With a yawn, quickly followed by a woeful moan of contempt, I pull my head from the pillow, heave myself out of bed and begin the slow stride towards the kitchen. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the dog next door is barking its head off once again.
With a snap of the wrist, I flip the lid off the coffee holder, only to gaze down in shock. A cold sweat swiftly forms on my brow, a shudder of desperation creeps up my spine. Alas it would appear that there is not a bean left in the house. Just like yesterday and the one previous to that, today is going to be the worst day of my life...

Indeed the above may feel familiar to most freelance writers and any other individuals involved within the creative industries, for that matter. However, though this maybe common and shared by many of the best in the business, the creative blues can be avoided, especially for writers and freelance writers.

Having been a freelance writer, short story writer, essayist, academic writer, novelist and poet for some years now, I know the writers blues and the debilitating depression which comes with the territory, all too well. Yet, by the same token, I also know just how easy it is to pull yourself out of such positions and to be able to recognise what facets in your life are resulting in such negativity.

First and foremost, the ability to identify and recognise the various factors and elements within your own life is one of the most crucial skills a writer or artist can posses or learn to develop. However, it is imperative to go one step beyond simple recognition and to be able to gain a true understanding of each factor in your own personal, academic and professional life and how such things both you, the inner you and your creative abilities, on a daily basis.

At this point, I do realise that this may be sounding something like one of those self-help things which appear on late-night television or even in the local paper. However, having studied sociology, psychology and several other disciplines derived from the human sciences, I can assure you that my knowledge in this area is well grounded, objective and most importantly, rational.

When trying to recognise the various elements in ones life and how they effect your moods and the way in which you live or choose to live, can often become quite complicated. Therefore, when examining the areas in your life it is a good idea to write down these areas and also the things within them which influence you.

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