Writing can be an interesting occupation that has many health benefits associated with it. Like many other occupations, writers are also impacted by some occupational diseases due to some of the activities involved in this line of work. For one, a writer is a very busy individual who, in most cases, never stops to think about himself or his/her health. This is attributed to the fact that writing will always require you to think of new ideas and think of developing those ideas into content that is worth reading. This means that a writer barely has any time left to think of other important aspects of his/her life including health and disease preventative working habits. This is considered as unhealthy practice and may have some severe precautions in the long run unless a writer has the sense to follow some tips that may help keep him/her healthy in a world where the brain is always on constant hyperdrive.
Due to the nature of the work done by a writer, he/she becomes prone to a wide range of diseases. Most of the diseases that a writer is likely to suffer are actually caused by their tools of trade especially when computers and chairs are not used in the appropriate manner. It is common to find a writer suffering from backaches and cramps due to poor sitting positions. Computers are also a very important tool in the life of a writer and they are most likely to spend the whole day in front of that precious screen. The only problem is that a writer will most likely ignore the fact that a health check is very important every once in a while when you use such tools for long hours.
Posture is Key
A good writer should always ensure that he/she sits in the right posture whenever they are conducting their writing business. Full-time writers are most likely to face soreness of the muscles as a result of fatigue. The many hours that writers spend in front of their computers writing may cause them to go through backaches, numbness, and pain in different parts of their bodies. This is because most writers maintain wrong postures which are considered to be very dangerous for their health. Sitting in a wrong posture while in front of the computer is strenuous and always strains your muscles and hence the pain felt in the different parts of the body. Always ensure that you sit in a comfortable chair when conducting your writing since the continuous repetitive movements with your body need a suitable posture. In this way, a writer can keep himself free of diseases that are related to the musculoskeletal parts of the body.
Take time to rest
Hard work is important and every writer needs to stay focused on the goal at all times. This is a great virtue but can also be very dangerous to one’s health if interpreted wrongly. Most writers spend countless hours on their computers without considering the fact that their bodies are susceptible to fatigue. Every once in a while, the body needs a break and it is important to get some rest even as you conduct your writing. Writing is generally a repetitive activity that most involves the movement of the wrists and fingers. The brain also plays a major role in thinking and creating the information that you need to write. In order to remain healthy, it is important to take a break from writing every once in a while and relax your brain, body, and muscles. Diseases such as carpal tunnel syndrome are caused by the repetitive activity of the hands and wrists as well as awkward postures over long periods of time without proper rest.
Always maintain a healthy diet
Writing is a demanding activity and as a writer, you may be tempted to opt for fast foods every time that you are busy. If this is done once in a while, it is not very dangerous. But what happens when a writer totally becomes dependent on fast foods since he does not have the time to cook a proper meal? If you want to remain healthy as a writer and avoid some of the diseases associated with unhealthy diets such as obesity and diabetes, you will need to find a way to always eat healthily. The major challenge is coming up with a schedule that allows you to whip up a healthy meal. A good writer should be able to understand all the consequences of not eating well and should therefore always do his best to avoid unhealthy food. Take a snack once in a while but do not make it a habit. After all, an apple a day truly keeps the doctor away.
Ensure to exercise
Most writers believe that the harder you work, the more you will earn which is always the case. As a result, writers will spend hours and hours on their computers without changing their posture or even thinking about doing some form of exercise. Since writing mainly involves repetitive motions of the upper body and continuous sitting, most of the lower body muscles are left unused over long periods of time. Diseases like tendon disorders that result from the fatigue of muscles as a result of poor sitting positions and repeated movements hence start to manifest themselves. To avoid all this, it is important for a writer to include a few hours of exercise to their daily routine. This ensures that all parts of the body are active and that the damage caused by poor writing techniques are handled in the early stages. Body pains in the beck, fingers, shoulders and other parts of the body may also be controlled by healthy exercising habits. This also reduces the impact of the excessive pressure that is exerted on the spine and neck as you conduct your writing.
Reduce the number of hours you spend on your screen
Diseases like computer visual syndrome are most likely to affect a writer because of the many hours that he spends gazing at the computer screen without blinking. This may also affect the ability of the writer to see well which may require some form of medical correction. Great writers from world-recognized companies usually avoid such problems by spending some few hours away from the computer screen. The notion that this is a waste of time is totally wrong and may cause you to suffer from eye diseases for the rest of your life. Other problems like migraines, itchy eyes, color blindness etc. may also be caused by too much screen time. In order for a writer to keep himself free of such diseases, it is important to avoid spending the whole day on the computer even if your life depends on it.
Do not let writing stress you
This is usually very common among writers especially when they hit the writer’s block. This is a well-recognized condition in the world of writing where the brain is unable to develop good content even after many hours of thinking. Most writers will experience this problem many times in their life and it may lead to stress and depression when the writer solely depends on his work to earn a living. Take it easy! It is never that serious and you can always get help.
Writing can be a fun and rewarding activity when carried out using the best practices. It is important for any writer to remain in good health in order to be productive. Following the above-mentioned tips to the latter will allow any writer to keep himself healthy.