Have you ever felt confused in a time of uncertainty, overwhelmed with emotions, and racing thoughts clouding your mind?
You are certainly not the only one! I’m right there with you.
We all experience challenges: difficult relationships, financial issues, loss and grief, or health problems. Every so often, we all need to clear our head without talking to someone. Just us and our thoughts.
Sketching or drawing allows us to express ourselves when we don’t have words. Doodling can be a meditative process, which helps us to quiet the mind. So does coloring in simple or complex shapes like the ones you can find in adult coloring books or design yourself.
Journaling is another approach to clear the head. Informal writing, not to be shared with anyone (unless you want to). No focus on grammar or correct spelling, no need for structure like introduction – body – conclusion. No editing, no censorship.
Writing by hand, the old-fashioned way, allows us to connect with our inner self in a way that the computer screen cannot provide. There is an intimate connection between the hand, the pen and the paper, which brings out an openness and a sincerity about the joy, the pain and the confusion we are feeling. Without a doubt, keeping a journal or a diary, writing down our daily gratitude or documenting our experiences, helps in times of challenges. I enjoy writing myself, and I can’t tell you how many times I gained clarity simply by writing down the thoughts swirling around in my head, doing mind-mapping or making flow charts.
If you haven’t tried it yet, I encourage you to sketch or write. If you are new to journaling, I’m happy to send you “Get to Know Yourself Through Writing – 12 Prompts to Start Journaling” for free (just click on the link). The PDF file also touches on some other ideas that might inspire you to take up writing.
Whatever it is that helps you – sketching, drawing, journaling, writing poems, short stories, or a memoir – gain clarity by expressing yourself!
Christine
