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It's Friday, Reader! The weekend may not mean total rest and relaxation but let's try to give you a little more emotional space for the weekend, shall we? Yesterday I had the privilege of introducing a group of ex-convicts and addicts to the power of therapeutic writing. They really got into it, even the guy who told me he doesn't like writing, nor doing what people tell him to do. But by the end of the hour, he was super engaged and looking forward to our next class in a couple weeks. I make it easy. Because therapeutic writing isn't about writing beautiful prose, or crafting something you want to share with others. It's just for you. Write down the hard stuff. Let it go. With the guys, we talked a lot about feelings and letting ourselves feel our feelings - the page being one place we can give those feelings space without risking too much vulnerability. It's can be a safe way to process our inner world. So I want to suggest to you something the guys and I talked a lot about yesterday: naming your feelings. Name all the different emotions/feelings you felt this week. If you feel drawn to writing a few sentences about one of those feelings, go for it. BUT, if you do that with a difficult emotion, don't hang out there too long. Express yourself, and let it go. Maybe do a positive feeling after the more difficult one if you feel like you're a little stuck in the yuck. That's it. Name your feelings. It's amazing how powerful it can be to just be honest with yourself. 'til next time, Parrish |
Weaving together the worlds of psychology, creativity and feminist spirituality, I craft introspective and transformative therapeutic writing experiences - including every Friday for those on my email list. Subscribe and learn how to use writing to decrease stress, process your emotions and boost your spirits!
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