If there’s one thing that every single writer on the planet knows, it’s that writer’s block sucks. Many non-writers live under the impression that authors complete their writing in a seamless flow with a cup of tea at their side on a crisp, autumn afternoon.

However, the truth is anything but that. Most writers find themselves staring at their walls with blank, baggy eyes for three and a half hours while they attempt to figure out the proper way to organize a sentence about a character walking on a beach.

It’s easy to tell a writer to just get words down on a paper, but that’s like telling an engineer to just build a bridge without doing the math first.

While planning out a story, writers have a million things rushing through their heads at once: Which character to include in what scene, how the plot moves from point A to point B, if they’re using too many adverbs and adjectives, if a certain word or phrase has shown up too many times on a single pages—the list goes on.

All of these different thoughts create a blockage in our minds, like a wad of hair stuck in a drain pipe, so new ideas can’t flow through.

Writer’s block is the bane of every writer’s existence, as it’s something that holds us back from tackling ideas we really want to share with others. Moving that thick, sticky wad out from the pipes in our brain can feel nearly impossible at times, and the stress that having writer’s block creates usually just leads to the wad growing and growing.

Sometimes this can cause writers to become discouraged and abandon wonderful ideas altogether because they can’t get that flow moving again and push forward with it.

Writer’s block doesn’t need to be the be all, end all for a potentially incredible work—it’s just about getting the right tools in the drain to get rid of that blockage for good. Once you’re able to do that, you’ll find that the ideas start to move again and your fingers are glued back to the keyboard so you can pump out that story.

One of the biggest things to keep in mind while facing writer’s block is that stress and frustration are only going to add to it and make the block harder to get rid of. It’s important to take time away from your writing and absorb yourself in something relaxing — whether that’s taking a walk, watching Netflix, or maybe petting your dog.

Being able to distress lets your mind ease up on the tension it’s experiencing, and taking the time to properly unwind lets you go back to your work with fresh eyes. You might find when you get back that you were just overthinking things, and something you hated before doesn’t actually sound so bad now.

As far as unwinding is concerned, doing something like listening to music is a good way to get rid of stress and get some new ideas going. I’ve found that taking a walk while listening to music on my iPod gets my mind racing and my heart pumping in a way that gets me stoked to think of new ideas for my stories and characters. Music can give you a sense of excitement to dive back into writing that you didn’t have before, as it can provide you with fresh ideas and themes you hadn’t worked with already.

Consider putting together a playlist of songs with lyrics that connect to the story you’re attempting to write, and give it a listen when you’re feeling stumped.

Music isn’t the only way to get new ideas, though. Try taking the time to talk to other writers about things you’re feeling stuck on or need help with, as they could be able to provide some valuable insight. Having a community of creators at your side can be a really valuable resource for writers — whether it’s a school club, an internet chatroom, or a singular friend with an interest in your work. Other people can help you tackle your struggles and offer you a deeper insight in places where it’s most needed, especially if certain ideas you have just aren’t working and need a critique or general fixing.

While writer’s block really sucks, it’s not impossible to overcome when you have resources available to you that let you open your mind and look at things from a new perspective. The most important factor in overcoming writer’s block is allowing yourself to loosen up a little so you can create space for new ideas to flow through.

The next time you’re staring at your blank laptop screen at 3 a.m. with bags under your eyes, maybe shut things down for the night, listen to a little music, and get a good night’s sleep — who knows what ideas a well-rested mind may bring tomorrow!