Month: January 2016

I am struggling to write post for the blog. I have a large set of draft post so I am not lacking in topics for new post. I just can't seem to complete them. I don't think it's a lack of motivation. I want to write. When I sit in front of the computer to write my mind goes blank. In my mind I have vague ideas but the words to put those ideas out just don't seem to come.

I am not a professional writer but I think this is what writer's block must feel like. It's a frustrating feeling. Knowing you want to write something about an idea but not able to get the words out. Perhaps I am being to self-critical. Perhaps I should just start writing random sentences for each topic I want to write about and see what happens.

Here's a short list of the topics I have in draft mode in WordPress.

• Again, Again, Again in response to this writing prompt
• Learn Something New in response to this writing prompt
• Seasons in response to this writing prompt
• The Unpopular Choice for this writing prompt
• DIY Wooden Top for Photographing Food, an article about something I made to help with my food photography.

There are another 14 not-yet-started and partly written articles. Just looking at the list leaves me feeling defeated. Perhaps I could prune that list and find some new topics.

Do you have any ideas on what I could do to get the ball rolling?

Perhaps this is just a bit of winter ennui. I tend to get a bit a down during the winter months. I don't like the cold but I mostly think this is due to the minimal amount of sun exposure during this time of the year. The days are shorter, the sky is more grey and I work indoors in front of a computer in a workspace illuminated solely by artificial light.

Vitamin D is produced by the body in response to skin being exposed to sunlight. I don't like the cold so I avoid going out. But even on sunnier days where I might be tempted to go out for a bit of sun worshipping, my arms and legs, and even my hands and head are completely covered with sweaters and coat and gloves and a hat. My face is the only part of my body that's actually exposed to outdoor sunlight. Is it any wonder then that I have a Vitamin D deficiency?

Vitamin D deficiencies are more severe in people with dark skin who live far north of the equator.

The pigment melanin reduces the skin's ability to make vitamin D in response to sunlight exposure. Some studies show that older adults with darker skin are at high risk of vitamin D deficiency.WebMD

I can't change the my skin colour. I can change where I live but that has impact to my family and job prospects etc. So, for now, I am taking Vitamin D supplements. About 10,000 units per day.