Under Pressure: Mental Health for Indie Authors (The Self Publishing Show, episode 223)

James Sumner reminds us that taking care of our mental health is as important as anything else in an author’s life.

Show Notes:
On dealing with home life while trying not write
How our mental health can take a toll on our physical health
Why it’s important for our partners to understand what the writing life requires
Why talking about our struggles is so important
The financial and mental pressures that can result from being a full-time author
On the essential support we get from being truthful with our friends
The importance of taking time off

Resources mentioned in this episode:
PATREON: Self Publishing Formula Show’s Patreon page
DIGITAL EVENT: Were you not able to attend SPS Live? Get your digital ticket here.

[sheenacundy]

Great episode. I'm a songwriter and performer as well as an author and struggle with my own company for too long periods at a time. Awareness is key to balance...and well done to James for recognizing the burnout symptoms when they recurred. Our health is our wealth!

[Sharmyn]

James and James, bless you so much. This is how we make the world better for everyone. A better world starts with better tools to be better humans and that makes better storytellers. My boyfriend is British, raised to be polite, chin up, and God forbid, express how he's feeling. So much so, he couldn't access his feelings even when he tried; therefore, like James, he stayed in an unhappy marriage 10 years of the 17 he was married. He works from home, and felt just like James. I'm American and live in a liberal state, California, we do things like write screenplays and see therapist. I've been seeing a therapist off and on for 25 years. I've also worked from home for many years. I use my therapist as a coach, and sounding board. He helps me sort out new ways of looking at old conditional thinking. He helps me stop telling myself the same old story that runs through my head, that was taught to me, by parents that were broken. I didn't except my boyfriend's excuse that he's British, therefore, he can't be vulnerable. He deserved better from me, so I make a safe space for him to express himself without judgement. We talk opening about everything now. Oh my God, it was painful for him at first, but now--he's so much happier and that makes me very happy. We all need support and we need to understand happiness is a learned sport and takes practice. Thank you The SPS, love you guys.

[teresa-wolfsparrowcovers]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS. Full-time authoring and rapid release are NOT for everyone. I burnt myself out as a ghostwriter with a highly demanding production schedule, and it has killed me creatively. It also exacerbated my PTSD and anxiety, and I had to go back to therapy. I feel like there is this underlying insane pressure within the indie community to HUSTLE and GET THINGS OUT NOW that we don't think about what this is doing to some of us. (Some people are wired for this; we all are not.)

So I no longer depend on writing for income and instead I pushed harder on being a full-time freelance book cover designer. I'm still giving my brain a break on writing just to heal the burn out and fall back in love with storytelling, but it's beginning to get better. I sold a short story recently and I haven't completed anything (for myself) in years!

I'm also an introvert, and I've worked from home since 2011 (and all my friends live far away so I don't socialize much). It really does take a toll sometimes. I talk to my cat a lot 😂 I've been trying to work on this and reaching out to friends for FaceTime chats etc. Thank you, James, for showing your vulnerability and talking about this. And thank you SPF for believing this topic is important, because it is.

[deaglanohaodha]

Epic Lockdown Beard Mark! lol Very Important topic btw. Well done guys.

[mikicassains]

Brilliant episode!!! How aware and bold to expose stuff we all go through! Thankssss

[mrsiz]

This was great! Thank you for this interview! I love where Mark’s screen froze! His face! Perfect! Lol I’m so glad you guys are still making episodes! Also, let me add I did sign up for the Bestseller course and it is absolutely brilliant!!

[davidj.phifermedia]

Hepcat: noun; a stylish or fashionable person, especially in the sphere of jazz or popular music. ex: "It's rock's most waggish hepcat, on the third of his nine showbiz lives."

[stephaniequeen]

Hep C0sat! LOL! That was more like a 60s Beatnik reference--I think. Definitely Pre-70s

[MariKayCreations]

thanks for the reminder about hello books. Put my name in, even though I am only just writing my very first book, unless you count my offering at intermediate school (age 11) 'Where is Little Lucy', for which I recieved a Principal's award haha. Re the interview, is it ok to share this publicly on Facebook?

[jamesking]

Well done. How did you manage to do this interview under the COVID19 restrictions?

[stephenhernandez]

We did have an awful Pandemic in the 70's known as the Bay City rollers