How do you cope with stress?

In the book I’m editing at the moment I’ve noticed my main character, Nicola, needs a way to cope with her stress and feeling out of control.

At one point in the story she’s in Shetland and what she discovers is that the biting winds of the archipelago help to sweep away her doubts and the negative things life throws at her. The more battered she is by the weather, the better she feels!

I wish I could find my release that way, out there in the elements. My way of dealing with life’s battles is to hide from them, at least for a while, and I primarily do that by delving into a book and taking on the protagonist’s life.

I’m unconsciously inspired by the strength of the book’s main character. I think it not only gives me a bit of distance from my own woes, but bolsters my inner resolve; if they can do it, I can do it.

Now you might think, don’t be daft, that’s a story and not real life. Get a grip woman! But for me fiction has never simply been fiction. It’s been a way of viewing the world from someone else’s point of view. It’s an opportunity to experience how others live and how they approach the world around them. 

Just because the character doesn’t exist in the real world, doesn’t mean their story isn’t universal.

For example, Jane Austen’s Emma is renowned for being a know-it-all and who gets carried away by her own desires and wants, regardless of who it might impact. Unfortunately, I too have been like that in my life and I took comfort from the fact that although she was spoilt and unthinking at times, she wasn’t a bad person and was, in fact, quite loveable. 

I hoped that bode well for me!

Anne Shirley of Green Gables fame was hot-headed and stubborn, but it didn’t mean she wouldn’t bend and compromise with those she loved and respected. She was flighty and day-dreamed far too much, but it didn’t preclude her from being focused, working hard and achieving her dream to be a teacher. Again that was something to which I could aspire.

It was particularly important for me as a teenager to find these role models, and I think that has stayed with me into adulthood. Fiction gives me my release from the stresses of day-to-day life, but for my character Nicola it’s the wild winds of Scotland.

Where do you find your release? Are you like me and have to hide away for a time, or do you like to be out there in the elements?

If you’re a beginner writer and need help getting started, I invite you to sign up for my video series, 21 Days of Writing Inspiration? It provides daily motivation to get you unstuck so you can build momentum with your writing.