Nothing to give, nothing to say, nothing to create. I’m drained! A friend gave me great advice when things aren’t working out as you want, leave it alone. Don’t bother it, don’t touch it, don’t allow it to fester in your mind and spirit. There’s nothing left to do but allow things to organically come back together. And when the time is right, it does. At times, I find it hard to constantly create ways to simply…create. I can’t concentrate, can’t think, and don’t have the normal drive to sit at the computer. And when I do, the ideas just won’t come. I feel sluggish and tired, only wanting to lay in bed. It’s not that I don’t want to be productive I just can’t get with it. This is what I call burnout. It's more than having “writer’s block”. It’s a mental block, preventing me the ability to function at my full capacity. Time moves on and nothing happens. It becomes comfortable for me to “not do it”. Then it mentally takes a toll as I feel like I’m being lazy. I love to write. I love to create. I want to work. But my mind and body just won’t allow it. When this moment arises, I have no choice but to step back and regain focus on my own time. It can come from lack of sleep due to work and/or piling more on my plate to “keep up”. So, I want to share what I’ve learned during my moments of burning out. Be honest with yourself about what you can/can’t handle. It’s okay! How do you know you’re burnt out? One minute you’re going full force, producing at a fast pace. Then the next…boom, it hits you. Sluggish feelings and frustration set in because you can't produce like you used to. The feelings are hard to control and come out of. You have no choice but to go with the motions of irregular patterns thrown into your regular work routine. Whenever this feeling arises what can you do? First, it's best to identify what it is. Feeling the burnout can come in many forms. It can range from falling behind on personal and professional deadlines to staying in bed longer than the alarm clock(s). It can also show up in the physical form. Headaches, physical pains, tiredness, and even sickness.  Getting hit with these symptoms can make you feel as if you’re inactive. Self-doubt kicks in, bringing you further down into a bad spiral. Instead of piling more work and forcing it, recognize what is happening to you. Understanding that you’re going through the motions of burning out, helps in dealing with it. When to leave things alone. As you deal with the mental and physical changes from being burnt out, you must know when to leave the work alone. Allowing it to just create space to recharge. Taking time away from your project, job, or whatever that’s draining you helps in refocusing your purpose while getting the necessary energy back. What if you’re not able to fully take time away? Peel a few layers off your tasks. Cutting back can be just as effective. Just as long as you’re not trying to operate at full speed while your energy is on empty. When your cell phone or laptop battery is low what do you do? Charge it. You don’t put more work on it or curse it because it's lacking productivity.  What to do in the meantime. While stepping away or cutting back, it's best to fill those spaces with activities to refuel. Remember, taking this time is meant to help YOU. Not to take on different a new stressor or do for someone else. This is all about getting your mind and spirit back to a place where you’re operating on 100%. Here are a few examples of what to do:  Get ready for the abundance. Jump back in! After you have taken that necessary time, your mind and body have a way of letting you know that it’s time to jump back in. You can also test the waters if you’re feeling antsy but don’t hesitate to pull back if you’re feeling overwhelmed again. It tends to happen when you least expect it. All of a sudden, you feel better. The headaches are gone, and you feel like a new person. Once the burnout flows away from your recharging, you’ll tend to receive random overflows of ideas and creativity.  You wake up one day on a full battery and you’re ready to go! Burning out is normal. It doesn’t equate to a lack of productivity. You can’t escape it if you’re constantly working hard towards your goals. We’ve all been there. Don’t worry because it's only temporary, as long as you take care of yourself. Sooner than you think, you’ll be able to get back on the saddle operating better than ever!  The Blakk Dahlia (E. Alexcina Brown) is a New York City author/blogger from Macon, GA. Recently, she released the book series, the Heartbreak Diaries outlining different perspectives of heartbreak. The Dahlia Diaries is a lifestyle blog penned by The Blakk Dahlia, sharing her story in NYC along with life lessons and tips she's learned in her journey.
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Romance-suspense author, The Blakk Dahlia, announces the release date for the upcoming book, Replacement, from the series the Heartbreak Diaries.  Romance readers will get a dose of grief with the fifth installment from the Heartbreak Diaries Series. The upcoming book, Replacement, will tap into The Grieving Heart. Learn how a free-spirited woman navigates through heartbreak from a loss. On December 30, 2021, The Blakk Dahlia, will share the latest release continuing the gripping series from the heart’s perspective. The book’s focus is around a young couple, deeply in love. On their way to plan their lives together, until the romance is quickly taken away. The main character, Natalie, relies on the love of her life for balance. However, once it's gone, she has to find a way to move on without the only true love she’s ever known. In one way, some may say she saw it coming through dream-filled premonitions. But we all know signs are often ignored while looking through rose-colored glasses. Natalie does the best she can to move on, however, in her own method of coping she searches for what she lost. This search involves following the exact mold from the old love life. Will it work out to her advantage? “It was hard to complete this book as I wanted to be sensitive to those who were currently dealing with loss and the attempts to pick up the pieces,” says author, The Blakk Dahlia, “However, in moving on in life, it's important to tell the stories that are often judged, lost, and even unspoken. Someone can relate whether from personal experiences or even through having the same thoughts as the characters. Moving on from a loss can be a hard thing and there’s no roadmap. We all just do the best we can.” Grief hits in many ways. Some are in phases while in other cases, there are doses of various emotions. This book will explore a unique way of coping with losing love. “Replacement” will be available in paperback and eBook formats on December 30, 2021, via Amazon, AmazonKindle, NookBook, AppleBooks, Kobo, and MORE! Visit www.TheBlakkDahlia.com for more info.  About Replacement (The Grieving Heart) We All Mourn Differently… Natalie and Adam have genuine love. Dealing with the scrutiny of an interracial relationship, her parents not approving of her career choice, and normal relationship troubles; they survived it all. Until life hits them hard, sending Adam away and Natalie is forced to move on with her life. As she grieves the romance lost, her coping method is to forget it ever happened. But deep down, she throws herself into searching for a man to take his place. Recreating the scenario of how they met with different men didn’t pan out the way she’d hoped. Meeting the final replacement in a hot lawyer, Chris, shows that she never had to do that at all. Just living and moving forward would have given Natalie everything she lost. But life doesn’t go on without trouble. The secrets are brewing, and once found out it changes the trajectory of her future and ruins the love of her past. Will her heart EVER recover?  About the Heartbreak Diaries Series the Heartbreak Diaries is a collection of romance-suspense stories. This series dives deep into the various hearts we love, like, or lust with when approaching dating, relationships, marriage, and even situationships. What’s unique about this series are the "hearts" in each book telling their story from a real and vulnerable place. Each book has a “dear diary” moment from an integral character, displaying their logic and true intentions within the heartbreak.  About The Blakk Dahlia The Blakk Dahlia, (E. Alexcina Brown), is a self-published, romantic-suspense author. The Macon, GA native has created ventures within the entertainment and fashion industries in front of the camera as an internationally published model as well as behind the scenes. As a writer, she has contributed articles and blogs for various industries, including creating and serving as Editor-in-Chief for four years for the digital publication, BRASH! Magazine. Now residing in New York City, The Blakk Dahlia released the fiction book series, the Heartbreak Diaries, delving into the inner thoughts and routes of heartache. She takes you through the process through her stories, documenting the journey of taking risks in life and self-discovery.  Tools my writing life can’t live without  Writing is so important to me. It’s yet another creative outlet to express myself and share authentic thoughts; with a sprinkle of imagination. Although writing may appear easy, sitting down with a notepad or computer; it’s not as simple for true creators. For me, there are “must-haves” that allow me to work freely without distractions along with providing the inspiration to get thoughts down on paper (or on the screen). With this, I’d love to share my list of essentials for writing. These elements help me to create within my own world. It’s all about relaxing, forgetting about the day’s mishaps and strenuous tasks, to…just write.  Thesaurus. With everything I write, I seek elevation. Often, I find myself saying the same things the same way. There’s no growth in that. So, my “handy-dandy” thesaurus helps me to express emotions and actions which A. upgrades my personal vocabulary and B. levels up my work. It also helps in the editing process so that my words don’t sound redundant and long-winded. As writers we tend to make the mistake of taking the “scenic route” to articulate a plot, however, keeping it simple yet descriptive ensures that my readers stay on course. Music/Binge-worthy TV. A little background noise doesn’t hurt the process. Dead silence can sometimes be distracting for me. I need to get into a zone and music/TV does just that. My playlist places me in a mood to write out a scene. For example, if the part is based around romance; 90’s R&B sets the scene to put that tone on paper giving a true interaction between the characters. I have to be honest if it’s a good song I do tend to get lost in the music but a little break to enjoy a throwback jam doesn’t completely throw me off course.  If I’m not listening to the music playlists, I’m watching binge-worthy TV. It can’t be a new episode or a new movie because I’ll become invested. However, old episodes of Sex and the City gives me the perfect inspiration to create a narrative that readers will enjoy. Television is like moving books acted out in front of our eyes. I like to study body language during quick moments of silence. Those gestures are just as important as the dialogue. This is helpful to explain reactions, creating a dynamic between characters. Cocktail. Who doesn’t love a good beverage to take the edge off? I usually write late at night. During the day I’m so amped with running errands, working, planning, creating, etc., etc., etc. At night, I’m winding down to start the next phase of work, which is writing. And a nice libation settles me and the mood of the evening dedicated to writing.  Depending on the mood, evening, and whatever I have available, is a nice enhancement for good writing vibes. Although I can’t indulge too much because I need to stay on course. Moderation is key! Creative space. Luckily, I live alone. So, it’s convenient for me to find a space to sit and create. Even then, some places in my home can be a bit distracting. I turned my living room into my own creative haven. My writing desk sits by the window so that I can feed off the lights of the night. Simple yet motivated decorum surrounds me and I’m able to write with ease; developing chapters of the stories I want to tell.  A creative space is important to writers. A concentrative mind feeds off of peace and a unique utopia of one’s personal styling. However, I’ve even been able to find time to write in others places like on a flight. But that’s where my mood music kicks in and helps set the tone of what I want to put on paper. In a perfect world, all of these essentials at once would create the perfect environment to lay it all out on the chrome book. But at least two out of four works for me. What are your must-haves for writing or your creative work?  The Blakk Dahlia (E. Alexcina Brown) is a New York City author/blogger from Macon, GA. Recently, she released the book series, the Heartbreak Diaries outlining different perspectives of heartbreak. The Dahlia Diaries is a lifestyle blog penned by The Blakk Dahlia, sharing her story in NYC along with life lessons and tips she's learned in her journey. |
"I LOVE to write and create. These are the diaries of how I work and deal in my world of writing and adventures!"
- The Blakk Dahlia Latest book from the Heartbreak Diaries Book Series
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