3am Today

As a now full time writer, there are times where the light bulb is there, but for some reason unbeknownst to us, there are no subjects, words and sometimes, just a blank void that prevents us from being able to dig up subject for us to write about.

Sure, there are the ten’s of thousands of news articles that we see daily. The TV’s relentless machine churning out as much drama as one would be able to stomach for a lifetime in a mere matter of minutes. But for a writer, our goal is more than the lambasted, plethora of world events.

A writer falls into a unique spear all of their own with one question in mind. “How do I engage with my readers? What are some things that you, the reader would want to read about.”

As I ask myself this, like most all writers, I sometimes come up with a blank stare on my face.

So, as one would expect, I came up with the idea to write about what to write about at a time when I have no idea what to write about.

But what causes this lapse of the brain that enables us to come up with ideas of what the write about. The term “writers block” is often used among the writing community. You’ll hear it from anyone that writes, either as a profession or a hobbyist such as myself.

Doing a quick Google search for “what to write about” came up with – as one would expect – a million suggestions of what to write about, but none of them touch on the subject of what causes our brain to have this “brain fart.”

Webster’s dictionary defines writer’s block as “a psychological inhibition preventing a writer from proceeding with a piece.”

Open Colleges states perfectionism as the reason – “One of the most common blocks for writers and creatives of all walks is perfectionism. It’s normal to want to do our very best, to get everything just right before we even start our first sentence. Most people use perfectionism as a protection mechanism, to protect themselves from harsh critique or failure. Unfortunately, trying to write the perfect sentence, paragraph, or novel will lead most writers to never write a single word.”

While I do agree whole hardheartedly with both, I have to wonder, is there something more to it. Possibly a chemistry imbalance? Life, work, stresses of the job, traffic nightmares, the kids tearing up the house while you were at work? We all know that most of the global population has some kind of chemistry imbalance due to our eating habits that are the likes of a hobo eating out of a dumpster. The quick snack at the office, on the way to or from the office, in the middle of the night. You must admit to yourselves, you have done it. We all have.

With that, we turn to Brain Forest, who state:

“Your neural pathways and associations influence and decide which neurochemicals, and at what “strength” pass through the synapse. It’s important to understand that your neurochemistry is determined by your neural pathways and associations, not the other way around.”

“Maintaining a balance in these brain chemicals and hormones is key to feeling a balanced mood. You can help maintain this health to some extent through a balanced diet, limited stress, and exercise. Here are some things to focus on before automatically turning to medication and pills:

• Exercise more often. When you have anxiety or depression, exercise may not be high on your priority list, but research shows that it can make a big impact on mood by stimulating and/or balancing numerous chemicals and neurotransmitters in the body.

• Consume more omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential fats, which means your body (particularly your brain) needs them to function normally, but the body can’t make them.

• Make sure you’re not vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D is necessary for a variety of body functions including calcium absorption, healthy immune response and normal mood fluctuations. In fact, vitamin D is much more hormone-like in its actions than any other vitamin and a lack of it has been linked to depression as well as other mental disorders.
• Eat your veggies. If you are feeling depressed or anxious and realize that your thoughts and behaviors are not healthy, then consider plant-based therapy to help balance your brain chemistry.

By now, you are wondering if you are sitting before your family doctor who is giving you the normal lecture that you hear every time it comes to pay a visit and not to sound like a doctor, as I am not, it is a perfect example as to why we have that brain fart or a lapse of being able to think about something to write about.