Knowing you aren’t alone is power.

I recently read about a friendship study that involved a steep hill, a heavy backpack, and about 30 university students. 

Students were fitted with a backpack full of free weights equivalent to 20 percent of their body weight. They stood at the base of a hill on the University of Virginia campus with a 26-degree incline. Wearing the heavy backpack, they had to imagine climbing that hill and guess the incline. When a student stood alone, he or she tended to guess that the hill was very steep. But when they stood next to a friend, the hill didn’t look as daunting. 

(From How to Be Better at Stress, by Tara Parker-Pope, in The New York Times)

Right? I love this friendship science!

Our friends and connections influence how we see reality. Our network shapes how we see our world. 

Knowing you’re not alone is a power move. 

Working with a friend can turn an impossible problem into a puzzle that’s actually fun to solve.

The next time you’re stumped by a writing problem, reach out to someone. Try not to fester at your desk any longer than 30 minutes, tops. 

Give yourself permission to ask for what you need. 

“I’m stuck. Can you ask me questions about my story?”

“Do you have ten minutes? I really need a sounding board.”

Sometimes, just having a friend listen as talk about your story problem is enough. 

You’ll be able to solve it yourself, once you know your friend is standing beside you.

If you’re looking for a writing friend, and a network that helps you see the possibilities in your writing, join us in Centered.

xo,

Photo credit (top): Thomas Lipke on Unsplash.