1. Ask yourself: “Am I really too frustrated/fed up/angry/annoyed to write this thing due tomorrow?”
2. If the answer is “yes,” don’t just let it all build up inside.
3. You’ve probably been told this a million times, but seriously, creative people have these brains for a reason. Convert your emotional energy into creative energy.
4. How? By sitting down and starting to create something, of course!
5. Write an angry letter to the person or situation making you feel gross.
6. DO NOT SEND THE LETTER. DO NOT. NO.
7. Make a pact with yourself not to let your emotions stifle your creativity.
8. Letting your feelings out through creative outlets is a constructive coping mechanism. Use it!
9. Make something out of your emotions. Write a story. Sketch a picture. Whatever works for you.
10. Give yourself plenty of time to just get lost in creating that thing. Keep in mind it doesn’t have to be good or even make sense — it doesn’t even have to be finished. It just has to help you get your feelings out.
11. If channeling your feelings into a piece of writing doesn’t work, find another creative activity. Like dancing. Yeah, dancing works.
12. Dance out your frustration. Just go all in.
13. Don’t injure yourself “dancing it out” like I did. Haha just kidding, I wouldn’t do that.
14. On purpose.
Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is a staff writer with The Cheat Sheet, a freelance editor and writer, and a 10-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food and nerdy things.
Meg Dowell Writes 