the radar, so they wanted to hop on the topic quickly.

The Pros: OMG OMG a book, and on a subject I love, no less!

The Cons: deadline for the book content is in 5 weeks

The part of me that likes to play small thought it laughable that I even wanted to attempt writing my first book, ever, and also see my patients in my private practice at the same time.

The higher version of myself thought, “Finally. My time has come. You can do this.”

And, in the end, I did do it!

I made every writing milestone, completed the meat of the book in 5 weeks, and saw my regular flow of patients every week! In addition, my self-care game was on point and I never got sick. Not even once!

That’s because after I had my initial pseudo-meltdown about how I could not possibly meet this deadline, I put on my big girl panties and got real about what I needed to do to meet my self-care needs during this time.

Those of use who are lightbearers tend to be highly sensitive, and some of us are empaths.

So, how does a lightbearer honor their love and light nature, but get shit done? (By the way, each isn’t exclusive of the other, but even I believed that same illusion for about a split second.)

In this article, I’m going to share with you what worked for me. 

The Lightbearer’s Guide to Self-Care When Writing Your First Book

1. Get clear on the reason why writing this book is important to you. Is it just to have your name in print? Is it to reach more people you may not otherwise reach? Is it to educate, create dialogue, or improve the reader’s life? Or, does it simply need to be birthed, like a channeling from your Divine Oneness? Whatever it is, get clear on your “why”. It will help lift you up if you ever fall into a rut and wonder what the hell you’re doing, especially if you ever make the mistake of contemplating the meaning of life in the middle of your book writing process!
2. Give your loved ones a heads up. Our partners, family members, and loved ones we may live with may temporarily claim similarity between yourself and Medusa, Queen of the Gorgons, during this time (and, I’m not talking about her more empowering attributes!) But, even so, you can assuage their fears and ease the transition between Regular Lightbearer You and Writer Lightbearer You by simply giving them a heads up about how long you’ll be writing, what you’re writing about, what it means to you, what kind of support you’ll be needing during this time, and also figure out how to keep things open and loving in the writing process. This is especially true if you have “Cuddles” as a self-care requirement during this time! (Think I’m joking about that? Do read on!)
3. Give yourself a deadline to work with so you have a timeframe to expect. Because if you don’t, you will feel like you are writing into eternity. Although I have some writer friends who successfully embrace the latter technique very easily, giving yourself structure around the writing will not only create a container for yourself to mindfully fill with your writing, but it will also give you parameters and healthy boundaries so that you know what to expect in the coming weeks and months, feel more accomplished and focused about what you’re creating, and can more easily get into a writing groove. In addition, the deadline reminds you that you are not removed from the rest of your life, which can be oddly comforting.
4. Create a kickass writing schedule that includes forms of self-care. This is actually my #1 secret on how to practice self-care while writing your first book. Because I personally had to meet a strict deadline, but also wanted to see my patients during the week, I had to plot out my weekly schedule, because time would be a precious commodity during this process. Find out what are absolute necessities of self-care for you (sleep? downtime? good meals? physical activity?), and include time for them in your schedule. Choose a specific hour to begin your morning and a specific hour to end your evening, and make sure to honor your particular body clock. In full transparency, even though I included morning writing hours in my schedule, I ended up doing the majority of my writing in the evening, due to my body’s preference for bursting forth with muse creativity at night. In the end, make sure you listen to how your body does things, instead of what you feel your body is supposed to do. In addition, make sure that you have downtime for fun. I’m being serious here. You’ll thank me later! For me, carving out downtime amidst a busy writing schedule was a non-negotiable. I made a slot for all of the following in my writing schedule: sleep/rest, meditation, meals, responding to emails, self-care in various forms (including weekly massages to ease my traps, priceless!), cuddles (yes, that was a requirement for me), therapy, and slots for downtime to do whatever I wanted. After you create the writing schedule, follow it!
5. Cultivate practices to keep your mind clear. For some, a simple walk around the block works to clear the head and get you back to your book with fresh eyes. For me, going into deep meditation upon waking, as I regularly do, did the trick. It set the tone, helped me connect with the specific Goddesses and Angels I work with, as well as the special ones I was connecting with while I wrote the book. In my case, I connected a lot with Egyptian Goddess Seshat, goddess of writing, knowledge, wisdom, the keeper of records and libraries (including the Akashic Records), as well as Queen Cobra, an ally who helped remind me of my wisdom. Recalibrating my system, and giving myself time to download whatever wisdom I needed during meditation, greatly helped my writing process.
6. Eat the foods that support you. As a person who is gluten-free and dairy-free, I am always aware of what I’m ingesting. Keeping your body clear of anything that can clog you up, physically, emotionally, and energetically becomes extra important when you’re writing a book, simply because it is too easy to grab whatever is closest to you and call it dinner. The remedy for that is to make plans of how you want to eat, and to have time for grocery runs to get the kinds of foods that are clean, non-GMO, organic, locally sourced, in season, and works with any sensitivities or allergies you may have. You might ask the help of your partner or loved one to help you out with meals or grocery runs. And, if you’re unable to get to the grocery to get the items you want, plan to find trusted places you can order delivery from so that you can still honor whatever dietary needs you need to follow to keep your head clear. For some people, gluten is inflammatory and can clog up systems (particularly with digestion), and can give headaches. Sugar is highly inflammatory, so keeping it on the low end is helpful. Dairy creates phlegm in Chinese Medicine, and can quickly “clog up” your system physically and energetically, which can make you feel slower and less productive. Also, drinks lots of water. All of these above suggestions of clean eating, and drinking lots of water is not only good for you, but it helps you radiate at a higher vibration more consistently. And, when you radiate at a higher vibration more often, it is easier to attract all that you want to manifest in your life.
7. Surround yourself with crystal allies to help you stay focused and creative. Granted, my desktop computer is laden with crystals, and is right next to my home altar, so I am a lucky gal to be bathed in high vibrational stone love whenever I’m writing, researching, or responding to emails. During my writing at my desktop, I stimulated the creative flow of my Sacral Plexus Chakra with my Amber skull. I had a lot of grounding stones around me like Petrified Wood, Red Jasper, and Black Tourmaline (the latter of which also helps negate electromagnetic frequencies from my computer), and stones that helped me tap into my Inner Wisdom and magic, such as Amethyst, Labradorite, Pyrite, and Malachite. Whichever crystal allies you’re drawn to, choose those. (To find out more about how to use crystals, check out my post, “Crystal Work: How To Use Your Crystals“.)
8. Allow yourself guilty pleasures once and a while. Look, you’re busting your buns writing this hopefully life-changing book, the least you can do is enjoy it! While you honor your physical and energy bodies with high vibrational eating, such as what was suggested, above, it is also important to enjoy snacks that are satisfying when you need them! So Delicious Cashew Milk Non-Dairy Frozen Desert in Salted Caramel Cluster. That is all. It honored my occasional gluten-free dairy-free cravings, while sending me to another level of yumminess. If you add in watching crappy Lifetime movies while chowing down said frozen dessert, during scheduled downtime, you may lose your feminist card, but you’ve gained greater knowledge of exactly what you do not want to manifest in your life. Win win! I also loved snacking on gluten-free oatmeal single servings which I doubled up in my mermaid mug and enjoyed profusely.
9. You may be the author, but it takes a village. Even if it is your words that are mostly gracing the pages of your brand-spankin’ new book, it took a team to help you publish it. There are contributors, editors, proofreaders, designers, publishers, marketing folks, and many others who help make your book become a reality. If this point alone doesn’t help you realize how our connectedness with others is sacred and helps elevate us all, I don’t know what will!
10. Be at peace that you tried your best. Telling a writer to be at peace with what they’ve written is like asking for the Second Coming. You’d have better luck getting blood out of a stone. But, nurture the peace nonetheless. All the worries that are bogging you down about the syntax, accuracy, if things were researched enough, etc. Give them up to the Universe, and ask Great Spirit to transform and transmute those fears into a productive energy for all to benefit from. Because, yes, you’ve researched it enough, you’ve checked it over thoroughly with a fine-tooth comb, and even if there is still a mistake, you will live.
11. Understand that the writing process will trigger some deep shit within. Writing a book, especially your first one, is not an easy task, even if becoming an author is something you’ve always aspired to. If you consider yourself human, you may, out of the blue, suddenly question your expertise in the subject at hand. You may have been feeling safe in the discomfort of your small shell pre-book, but are now being called to come out of it, radiate, and be visible, which can be a big step for some. It certainly was for me. And, all kinds of issues around worth, creative expression, and self-love may bubble up to the surface, too. But, the good news? Eventually, you come to own that, yes, you did create this moment in your life. Yes, you do want to be more visible, you are worthy of sharing your work and knowledge, and that you love yourself enough to give yourself this gift of connectedness with others. And, that, yes, it is safe to be so, even if you find that others may take issue with whatever viewpoint(s) you present in your book. Remember that you are radiant, and are meant to share your knowledge with the world (and Universe) in this lifetime.

If you’ve already written your first book, what is your top self-care recommendation during writing?
I’d love to hear about it in the comments, below!

With much love,

P.S. Did you know that you can find me on social media? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube!

 

MY FIRST BOOK EVER! – LAUNCH ON VALENTINE’S DAY (PRE-ORDER INFO, BELOW)

My first-ever book, A Beginner’s Guide to Self-Healing Techniques that Balance the Chakras, will be hot off the presses on Valentine’s Day, 2/14/2017, and is already available for pre-order on Amazon here!

In this book, I share some of the knowledge that I’ve only been sharing with my patients in my private practice here in New York City. Meant to be a primer book on chakra healing, chakra newbies can enjoy learning about the chakras in a clear way from a Reiki Master/Teacher who’s been practicing Reiki for 12 years, and those with advanced knowledge can use this book as a refresher or reference.

I am incredibly grateful that I get to share this book with you! It has truly been a work of love. <3

Pre-order my book on Amazon >> here <<, and if you’d like to leave a review of the book, email me to find out how to get your digital copy when the book launches!

 

 

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