Write to free yourself
“Whatever my pen can name, my pen can defeat.” — Patricia Smith, poet
This line is part of a poem recently shared in my writing group. It’s just one line of the poem, but these words just jumped out at me.
It’s been my goal to share and convey my stories in a way that makes a difference for others to understand, to connect with, to help them not feel isolated in their own circumstances, and I’ve done this through the constancy of keeping a journal. This began very early in my health experience and I’ve used it ever since to track where I am physically but especially where I am emotionally
The journaling process was and remains so helpful in this space. If you can name the pain or trouble, the fear or concerns, and put them down on paper, they are kept there for safe keeping. With this simple action, this can allow you to defeat what that fear or trouble tries to take away from you. It can free your mind and remove the tension and anxiety from your body that can happen when we store these things inside and try to continually resolve. Like a bad looping recording, these issues and worries have a way of twisting around. But when deposited into a safe place—that nice little journal you’re carrying around—they are reduced and invalidated. Giving too much energy to them isn’t helpful when you need to heal or rest.
We owe it to ourselves to create that space in our minds and bodies to help us be at peace, to sleep, to create, to innovate, and to thrive. It’s important to regain control of our lives. To be present in the light.
The reminder of how powerful the use of writing can be, and how freeing, was succinctly phrased by this lovely poet. I’ve put pen to paper anytime it was needed. And I treasure these notebooks of the good and bad, complex and simple, bland and colorful.
Find a book that appeals to you along with a nice writing pen. Try writing for even 10 minutes a day and put down whatever comes to mind. As you continue this practice, you’ll find there are more things you’ll want to say to yourself in a fresh and open way. Don’t worry about how it sounds or whether it’s grammatically correct or well stated. You don’t even need complete sentences! Just start the act of writing and purging and thinking and suddenly it will flow.
That 3am wake up time for no reason at all? When your head is spinning? Write down every single thing that troubles you at that moment and give it a safe space so it’s not forgotten. Then go back to sleep (deep breathing helps) and leave it till the next day.
Name the concern, write it down. Defeat the issue and feel stronger within yourself.
Pen to paper——ready? Begin!
