How I take care of my body as a writer
The vessel deserves some love.
You’re reading Soft Hobbies, a weekly newsletter for creative people with perfectionist tendencies. I’m Auzin, a Seattle-based writer in the fiction, poetry, and tech writing spheres. To see more of my work, go here for my author website or here for my socials. You can help others discover Soft Hobbies by hitting the heart button on this post or forwarding this email to a friend :)
Hi softies,
Welcome back to Soft Hobbies! And if you’re new here, thank you for joining us! It means the world to me that you’re welcoming my words into your inbox. I took an unplanned 2-month break from posting, but I’m glad to be back and I’m grateful to you for signing up for this newsletter.1
Writers are not generally known for their athleticism, perfect posture, or healthy eating/sleeping habits. It’s sedentary work that often requires your body to remain motionless while your mind does all the (metaphorical) heavy lifting and running around. After a few hours of focused writing, you might feel so tired that it feels like you did work out, and physically moving your body becomes an afterthought or an extra chore. This happens to me all the time. It’s incredibly easy to not move your body.
My full-time job as a writer and all my favorite hobbies (reading, painting, playing videogames, watching movies) are sedentary, so I know how hard it is to bring movement into your life when you don’t enjoy it as much as you enjoy…anything else, lol. But in the past year, I’ve been actively cultivating a stronger, more positive relationship with movement.
I’m 30 now and my body has needs, pains, and triggers that very clearly make themselves known. Dealing with them can feel overwhelming, but this is how I’m mentally reframing the work: My body is where I live. It’s my forever-home and the only way I have to experience life on Earth. I already know how to take care of my mind — isn’t it time to take care of the place where it resides? Isn’t that relationship worth nourishing?
So, this is how I make that home a happier place to live in. Please note that “wellness advice” is never universal because everyone’s experience of being in their body and taking care of their body is so unique. Do the work to find what works for you. Also, obviously, I’m not a doctor or a health professional of any kind. This is just what I do, and I’m offering it to you in hopes it might be helpful.
What gets consumed
My diet has changed a lot this year, but it will look different from yours because it is mine. I don’t want to discuss my dietary restrictions or requirements in detail online because I believe that the obsession with “what I eat in a day” content is overwhelmingly harmful to the viewer and can lead to feelings of shame and inferiority. I don’t want to support disordered eating with my writing, and it’s generally pointless for one human being to compare their diet to another’s since everyone has different needs and circumstances.
With that being said, these are some ways I support my well-being with food:
I take my supplements every day, consistently. My supplement routine is based on my naturopath’s recommendations, blood tests, and my own trial and error.
I don’t drink caffeine, and I only drink alcohol on a handful of special occasions, amounting to less than five times a year. I’m obviously not telling anyone what to do, but I’m really happy with how this choice has impacted my mental and physical health.
I eat at least one serving of something green from the earth per day (but preferably 2-4 times per day).
I don’t skip dessert after dinner unless I have absolutely no sugar cravings. Some days, the thought of dessert is what keeps me going, and I’m not going to deny myself that.
Befriending movement
I’m a writer for both my full-time remote job and my creative fulfillment. This can take a toll on my body in the form of stiffness, poor posture habits, and low energy. Taking care of my body is a privilege that I take for granted way too often. It’s also a responsibility that I want to keep doing for as long as I live. A lot of the stuff in this post might be common sense to you! But when it comes to caring about my health, I’m baby :)
Here’s what I do for exercise:
10-20 minutes of yoga per day, targeting any specific areas of my body that feel tight. Yoga helps with body awareness and connection, and I feel lost if I don’t make time for it. I usually follow a YouTube video from Yoga With Bird, Nansera Wellness, Yoga with Joelle, yoginimelbourne, or the Nike Training App (free and worth it). There are a million different styles of yoga/breathwork and I’m always trying random new videos to keep it exciting.
I got a membership to the closest gym to my house and persuaded my boyfriend to become my gym buddy. We can even walk to the gym if the weather’s nice! I don’t make it in as often as I’d like, but the monthly $40 drain is as good a motivating factor as anything.
Dance class 2-3 times per week has been revolutionary for my mental and physical health. With zero dance background, I’ve seen major improvement in the last 10 months and made several friends. I go to a wonderful studio in Seattle for lessons, and I’m also trying to make dance night with friends a monthly ritual. It’s the most fun form of exercise, in my opinion!
A walk around the neighborhood before work or after lunch. It takes about 25min and always lifts my mood.
Trying to reach over 5k steps each day. I can usually accomplish this with a walk around the neighborhood plus dance class. I use my phone’s Health app to track this.
Using my standing desk in the standing position for at least 45min per workday. I can’t emphasize enough how helpful an ergonomically aligned desk setup is. You can look up proper alignment and how to get there, and I would invest in a desk that moves up and down before you invest in a better chair. Getting your desk setup right is so important if you’re a writer or a remote worker, so don’t let it slide <3 your spine will love you!!!
Other self-care practices
We’re almost at the end. Thanks for sticking with me!
Scheduling it all. Everything I’ve talked about so far? It needs to go in my phone calendar until it becomes enough of a habit that I remember to do it automatically. I also just started using a monthly habit tracker wheel that I customize on Canva and print out. Check box, get dopamine!
Getting a massage when my budget allows. This ends up being every two months at most. It feels like a luxury, and it is, but it also helps my back and shoulders feel closer to normal. I do NOT like getting beat up on the massage table, so am thrilled to have finally found a practitioner that offers light pressure.
A consistent skincare routine. It’s this, in case you want to watch a 20-minute video of me talking about skincare products.
Body neutrality, not body positivity. I believe that our bodies are vessels that allow us (our minds, spirits, souls, whatever) to experience life as we know it. No matter what they look like or feel like or their level of ability, they contain us and are therefore precious. I don’t have to think my body is beautiful in order to appreciate everything it does for me. Here’s some more info on body neutrality. I’m good at practicing it on some days, not so good on other days.
Cycle syncing and learning more about the menstrual cycle. I’ve been using a period tracker for years, but recently switched to Stardust because it’s basically the only one that isn’t owned by men who sell your biodata. Stardust is also cute because it shows you the current phase of the moon, and tells you what kinds of food/movement might work best for you at different points of your cycle.2 I’m at the beginning of my journey of better understanding my cycle and balancing my hormones (I want to improve my mood during my luteal phase, which tends to be particularly vicious for me), so if you have any advice or reading recommendations, send them my way!
Reducing stress and overwhelm by saying no to things, especially when my body is struggling. Treating your body well and connecting to it is very difficult under any circumstance of life. Nobody will do this work for you, and only your closest loved ones will see how hard you’re working. You need time to adjust to changes and see if they’re working for you, and only you can make the final decision about if something is sustainable and nourishing to your body.
I truly hope this looong post was helpful — please let me know! I would love to know how you take care of your precious body that helps you live your one wild and precious life. I’m thrilled to be writing to you again. Your encouragement and engagement with my work keeps me going. See you soon!
Softly yours,
Auzin
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Unfortunately, I hate the style of copywriting that Stardust uses. Life is full of sacrifices.
I completely agree about dance classes!! I have been consistently going to at least one a week for the past year and also try to squeeze in dancing at home where I can. It's one of my favourite things ever, so grateful to have it as a regular practice in my life :)
I love a good stroll around the neighborhood, it really just clears the mind. And also gives your eyes a break🥳