NaNo Self-Care
*originally published in the November 2018 edition of Hear Ye, Hufflepuff*

Hello NaNo-participants! Below you'll find three tips geared towards this month in particular, but I hope that anyone who writes on a deadline will find them useful.

1. Take a Break
   This is always the first thing that people recommend, but it can also be the most difficult to remember to do. It's easy to get wrapped up in writing when things are going well (or when you're kicking yourself for them not going well), but it's important to remember to take breaks. Stretch, stand up, do something else for half an hour.
2. Go Outside
   Fresh air and sunlight can do wonders for you! Take a walk around the block or to a nearby park or store. Get yourself moving a bit and breathing deeply out of your home. Just a few minutes out of doors can really help your mental and physical health while you stretch towards your goals and deadlines.
3. Remember Your Needs
   Especially during NaNo, it's easy to forget about the little things—you know the ones I mean: eating, sleeping, showering, blinking, etc. So this piece of advice, perhaps the most important of the three, is to remember those things. All self-care starts with asking those basic questions: When did I last eat well? When did I last sleep well? When did I last shower? If you didn't do those things recently, take a break to do them. And remember that if you're staring at a screen all day, you don't blink as often as you should! So blink! And use eyedrops. 

Good luck on NaNo and on your other projects! Happy writing!