My inspiration for finding my way past my writers block.

No matter who you are, I know this to be a fact: that you have interests. That there is something you go to bed thinking about. That there is some experience you’ve had that not everybody has had. That there are lessons you’ve learned in your road less taken. That there is some version of the world you’d like tomorrow to be.Julie Zhuo, Product Design Director at Facebook

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.