HOW TO OVERCOME THE PERFECTIONISM, PROCRASTINATION & FATIGUE THAT GET IN THE WAY OF YOUR WRITING

PhD Candidate, History

Creator of Dissertators United Writing Boot CampsAshley Sanders

(Writing Scared)

What we’re talking about today…

What is writing anxiety? Common Effects

How it feels Common Causes

Why do we experience it? What do we do about it? Q&A

C. Jorge Cham 7/23/2014http://phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1733 Accessed: 27 September 2014

Can you identify with the following?

C. Jorge Cham 7/23/2014. http://phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1733 Accessed: 27 September 2014

Experienced a writing block? Procrastinated on a writing project? Had to clean the house, repaint your room, [insert

any other stalling tactic] before you could start writing?

Felt terror grip your heart when submitting writing to a professor or a colleague?

Worried that you wouldn’t be able to organize your ideas coherently?

Felt anxious about how others would respond to your writing?

Conflated the quality of your writing with your worth?

Have you ever…

writing anxiety.

Then you’ve experienced

Signs & Symptoms of Anxiety

Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Signs_and_Symptoms_of_Anxiety,_Wikiversity_Motivation_and_emotion,_Slide_2.

jpg Used under CC license

What is Writing Anxiety?

C. Jorge Cham 7/28/2014 (http://phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1734) Accessed 27 September 2014.

Common Causes

Fear Perfectionism Magical thinking Confusion about

department or committee expectations

Perception/reality? Insufficient data or sources

Perfectionism & Procrastination:Two sides of the same coin

C. Jorge Cham 9/3/2014 (http://phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1740) Accessed 27 September 2014.

Perfectionism

Four Signs of Perfectionism Setting very high standards and placing high importance

on these standards. Feeling that you will be a second rate person if you do not live up to these standards

Preoccupation with details, rules, lists, order, and organization.

Concern and negative reactions to mistakes. Having a tendency to interpret mistakes as failure and believing that you will lose the respect of others for your mistakes.

Doubting your ability to do a task.

NOTE: Perfectionism is not to be mistaken for effort and desire for excellence

What’s at the root? Fear. We are more than our academic writing; it does not

define us. We must believe we are enough, even as we work to

improve and refine our skills.Source: Susan Meindl, “Grad School Perfectionism Creates Stress, Anxiety and Depression Rather than Excellence,” http://EzineArticles.com/2210275.

Procrastination/Non-Productive Busyness

Sound familiar?

C. Jorge Cham 8/6/2014. (http://phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1735) Accessed 27 September 2014.

Procrastination

Endlessly reading and taking notes Obsessive and never-ending “Planning” Doing seemingly important, urgent tasks

rather than write Unnecessary preparation (Do you really

need to sharpen 20 pencils?) Complete avoidance – cleaning the house,

watching TV (instead of working during work time)

What’s at the root? Fear. We are more than our academic writing; it

does not define us. We must believe we are enough, even as we

work to improve and refine our skills.

What do we do? First Steps

Calming music Calming sounds

(ocean waves, rain, white noise)

Deep breathing exercises

Meditation Journal about your

writing anxiety 15 min a day for 4 days.

Contact your counseling center on campus to begin processing and moving beyond the trauma

Contact your ombudsmen or Graduate School (administration) if you are experiencing any kind of abuse

How to reduce physiological response to anxiety:

Stop the academic hazing and abuse

What do we do? Create a toolbox!

Use grounding techniques: Identify everything in your space that is

{color} Set a timer for 5 minutes and just focus on

your breath, noticing each inhale/exhale Say kind statements, as if you were talking

to your best friend: “You are a good person going through a hard time. You’ll get through this.”

Repeat a favorite mantra Describe in detail a time when you felt your

writing flowed well and you received positive feedback on it

Hold a physical object (small stone, book, phone, pen) and pay attention to how it feels in your hand

What do we do? Create a toolbox!

Find a picture that represents calm/peace for you and put it where you can see it while writing

BSDR Player Relax M.P. –

Concentration Binaural Beats

Create a writing playlist

What do we do?Create a toolbox!

Make permission slips

for yourself

Write out & repeat

positive affirmations

What do we do?Create a toolbox!

Free-write

Pomodoros

Make a list of favorite

writing warm-ups: Journal

Visual thinking (mindmap,

sketch)

New vocab

Read about writing (Write Your

Dissertation in 15 Minutes a

Day; Writing Your Journal Article

in 12 Weeks, etc.)

What do we do?Create routines

1. Do something you find calming for 5-10 minutes

2. Set your intention/goal for your writing session & share with your accountability partner

3. Choose & complete your favorite writing warm-up

4. Set your timer and get started!

5. Use grounding techniques and free-writing when anxiety rises

6. When your session is over, make note of what worked well & what you accomplished

7. Fill out your writing log & note what to work on tomorrow

8. Reward yourself!

What do we do? Organize…

Find or start a writing groupShare your writing OFTEN!

(especially your rough – read chaotic, f*&!$’d-up – drafts)

Find an accountability partner Create a timeline and share it

with your committee and ask them to hold you to it.

Create a personal support system

What do we do?Resources

On Trauma: Trauma Resource Institute National Institute of Ment

al Health: PTSD International Society for Tr

aumatic Stress Studies

The Perils of Perfectionism

For more information on EMDR therapy, check out: EMDR Institute, Inc. Trauma Recovery: What is

EMDR

Reading

Brené Brown’s Books & Talks: I

Thought it Was Just Me (but it isn’t): Making the Journey from ‘What will people think?’ to ‘I am enough’  

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. 

Brené Brown’s TED talks and interviews.

What do we do?Resources – Apps & More

BSDR Player (Bilateral Sounds Desensitization and Reprocessing)- This app is $9.99 and available for both iPhones and Android.

iChill: This free app is available for both iPhones and Android and provides guided steps to bring you back into the present and out of a panicked state.

Relax M.P. (Premium) ($2.99): This app is also available for both iPhones and the link in the title takes you the Google Play Store for Android devices. I’ve found the Concentration Beta waves really helpful in promoting focus for set periods of time.

Writing prompts in this worksheet will help you recognize your physiological response to stressors.

Practice mindfulness meditation. Try an app like Rest and Relax

 ($0.99 on both iPhones and Android) if you’re just getting started

Meditation Oasis (iTunes podcast)

Eva Lantsoght’s GradHacker article.

UCLA also has an excellent podcast series of mindfulness meditations (search iTunes)

Apps More Tips

Finally… stick to it!

This is not easy.

You have to stick to it and surround yourself with supportive, understanding people.

Don’t be surprised by the roller coaster.

It will get better!

QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION