"Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint."
Markus Herz
Let's face it, you already knew a lot of this stuff.
It's a bit like people who say, "I want to be a writer. What's the secret?"
You know as well as I do that the 'secret' to being a writer is getting your butt in a chair and actually writing (or walking while dictating!).
The secret is the same when it comes to physical health – a good diet, sleep, movement, breathing and regular exercise, getting outdoors in the fresh air, monitoring your moods and being kind to yourself, listening to your body, resting, being mindful, and spending time with friends.
But as with being a writer, you actually have to choose to make the changes to your routine in order to fix the problems in your life. Then you have to be persistent and repeat those practices every day.
I (Joanna) can only write this book now because over the last five years, I've made incremental changes that have positively impacted my physical health and I am (mostly) pain-free and a happy writer. Of course, these practices need to be sustained, because physical health is a practice, like writing, that we need to keep focusing on.
A little every day makes a huge difference over the long term, both for writing and for our health.
Here are some options for your next steps.
(1) Make a decision to reduce your immediate pain
It is not acceptable to feel like this and there are ways you can deal with it, but you have to take control and be ready to make some changes.
(2) Write down what hurts and the physical and mental health issues you have right now
Be honest with yourself.
Write down all the niggles which over time may become more significant. What do you want to change about your physical health?
(3) Go through the book again and find some specific suggestions that might help
Write down specific action steps that you will take and put a deadline on them.
(4) Schedule time when you can focus on fixing the health issues that plague you
This might be booking a doctor's appointment, or finding a yoga class, or just putting time for a walk in your calendar so you actually do it instead of putting it off.
(5) Commit to a new practice and then give it time
Don't expect instant results.
Physical health is cumulative, but if you keep persisting you will wake up one day and realize that you've fixed the thing that plagued you – or you have found ways that help you live with it.
(6) Check in with yourself over time
Put a reminder in your calendar so you can revisit the decisions you made and how you might have fallen back into old ways. Health, like writing and creativity, starts to deteriorate if you don't practice regularly.
(7) Balance self-care with kicking yourself into gear
Some days you just need to let yourself rest, to reward yourself for a job well done, to let "the soft animal of your body love what it loves," as Mary Oliver says in her lovely poem, Wild Geese.
But other days, you need to drag yourself outside in the cold and get walking, or say no to that slice of yummy cake, or spend time stretching, or learn dictation, or implement any one of the other ideas in this book that will move you toward becoming a healthy writer. It's tough to achieve, but this is part of the journey.
Finally, remember that your body is the only one you have.
It is precious and wonderful, and the home for your remarkable brain that creates words on a page to entertain, educate or inspire others.
You deserve health and happiness, so from both of us, we hope you choose life and wellness on your writer's journey.