Member-only story
For years, I loved writing, but I never saw it as more than a hobby. I wrote articles on LinkedIn, I was a freelancer for the Boston Globe, and I was eternally working on my second novel. Of course, in my day job as a political science/law student and then lawyer, I had to churn out less creative products too.
Once I decided I had to be serious if it were going to become a career, I realized I was burning out. I couldn’t work forty hour weeks, take care of my dog and the house, and find time to write. It was exhausting, I was unhappy, and I got frustrated often.
So I turned to meditation, something my mother had been begging me to try for years. And it changed not only my outlook, but my ability to write and write well.
If you’re just starting out, I recommend the same app a coworker suggested to me: Smiling Mind. (I’m not affiliated with them in any way.) There is a Mindfulness Foundation Guide that has a series of practice meditations to introduce you to mindfulness and learn how to focus your body, breath, and emotions. There are no detours into spirituality or inspiration from the no-nonsense Australian coach. The lessons you take away are all up to you.
