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Musings on Meditation and Art

Journaling to Assist during Uncertain Times

3/22/2020

4 Comments

 
Picture
 ​“In the journal I do not just express myself more openly than I could to any person; I create myself.”  ~Susan Sontag
 
I wish I had a magic wand and could tell you what will happen with the coronavirus and how it will impact each of us, but I don’t.  What I plan to do with this blog and future blogs is share techniques that have worked for me during other challenging times.  I hope they offer you some ideas, practices and ways to cope.  Plus, I hope that after each blog post, you click on Comment and share your ideas on the topic, so we can all learn and grow because we are all in this together.
 
I grew up in a dysfunctional family.  As a child, I thought that if I just controlled everything at home, then things would be fine and my parents wouldn’t be angry, drink or give me the “silent treatment.”  I tried to be the perfect child, kept the house clean, cooked the meals, stayed quiet and didn’t make a mess. I falsely believed that I had control over life situations and their outcome.  However, as I have matured (okay at least aged), I have come to understand that I didn’t have any control over my home life as a child and I don’t have control over anything in my life now except my reaction to what is happening.  We are living in uncertain times, no one knows what is going to happen. Even if you didn’t grow up in a dysfunctional family, most of us try to control life and we plan and think if we do X, Y, and Z then everything will be fine and we will be secure and happy. Covid-19 is teaching all of us that we are not in control.
 
One of the ways I have dealt with uncertain times in my life is through journaling.  Daily journaling is the best, but the reality is that I only get to it a few days a week. Journaling allows me to express exactly what I am feeling, without filters, as I know that no one else is going to read what I write.  I can express my anger, rage, fears, depression, anxiety or any other emotion I am experiencing.  My cousin, Ashley Updegraff, just wrote a passionate Pandemic blog entry about how mad, sad and worried she is about the current situation.  Ashley shares, "It’s okay for you to voice your frustration and your anger and your grief. It’s okay for you to share your worries and concerns. It’s more than okay—it’s necessary." You don’t have to share what you are writing with anyone like she did, but the point is that she authentically expressed what she is feeling and so should you. 
 
Expressing emotions is very important, because as I child I learned that we should stuff our emotions.  As an adult, I know that stuffing emotions is bad for our health and it invalidates our feelings.  Suppressing emotions puts physical stress on the body that can lead to issues with memory, aggression, anxiety and depression. Journaling helps me to validate my feelings and express them so I get them out and they do not become trapped in my body.  Many times, just expressing my emotions in the journaling process makes me feel better.  I also use journaling to express positive emotions and all I am grateful for in life.
 
A journal is a listening device.  It is our friend.  Mina Murray states, “Journaling is like whispering to one's self and listening at the same time.” As I journal, answers or ideas about ways to deal with my anger or worries come to me through the pen. I don’t always get the answers right away, but if I pay attention and am open to listening for answers they appear in unique ways.  I might get an email message or text that has just what I need to hear, or I am with a friend who shares something they learned and it was just what I was writing about in my journal.  The more often I journal, the more easily the answers come to me.  
 
If you don’t currently have a journaling practice, you might want to know how to start.  I just simply start free-flow writing.  I set a minimum limit of two pages of college-ruled paper or you can set a time limit. You can set a 10-minute timer if that works better as a minimum – I usually write longer than that, but if you are just beginning you want to make sure you don’t give up too soon. I don’t judge what I am writing, I just let it flow.  In the beginning, I would write things like “I don’t know why I am writing.  I don’t have anything to say.”  But, as I continued to write the thoughts that popped into my head, the deeper issues, fears, concerns or gratitude would start to come out.  As with anything in life, it takes practice. I know some people find it difficult, but I think it is worth giving it a chance to see the benefits. Now is the perfect time to try journaling if you are quarantined.  Give it a try and see if it works for you.
 
Share your journaling process and how it helps you process the uncertainties of life.
4 Comments
Carol Bjelland link
3/23/2020 09:10:50 am

Thank you so much for this and for sharing your personal experiences. I grew up in a similar way, and letting go of wanting to control is very hard to do. I thought I had made progress in the last years, and I had, but this is a new challenge once again for me. Probably for all of us.

Reply
Peggy
3/23/2020 04:42:05 pm

Thank you so much for sharing Carol. I want this to be a place for us to share how this is impacting use and I appreciate you making the effort.

I think many of us grew up this way, but in my family perception was everything and we had to look like the "ideal" family, so from others looking in, we looked normal. I learned many coping skills that served me as a child, but they are no longer helpful.

Journaling helps me get it out. We all need outlets to release what we are feeling. Good Luck!

Reply
Marianne Cannon
3/23/2020 10:48:11 am

I love to be reminded of the value of journaling. I have spiral binder notebooks filled with reflections. In more recent years, my favorite way to journal is by using an app called PAPER and my apple pen to draw and write in categories!

For example, my categories include: Weekly reflecting and planning, What really mattered to me this week.What will I remember, Today I learned ..., Praise and thankfulness to others, and Goal journal. I also keep journals about self-help books I’m reading and my reflections about them. For instance, I have one titled, Dale Carnegie and continuous improvement daily reflections.

I also love being able to sketch and draw in this app. Often my reflections illicit artful thinking. I often draw or import a picture to go with my thoughts.

It’s also a very convenient way to be able to go back and look at my thinking, so that I can just enjoy it (Or not!) add to it, or begin another category.

Thanks so much for your “ Musings”, Peggy. Once again you remind me how to stay calm and forward thinking.

Reply
Peggy
3/23/2020 04:45:56 pm

Marianne,
WOW thank you for sharing ALL of these great ideas. I love them and will incorporate some of them into my journaling. Most of my journals are positive, but during this time of uncertainty, I wanted to get people seeing what a great tool it can be when you are scared.

I will have to check out the Paper app. I love learning new things and during this time of isolation, there are still many ways we can help one another like you have.

Keep up the great journaling

Reply



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    Peggy Steffens is an artist and Chopra Certified Meditation Instructor


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