If Everything Feels Hard Right Now, Read This

I received an email from one of my Substack readers asking how I stay so positive amid all the doom-and-gloom publishing news. And, honestly, all the terrible world news. She has been having a hard time finding the motivation to write…and really to do anything.

Short answer: Lexapro! Let’s normalize needing medicine for mental health just like you might need first aid for physical health. But, of course, there’s more.

I have been writing this newsletter every week since September 6, 2023. I have never missed a Thursday. At this point, I’ve simply become someone who sends newsletters on Thursdays. In the same way I’m someone who goes to Orangetheory every other day. It doesn’t matter whether I’m in the mood. I open Substack and type, or I put on my workout clothes and go. Mood doesn’t get a vote. I focus on movement. And almost every time, I feel better afterward.

But I want to be clear: fighting burnout does not mean forcing yourself to produce at full speed while your mind or body is waving a white flag. Sometimes movement is writing 200 words. Sometimes it is opening the document and leaving yourself one note about what happens next. Sometimes it is taking a walk, reading a book, or going to bed absurdly early.

The trick is learning the difference between I don’t feel like it and I genuinely have nothing left.

When I’m simply resisting or throwing an internal toddler temper tantrum, I make the task smaller and begin anyway. I tell myself I only need to workout for ten minutes. I only need to read five pages. I just need to start.

When I’m truly depleted, I don’t let myself believe that scrolling on my phone for three hours counts as rest. I try to do something that actually returns something to me: sleep, a walk outside, ice cream, M&Ms, ice cream and M&Ms, silence.

I also try not to consume unlimited bad news and act surprised when my brain feels like a haunted house or a soggy waffle. You’re allowed to stay informed without giving every terrible thing in the world permanent office space inside your head.

And when publishing news makes editing feel pointless, I return to the smallest possible truth: I like books. I like stories. I like making sentences better. The industry can be chaotic, discouraging, unfair, and occasionally on fire, but none of that gets to take away the part of this I actually love.

You do not have to feel wildly inspired. You do not even need to feel particularly positive.

You just need to find the next small movement. Open the document. Write the bad sentence. Take the walk. Rest when you are tired.

Then begin again.

Warmly,

P.S. This newsletter is a true labor of love. I write it in the cracks of my daily life with two high need kids, one high need dog, and all of the paid work I do for my clients, making sure I am 100% present and ready for all of the beautiful words they trust me with. I couldn’t do this without the support of my paid subscribers. If you’re enjoying my newsletters and they’re helping you feel less alone, please consider upgrading. I record an exclusive weekly voice memo for my paid subscribers along with other fun perks. But the most important thing is that you’re making this newsletter possible for everyone, including me.