Monday, February 26, 2007

Anxiety as Muse

Kenneth Atchity on anxiety and writing:

Anxiety is the enemy only at the beginning of your career. If you challenge the creative stress of anxiety on a routine basis, you turn it into a helpmate. Productive elation, initiated and shaped by your own will, becomes, side by side with time, your most faithful collaborator. You make your own pressures, and suddenly anxiety is now a blessed spirit rather than a destructive fury: You’ve transformed it into your onboard Muse.

From Kenneth Atchity, A Writer’s Time: Making the Time to Write (1995).

4 comments:

LK said...

Kate, you've got to stop quoting these great books! I'm going broke! :)

Heart_Man said...

For over 30 years I experienced several life threatening chronic illnesses. Through the Grace of God I was lead to several people and organizations that aided me in understanding, positively dealing with and transforming these illnesses. For the past few years I have devoted my life to sharing what I have learned with others. The two most impactful organizations I was lead to are The Institute of HeartMath (www.emotionalmastery.com) and Landmark Education (www.landmarkeducation.com).

The American Institute of Stress and The Centers for Disease Control have both reported that up to 90% of all illnesses are due to stress. I was lead to The Institute of HeartMath in 1997 and discovered that all of my illnesses were due to stress and anxiety I had been experiencing in my life. Through learning and practicing HeartMath’s tools and technologies, I am able to prevent, manage and reverse the effects of stress and anxiety, in-the-moment, achieve better health, more energy, improved mental and emotional clarity, and improved performance and relationships. HeartMath’s tools and technologies are scientifically substantiated; they literally saved my life.

Landmark Education provided me with the knowledge and tools to identify and put in my past, barriers that were stopping me from living a powerful life and a life I love. Through this Education, I have reached an unshakeable Faith.

Anonymous said...

There's a great article in Salon about fear of writing and being published. You should check it out!

Unknown said...

I'm so glad you found this book and found it useful. It really helped me through my dissertation& I'm surprised to see it so seldom mentioned....

...back to work...