by Author E.R. Stowell

A tiny dust note floats innocently into my view, reminding me I’m behind on housework.

The path it tracks reflects the sun as if winking and agreeing with my internal struggles. If you came to visit me for a coffee now, you’d never have guessed I used to be a clean freak, that only 5 years ago, I had counseling for severe OCD.

The counseling wasn’t just OCD. It was PTSD from past abuse, and because my health had failed me, I couldn’t clean anymore. I sat day in and day out reliving things.

That is until I wrote my anxieties down… then I sat day in and day out reliving them and writing them down. Being an active relaxer inside the body of someone with severe fibromyalgia is a head trip, but I’ll never forget the lessons it has taught.

The main one is the importance of self-care.

Self-care for anyone is essential, but often writers hear, “It must be great to pick your own hours.” People don’t see the hours awake thinking up plots, the days spent staring at the wall trying to remember what you’d thought the night before. The missions we take on. The food, the coffee, and self-doubt running through our veins.

But what happens when my words meet the paper make it all worthwhile.

Some practical tips I’ve found helpful are:

Get out in nature. Even when you’re busy, it helps your memory when you get back to your computer. Sometimes to reconnect, you must disconnect. And I believe we our human nature needs mother nature more than we realized.

Connect with other writers, and don’t forget to look sideways. So many people want help from those with big followings, but so many small-time authors have invaluable knowledge.

Look after your health first before making big commitments. Yes, it is important to show up, but our health is never worth the risk. Eat well, rest, catch up with friends and family, and stay hydrated.

 I’ll always attempt balance, but sometimes it won’t be obtainable, and that’s okay. While I might not be able to create a perfect world, I can create something pretty close amongst the pages.

And that’s where I’ll spend half my life.

E.R. Stowell

About E.R. Stowell

E.R. Stowell is best known for writing New adult fiction books that blend mental health, poetry, and romance. She’s also a wife, mother of three, and a former teacher who lives in Pleasant Point, New Zealand.

Since early childhood, she dreamed of writing stories that would capture readers’ hearts, but life got in the way. Dealing with abuse, PTSD, and drug addiction, she turned down her scholarship. Soon after, she dealt with addiction and got clean to become a teacher and then a mother. After her children were born, Stowell realized she still had a dream and experience she could draw from to write an amazing story.

She specializes in breaking contemporary romance boundaries and publishing them within new adult fiction.

Stowell’s debut novel Beautifully Broken is the first in the GoodGirl, BadGirl trilogy and is based on her personal experiences with abuse, PTSD, and drug addiction.

Set within an epic love story that will heal your heart and break your heart in equal measures. It’s all about… being beautifully broken.

To read more about E.R. Stowell’s journey, visit her website erstowellauthor.com