Overcome Writer’s Block and Creative Burnout with Exercise
If you're feeling stuck, like your creativity is drained or your ideas just aren’t flowing, it’s easy to get frustrated. But here’s a little secret: sometimes, the best way to spark your creativity is by moving your body. Physical movement helps release tension, clear your mind, and reset your creative energy.
Whether you’re dealing with writer’s block or burnout, physical exercise can be a powerful tool to get you back on track. Let’s explore some gentle movement-based exercises to help you break free from that creative fog and reignite your inspiration.
1. Go for a Walk
Walking, especially in nature, has been shown to stimulate the brain, boost mood, and unlock creative thinking.
Why it works: The rhythmic motion of walking helps to clear your mind and shift your focus, making it easier to solve problems or generate new ideas.
How to make it work: Leave your phone behind, and simply let your thoughts wander as you walk through your neighborhood, a park, or any space that allows you to relax and breathe deeply. Try the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise while you walk, and notice 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can feel, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste.
2. Try Gentle Yoga
Yoga is a wonderful way to calm your nervous system while also stretching and strengthening your body. Many yoga poses are designed to relieve tension and boost mental clarity—perfect for when you’re feeling mentally blocked.
A few ideas:
Child’s Pose: A gentle resting position that helps calm your mind.
Cat-Cow Pose: Opens up your chest and encourages deep breathing, which can help you feel more relaxed and creative.
Throat chakra yoga: Find your voice and release your truth. Yoga with Adriene has a 20-minute practice that focuses on this.
Pigeon pose, Malasana, and butterfly pose: To release tension in the hips, balance emotions and boost creativity.
Flow for creativity: If you really want to go for it, Adriene has a 40-minute flow devoted to creativity that includes a few brief mantras.
3. Take a Dance Break
If you’re feeling stagnant, shaking up your body might be just what you need. Dancing, even for five minutes, can instantly elevate the mood, improve circulation, and loosen up creative blockages.
How to try it: Put on your favorite song and let your body move freely. Don’t worry about looking “good” or doing it perfectly—just let the music guide you.
4. Try Foam Rolling or Gentle Stretching
Tension, especially in your back, shoulders, and hips, can easily create mental blocks and hinder your ability to focus. Foam rolling and gentle stretches can help release physical tension, leaving you feeling more open and clear-headed.
How to do it:
Use a foam roller to gently roll out tight areas in your back, legs, and arms.
5. Practice Deep Breathing with Movement
Breathwork paired with light movement can be a powerful exercise to help you release stress and boost focus. By slowing your breath and moving gently, you’re sending a signal to your body that it’s time to relax and refocus.
How to do it:
Stand up straight, inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, and then exhale slowly for 6 counts.
Pair this breathing pattern with simple stretches, like reaching your arms overhead or bending forward to touch your toes.
6. Try Pilates or Core Work
Pilates exercises are great for building core strength and releasing tension. Stronger core muscles also support better posture and breath control, which can help improve focus during creative work.
Suggested exercises:
The Saw: Sitting tall, reach your opposite hand toward your opposite foot, twisting gently through your spine.
The Hundred: Lying on your back, lift your legs and head off the floor, pumping your arms up and down while maintaining a steady breath.
7. Use Jumping Jacks for a Quick Energy Boost
Sometimes, when we feel mentally sluggish, the body just needs a quick jolt of energy. A set of jumping jacks can increase the heart rate, boost circulation, and refresh the mind. You can also do a low-impact version of stepping your feet out to the side, one at a time, while raising your arms up and down.
8. Engage in Strength Training
Engaging in a more focused form of movement like strength training can help break the cycle of burnout. Lifting weights or doing bodyweight exercises helps boost endorphins, which are the body’s natural mood lifters.
How to start:
Try simple bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, or push-ups.
If you have weights, use them for bicep curls, shoulder presses, or deadlifts.
Focus on proper form, and take short breaks to catch your breath.
9. Stretch and Breathe Before Bed
If your burnout is feeling more overwhelming, try adding relaxing stretches before bed to calm both your body and mind. Restorative stretches allow you to unwind and reduce tension, setting the stage for better sleep.
Stretch suggestions:
Legs Up the Wall: Lie on your back, with your legs extended up against a wall. This position promotes circulation and relaxation.
Seated Forward Fold: Sit with your legs extended in front of you, and gently fold forward, stretching your back and hamstrings.
10. Go for a Run or Bike Ride
When the mental fog feels too thick, a more vigorous form of exercise like running or cycling can clear it away. A brisk run or bike ride gets the blood pumping, releases stress, and resets the mind.
How to do it:
Find a local trail, park, or quiet street, and go at a pace that feels right for you.
Allow your thoughts to wander or focus on your breath—either way, this time to yourself will help you return to your creative work feeling refreshed.
A Gentle Reminder
When experiencing writer’s block or burnout, you don’t have to “push through” it. Our bodies need movement just as much as our minds need rest. By incorporating physical exercises into your routine, you can help your body and brain reconnect, release tension, and create space for new ideas to flow.