I’ve heard people say that their mind is constipated when they’re having the infamous writer’s block.
The tightness, the discomfort, the clogging together of everything you ingest … it isn’t pleasant.
You’re in a foul mood. Colleagues give unasked-for advice. You can’t focus. And all in all it’s just grumpiness galore.
You try to alleviate it by drinking lots of water, getting some fresh air, distracting yourself by watching TV, having mindless conversations with coworkers, browsing the Net.
Browsing is dangerous, though, ‘coz then you start looking for solutions, reading forum replies, self-help threads, and instead of getting any workable ideas, all you end up doing is getting frustrated.
And stress never helped ease constipation — of the stomach or the mind — for anyone.
Only makes you want to explode even more.
Just somehow pull the plug on the dam and let everything flow.
Like a lava burst.
Fiery, smelly, a turgid mass of things you picked up in the course of the last 48 hours.
Not like an easy vomit where everything spills out all at once.
This discharge is more controlled.
But first, to get over that stress. Here’s what you can do.
Lock yourself in a tiny room. Preferably 5 by 8 foot.
Turn on the exhaust — adds the kind of white noise that’ll help you focus.
Sit.
Don’t think of anything.
Just chill.
Take your time.
It won’t happen until you really focus on relaxing.
Deep breath in.
Exhale.
You can now feel everything bound tightly, coagulating, coarse, and unrefined.
Let it go.
Feel it churning and moving.
Deep breath in.
And then, without any notice, “Boom!”
The first loud explosion followed by a series of smaller outbursts.
Each micro-event bringing spates of relief.
It feels so natural.
The hurdle is overcome. The block dissolved. The muscles relaxed.
You feel renewed.
And you have wonderful prose spilling all over your computer screen in no time.
Aah! Time to celebrate.
A fiber-rich apple, anyone?
This has been another one of those Pleasantly Disturbed Thursdays posts — a blog carnival started by Duane Scott and adopted in earnest by yours truly. You can read some other pleasantly disturbed posts for this week, here.
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Wonderful prose will spill out on my machine? Promise?
Pinky promise. You”ve got to do it right, though
Don’t worry,just take a break for some time -a week, a month, a year & all constipation will be gone.
Heh. Good advice, S.R.
Hmmm. Now I want a bran muffin.
Why is it always about food? Oh, I see how that works in the case of mental constipation … ”food for thought.”
Thanks for that gentle laxitive.
You’re welcome, Jerry. Hope it eased the blockage
Hmmm.
So if it doesn’t work, I’m not doing it right?
My problem isn’t so much writer’s block (though it sometimes is), but just mustering up the energy to actually sit down and write something.
But when I am suffering from writer’s block, I do surf the Net, but it’s more just to see if there’s anything interesting out there for me to talk about. Generally, there is.
But I also want that pinky promise of beautiful prose spilling all over the computer screen.
Especially because, even on my best days, *that* doesn’t happen. LOL
Of course! It’s (always) all your fault, Dave