Stuck? Get up and get moving!

When people get stuck, they need to get up and get moving. ‘Nuff said.

It’s really that simple, but I have a hunch you don’t believe me. I have many methods, silly and serious, to get you unstuck from lots of mucky things, including writer’s block. 

Today’s tips may seem silly, but they’re serious. When you are locked down with idea overwhelm or a mind that seems a blank slate, shake it up. Literally. Take a deep breath and shake your head from side to side. Take the tip of your nose and pretend it is turning the hour hand of a clock. Do a full rotation and then back again. Your neck muscles have just loosened up.

Stand up, spin around three times and sit back down in your chair. If that didn’t do it, stand up again and click your heels three times whispering, “Brilliant ideas are mine, brilliant ideas are mine, brilliant ideas are mine.” You can also cluck your arms like a chicken when you are saying this to yourself.

You think I’m kidding? Try it. Clicking and clucking unlocks the stuck places in your brain.

If you’re still feeling stuck in the muck, go to You Tube or your turntable. Have a go-to song. One that gets the blood flowing and takes you out of your head. “Music has Charms to sooth a savage Breast, To soften Rocks, or bend a knotted Oak,” says William Congreve. He goes on to say that things inanimate have moved, and living souls have been informed.

That’s exactly what you want, to get moving and get informed. Music has the power. Use it. Three minutes later you will feel refreshed and can tackle the page or keyboard with renewed enthusiasm. A few weeks ago I wrote how music is a mood lifter. It’s also the way to call in your creativity.

Let the muse visit you via music.

I cannot prescribe a song choice. That’s a personal matter. I have some that always help me: The guy with two Kermit puppets doing Queen’s “Under Pressure”; Susan Boyle’s audition for Britain’s Got Talent when she first shocked and wowed with “I Dreamed a Dream”; and “Good Morning” from Singing in the Rain. They each inspire me, and more importantly, soften the rocks in my head and unbend the knotted oak in my brain.

Sometimes I get up and shake my booty to “Bang Bang” (K’Naan and Adam Levine). It’s got a good beat and is easy dance to. I become the choreographer. “She aimed at my chest with love in her eyes…. It went bang bang bang straight through my heart. I could have walked away but I stood my ground and let her spray.”

You get bonus points for dancing in front of the mirror.

The pop culture quirky lyrics tickle me too: “Scorpion, she’s so hot she’s a scorch-ian; killing me softly, Lauryn or Kevorkian…”

How others play with words gets me back in my chair ready to do some word play of my own. That’s the key. This is not procrastination time. This is a conscious effort to unblock the blocks. There is brain science to back it up. I can give you research studies, yet I think you need to simply implement your own experiments.

I purposely didn’t include the links to my song choices. Going down the rabbit hole of You Tube is not good for writer’s block. I’ve been there. One click leads to another and the next you thing you know, an hour has gone by.

Have a list of songs. Pick one to play. When the blood is flowing, the creative juices do too.

Perhaps you are somewhere you cannot play music. Can you do jumping jacks? They work wonders too. Movement. Get up, walk down the hall, get a drink of water. Movement. Go to the bathroom and wash your hands. Feel all the sensations and smell the smells. This is a great stress reliever for any situation.

When you are feeling mired down, movement shakes things up. Also, do a quick body check. If you are hungry, get a snack. We have to feed our soul and that includes our stomach.

If you want to move me with your writing, first move you. Excuse me, it’s time for my dance break.