We writers spend a lot of time in our heads. But there’s more to us than our curious, overactive minds. We’ve got bodies and spirits. Ignoring or neglecting either one of these parts of ourselves is like driving our car with the emergency break on.

At night I sometimes dream of driving, probably because my car feels like a metaphor for my life’s journey. My vehicle is the car. But the primary vehicle that moves me through life is my body. I don’t realize how tense I am until my muscles relax. I’m surprised to discover I’ve been gripping them—as if I’ve been riding a roller coaster and clenching the handrail to avoid careening out of my seat. This happens when I work too hard, or write for too many hours without taking a break, or when I start taking myself too seriously.

The antidote is to get out of my head and into my body or my spirit.

Getting into my body starts with giving myself permission to take time away from my desk. We’ve all heard about the importance of getting your butt into the chair. That’s essential if you want to write, but it’s just as important to get your butt out of the chair. Move your body. Go for a walk. Dance. Practice yoga. Play a sport. Go to the gym. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as your focus is physical.

When was the last time you had a massage? If you can’t afford one, see if there’s a massage school nearby. Massage students need people to practice on. The same is true for practitioners of other forms of bodywork, such as Reiki, cranio-sacral, and breath work, which connect you physically but also spiritually.

Spiritual access on your own might look like slowing down, taking a breath, and coming back to the present moment. More often than not I need to settle down before I can connect with Source energy. I’ve never written “Connect with your higher power” on my to-do list. Though I do put “meditate” and “journal” at the top of my agenda every day. Meditation and journal writing are great sources of inspiration, practices that provide answers to the questions that motivate me as a spiritual seeker. In the past I’ve been shy about calling myself a spiritual seeker. I’ve never resonated with the words “new age” because my spirit feels ancient. I trust what it tells me. My spirit has been telling me what to write for over thirty years. I’ve listened and followed, but I’ve also slammed on the breaks (not just the emergency break) when I’ve faced disappointment and rejection.

If you’re called to write, you must write. It’s an urge from within. Make no mistake about it, the urge to write is your spirit talking. It will likely take you on a wacky ride. You may feel like Mr. Toad on his wild adventure. You may feel small and insignificant, but that’s okay. Let loose anyway. Release your emergency break. Relax. Have fun. Lighten up. Don’t take yourself so seriously. Enjoy your trip. See if you can release your clasp on life’s handrails. White knuckling it won’t help you live your life more fully; that doesn’t make dreams come true. Courage does. Breath does. Slowing down does.

There’s no need to drive through life with your emergency break on when you can glide smoothly—even over the most treacherous terrain.

What activities do you engage in that help you release the emergency break on your writing and your life? I’d love to hear about it.