WRITER SELF CARE - Terrible Writing Advice 

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255 Edit: Apologies for those who are confused. I made a critical typo on the other version of this video. Normally I would let small typos like that slide, but I figured it’s kind of important being it was the above number. And since RU-vid doesn’t let you actually fix your freaking video I had to reupload. Sorry for that.

And remember kids, NEVER leave your computer and NEVER EVER leave your home. Inspiration wells from staring at that blank page, and surrounding yourself with the same setting, same routine, and same distractions day to day is sure to pump that spring at maximum efficiency. If you absolutely must leave, use the time to obsess over your project.

"[Sarcastically] Best to assume that therapy will fix my deep-seated personality issues rather than simply provide me with a new perspective that might allow me to better manage my conditions." This. More people need to understand this. More often than not, I see people treat the act of getting professional help as the endgame rather than the halfway mark at best, and that just doesn't sit right with me.

used to be soda, used to be cigarettes', used to be alcohol, used to be chocolate, used to be toothpicks. currently hot green tea.

The things living in your soda cans will develop aluminum tools, that's what they have available. Your soda can universe needs better worldbuilding.

And don't forget, comparing yourself to others who are already successful at what you do is a great way to get yourself to do anything and totally won't just make you feel terrible and want to give up because you feel like you are inherently inferior, all while ignoring that those successful people took a long road to get there and probably still also doubt themselves too.

I have never paused a video series like I have with TWA; not just to read the hilarious animated dialogue, but to sincerely ponder and absorb JP's wisdom. Thank you. May we all try to be better, and do better.

"The bottle says no" really makes me laugh. Thank you.

That FOOL JP has uploaded twice on the same day, allowing me to view his content early double the amount of times so that I can extract his secrets for my own nefarious uses.

I'm both a writer and a starving comic artist going through this. This video pretty much feels like a much needed callout. Thankfully I'm seeing professional help and encourage others who are in this predicament to do the same.

1) This is deeply relatable even if you aren't a writer. 2) This is way too real. 3) I think you need a hug.

Creating is a form of therapy. Hence why JD’s always got the long, funny sponsorship wars at the end as a much needed break.

This says how much this guy cares about the subject

The fact this was posted at like midnight makes it even better

I have gotten back to my terrible writing finally after years of depression that made me unable to concentrate. Medication does not necessarily kill creativity, that is a myth. For me it can make creativity possible.

You know, this video’s topic is pretty applicable no matter what field you’re in… and it’s something I need too given the future I see coming. Thank you JP for continually putting so much effort and introspection into your videos. Also works as a nice self demonstrating article for self care given it’s letting you express yourself, your struggles and views, and how you’re handling things. Gives me a few ideas for stories honestly.

I’m not a writer, but a few these sarcastic tips feel like I’m getting called out.

Self care is when you watch a RU-vid video about self care, clap and agree and then go back to doing what you're normally doing.

As someone who's currently struggling to do proper self-care, this video hits close to home. I feel trapped in a downward spiral of depression, and struggle to find the motivation to do even the simplest things.

NewsSpeak is the best damn pun I’ve ever seen… Well played.

Two rules I have about responsibly drinking alcohol: 1. Never drink to feel better. 2. Never drink alone. And for the love of personally preferred deities, never ever combine the two! Sure. One can have a glass alone if things are allright and you feel happy and content with the situation. But alcohol is an emotional enhancer... If you feel like shit... Alcohol is not the way to feeling less of that in the long run. Now, if you excuse me, I need to continue my search for a job that doesn't require me to have continuous jetlag 7 days a week 365 days a year.

You're telling me people aren't supposed to burn themselves out by working nonstop day in and day out? Who knew?

Gentle reminder that being kind to yourself is a very important part of self care. You'll never get out of the cycle of self abuse if you don't believe you deserve to.

JP: *releases a new video* Me, a worker in an Emergency department: JP, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TEACHING ME ABOUT HOW TO WRITE, NOT REMINDING ME HOW MISERABLE BEING A HEALTH CARE WORKER IS!!!

Ahhh...the joys of forgetting to eat all day so you'll be hungry late into the night and oversleep because despite what you tell yourself every night, you never manage to go to sleep before 4 AM.

Honestly, having a full time job, travelling there and back, doing the chores is sometimes more than enough to be constantly tired. It can be just as soulcrushing to descend into the madness of routine as having none at all. Any time something breaks that cycle (like a sick leave or vacation) the depression I usually don't have the time to care about get it's fangs in me. Then it recedes back into the shadows when responsibility calls. Then it attacks again, poisoning whatever free time I have. Go figure humans.

Here are some life savers that keep you from getting into writers block: -> Some people are in a room and there is unresolved and unexplainable tension? - Give one of them a gun. -> Your MP is really close to getting into a relationship. - Has somebody said love triangle? -> The exposition you wrote is crap. - Make all characters you introduced, besides the MP, die. -> Plot hole - amnesia -> Plot hole at the end - what a good cliff hanger! -> The super smart syndicate that planned for everything lost the war. - But wasn't this part of the plan all along? -> You have no villain for your third sequel, because your colleague killed your villain in the second one? -Revive Palpatine. And also split the damn thing. Every triology does twice as good, when there are 4 movies because that is what the people want.

This feels like it applies for a lot more people than just writers...

“It’s not like my entire life is a shallow façade that could crack under even the most casual glance! No, I can hide all of that behind a thin veil of false confidence!” *Is it possible to learn this power?*

"2021 is a dumpster fire inside of another, slightly older dumpster fire"

I'm not a writer, I'm in grad school, but this hits me so freaken hard

This seems like a very informative and accurate source of knowledge on self care. I don't see any reasons why I wouldn't take this man's advise to be completely truthful and not sarcastic. (commented again cause reupload lol)

"What do you think bottle?... ...The bottle says no." -Me, talking to my imaginary ocs sometimes.

not sure if JP did this on purpose or not (I'd bet on the former) but I love how his voice sounds more downtrodden rather than the upbeat tone in his other videos, I just think that's a neat detail

Honestly, something that has gotten me through depression is simply not giving a fuck, seriously, from the time I realized this I got a lot better, no joke (by not giving a fuck I don't mean that you should give up on everything and everybody, it means that you take things as they are and be like: "eh, this happened, moving on" without getting crushed by negative emotions and people, positive emotions might be temporary, but so are negative emotions, take everything as it is and go on with your life, accept everything that happens, even if it's bad, you'll get through it eventually)

If you have depression, KEEP WRITING. I tried to quit writing while I had depression (in an effort to get a bunch of work done in a short timeframe) and it was 100% the worst decision I've ever made

This should be a set and standard guide to self-care because this is applicable almost to all parts of life. This video is legitimate advice and genuine wisdom; truly incredible, for me anyway since it's hard to find something so compact and containing almost everything you'd need if you get me.

Only terrible writers use whiskey or alcohol, True writers only use pure depression, Writers block and Late bills to cope

This video honestly helped me a lot today! It was exactly what I needed, and seemed to read my mind to an almost creepy extent. I felt like it saw right through me and called out every single one of my unhealthy behaviours, and the sarcastic reverse psychology in this video got me fired up to change things. So I cleaned and organized everything, made healthy meals with my family, called my loved ones, got fresh air, and now I am about to go to bed earlier than I have in at least a month… and I think I subconsciously did it all out of spite! Thank you reverse psychology! Things are really looking up for the first time in years and it’s all because your sarcasm and my rebelliousness set off the perfect chain reaction 😂

The stars have aligned, my hunger is sated no later than it manifests

Realized you're a terrible person? It's okay, because eventually you'll find yourself too exhausted to maintain enemies, just as you're unable to maintain friendships. Soon everything will just be a void with nowhere to go, and the great thing about feeling nothing is never feeling sad again!

Nothing says self-care like dealing with your problems. The best way to deal with is binging alcohol. I find it easier is suppress all my problem under an alcoholism rather than deal with them in a inconvent way like "talking about my feelings" *shivers*

I feel like the timing of this-- barely a week before the start of nanowrimo-- isn't an accident. Thanks for tackling this issue in an actually productive way-- both my personal experience & professional psychology say that positive platitudes don't tend to work on depressed people. But your platform is perfectly suited to addressing it in a funny & combative way, and to utilizing the "fuck you, I'll do the opposite" impulse. Also thanks for covering the newer types of self harm that the internet has provided. Obviously you're an online ""content"" creator, and it sure sounds like you're starting from personal experience w this one, but all the same it's something I see addressed too rarely tbh

Living without fear of consequences is actually a very good life lesson to learn. Life isn't about consequences but how you react to them.

"Trending, "garbage opinion pieces", "garbage opinion pieces pretending to be journalism", "politics slanted into one side", "Sign up/pay $1 monthly just so you could read 1 shitty article!", fantasy game ad. Why so accurate tho😭🤣🤣

Me: My life sucks *watches the video* Me: *scheduled 9 hour sleep, healthy vegetarian mealplan, daily sport routines, healthy relationships inside and outside the family* ... Yeah, I don't think life suck that much...

I'm so glad I'm just an artist and not a writer! I don't have to deal with any of this!

Currently self-editing my novel for self-publish, I really need this.

I think a big thing is also that personality traits that are typical for people who get into creative writing (social introversion, high emotional sensitivity etc.) tend to also correlate with people who are more prone to develop self-destructive habits. Speaking as someone who got into writing really recently as a side hobby (I work as a programmer) and had a lot of issues before I even considered writing

Don't know why the reupload, I still had the original open in a tab waiting to be watched, so I can see that you didn't private it or take it down but unlist it.

Can you do an episode on writing text-books too? I got a stipend at a Chinese top university and they suggested a Chinese name for me that translates to "Promise to write a book". I like to write a textbook or two ... back to topic I will start self care as soon as I am in China ...

I work as copywriter and currently put myself in a mess plus I feel overwhelmed by almost everyone and everything, so I appreciate this kind of video.

If any of you are wondering, what happened, according to the other comments, he put a wrong number for suic*de hotline.

A quick two-part PSA: in the US, 988 now redirects to the suicide prevention hotline. Also, they're equipped to help callers intervene when someone else is suicidal.

Thank you, TWA. In 9 minutes you helped me better than any psychologist session. I'm now in some kind of self-destruction circle, suffering from university problems, bad (maybe even terrible) luck with Girls and of course, lack of inspiration for my story. But now I think I know what to do with this stuff, and I'll try my best to get out of this shitty situation, in which I drove myself, kind of. Thank you for your videos. Realy, thank you.

I feel personally attacked by JP pointing out all the mess that I have on my table

I know people that blame their disorders on their bad actions and it sucks really bad, cuz while yeah they contribute massively to the problem, denial and avoidance are not gonna make them any less present or destructive (mostly cuz its used as a permanent excuse that makes you look like you have never heard of what a psychologist is)

I'm perfectly fine at writing my books and I totally don't cringe when I become sober after a shot of creativity vodka.

This is perhaps the most important video you've made for writers

So, that's a no to communicating through grunts and hisses?

I've never felt called out more than when he was talking about writing and sleep schedules!

7:59, big mood. And unfortunately the complete numbness is an improvement in my depression. At least I'm like, mostly stable. Something that's helped me already in the single week I've had it is an in- home care giving service. Depression isn't my only issue, not by a long shot, and whether insurance would cover it or not for particular condition(s) I'm sure varies state to state. But it can't hurt to check, see if you can get an evaluation for it.

Given how Seasonal Affective Disorder is a very real thing, this came out pretty spot on time.

One of the lines in this reminds me of Irina Reinford from the Trails of Cold Steel games. "Time is something you make, not something you find"

Man, this isn't just for writers, this is for everyone. This hits deep, even with the sarcasm.

I'm not that much of a writer, but as an aerospace engineering student I've seen my fair share of friends that need to see this video... myself included.

Tired, unshaven, disheveled JP gives me feelings

JP drops a serious reality check, and I'm laughing. Ha ha ha... heh... *(Internal Screaming)* Self-deprecating jokes aside, I'm really glad you tackled this topic. Writer or not, we can all use some self-improvement in this chaotic world! Except me. I'm great. Probably.

Serious note on something talk about at around 9:30, -yes, writing can function as self-care. A few months ago I had an experience where I instantly broke down into a level of depression I had never known before. I've got some responsibilities, like work and helping at my church, but whenever I wasn't doing those things, I was just sitting on my couch at home alone depressed. On my days off, I would just get up to go sit on my couch. After some time, I began doing some soul-searching, and found a lot of emotions that I had suppressed for several years, but I knew I needed to start allowing myself to feel them. As they began to come out, they were too painful. I then began picking up an old book idea I've had in the past and began working again on the book. Writing made processing the emotions much easier to cope with, and I actually changed my perspective on those memories. I still don't fully understand it, but now I think with great fondness and joy on my past, because there's been a lot of joy and a lot of soul-crushing disappointment. But I learned that it is okay to take delight in the joys of the past, and not just revel in the things you've lost.

Steve does a really good job! I work in first level support service and i often don't know what to say. Steve really knows what to say, i whish i will be as good as him 🤩

To be honest, I think you hit this subject right out of the ballpark. The subjects of doom scrolling, sleep schedules and keeping a watch on mental health hits me right where it counts.

Creating is self care...huh. I need to keep drawing.

"The bottle says 'no'."

This is so accurate it hurts

God damn, this was an AMAZING video! I'm legitimately going to send it to my therapist due to the massive amount of tea spilling in it.

My writing has been practically nil thanks to depression. But it's getting treated w/therapy and Prozac, so at least I'm better that way.

Video in "The Character that was obviously designed to die"! I made my research and found none in the internet Please Mr Terrible Writting Advice, and awesome video as always

This sounds exactly like Bojack Horseman in a nutshell.

As someone who has developed head pains and stomach/chest pains from bad sleeping patterns, due to a writting obsession with my 8 HOURS DIFFERENCE friends, *please take care of yourselves everyone. Tomorrow is a better and healthier day. Please sleep properly*

Well, I am kinda of surprised that this ended up being one of the best video you made. Even beyond the realm or creatives, this represents way too many people active online. Including my past self, of course. Everytime I look back and realize how close I was to actually care about social media, I feel a chill going down my spine

The one thing not touched upon is how your work area is very often a dust magnet. The space I work at magically collects dust, and even when I get rid of it a day later it has returned.

I should build an air raid shelter into my house because these pieces of advice are hitting way too close to home

This is the most accurate description of my coping mechanisms and disorders have wreaked havoc on my life, but also the choices I made to change my behavior and actions to net a more positive outlook. It's hard work, but I'm so glad I escaped the self destructive spiral I used to be trapped in. Thanks terrible writing advice for the insight, I'm sorta okay with myself now.

I`m always concerned about how communitys at all glorify self-destructive habits like described here. I am a writer sleeping 8h, showering in schedule, having a social life and not even drinking alcohol. And what a shame did I had about this before.

Anyone else begging for JP to make a series called Terrible Life Advice?

Why did JP upload twice 😂 but I need to watch it again so I'm thankful still

Clicked on this the minute it's uploaded. Yes I'm a writer how did you know

My advice is to read re zero a time travel story about self care. It stopped me from committing suicide

I think what gets me most is the end of the line, "Even just for a little bit?" It feels so personal.

If being too happy is a problem, than being too sad is too.

Yeah I remember being in a bad mindset like this a few years ago. One of my knees still habitually hurts because of being sedentary for so long too. Glad to have improved a little.

Halloween episode dropped early this year

Jesus Christ. This video hit pretty hard. Been watching on and off since the video on Mary Sues, but my mental health is garbage. I hate living because my writing is in a fantasy setting, which in turn, is consistently much more interesting than reality. Yet, because I enjoy the sensation of living too much, and because my writing is pretty much my greatest reason for living in the first place, I continue to survive. Regarding the video, though, I love how the genuine advice can be clearly defined from the sarcastic comedy.

Boy, you couldn't have picked a better time to post this, a few weeks ago I had a proper mental breakdown and since then I keep having relapses. I'm going to try lowering my caffeine intake.

Thank you for another excellent video. It touches on a lot of important points, including mistaking unfiltered ideas for being more creative, draining all of those around you and using your mental state or psychological condition as an excuse for not trying. Although is it true that some things like chronic anxiety and depression can make it very difficult to function and live as satisfying of a life as someone not dealing with those conditions, it doesn't mean one should just give up. Your life will be more difficult living with these conditions but it is still possible to achieve some fulfillment in life.

The way to dig yourself out of a negative spiral is to first recognize youre in one, and accept that you need to do something about it. From there, its about taking small victories. Switch from a burrito to a burrito bowl to cut the carbs the tortilla gives. Watch yourself when you eat and ask every time if its because youre hungry or not. Watch yourself and ask yourself why youre doing what youre doing. For me, my depression is a protector. Its there to recognize when Im getting stressed out, and to make me give up on shit arbitrarily. Identifying big stressors in your life and avoiding them as best you can is part of it too. Depression is impossible to "beat". It'll always be with you, like a cleft lip. Learning how to live with it by minimizing its pitfalls is how you manage life with it. And, if you ever feel the extremes of it, use the lack of motivation depression gives you to just do it tomorrow/next week/next month/in a year. Its too much to push all the depression off yourself all at once. Just keep going one thing at a time.

I write 4-6 hours a night and feel writers are overshadowed by artists

Thank you for making this video. It's an important problem. Society romanticizes and glorifies overworking and lack of self care, or treats it like normal and says "You will get used to it." I'm now in first gade of highschool and I've been struggling with something similar for about 3 years. (And yes, I'm going to therapist, weekly. And no, I don't have sucidal thoughts or anything like that, don't worry.) My conversations with classmates are often something like this: Classmate: "Hey, how are you doing?" Me: "Could be better, I slept for like 4 hours, have a project due tommorow, I only had time to eat half a sandwich because I woke up to late. I also have to start writing my essay on philosophy and I haven't even started reading books I'm supposed to refference. And how about you?" I say it like if it was a joke, laughing. Because sometimes that's the only thing I can do. When I see all the sh*t going on in my country (Poland), in school, in my life, all i co do is laugh. Laugh out of helplessnes and frustration. I think it somehow helps me distance myself from all my problems while in class, or generally, around people. My classmates usually respond like this: "Similar. I still haven'd done the the citizenship essay and that math homework." And that's when the lessons starts or we switch to another topic. As i wrote before, I'm in first grade of highschool, people in my class heve never met before and I don't think we trust or know eachother well enough to speak about our struggles. I understand that. The only people I tell about all my problems are my best friend and my therapist. I don't tell my parents everything because I don't want them to worry. Knowing all that wouldn't help either them or me. I know it, it happened before. I often tell my classmates or my parents that I'm coping with it, when in reality I'm often not. I have a problem with procrastination and distractions, the only person that can help me with them is me. I just don't want that constant attention and people treating me like an eggshell that's about to break at anytime. It is a long comment, but I just had to let it out somewhere.

Thank you for this video, I've been struggling with similar problems (though not to this degree) recently, and you've really inspired me to stop the pity party and focus on the things that matter

Didn’t realize the reuploaded. Good for you on correcting the hotline number. This advice applies everyone on social media, riders and otherwise.