The Write Idea

This blog post was originally shared as part of a Winter Cleanse hosted and facilitated by the talented and generous Ellen Kittredge. Ellen asked me to share with 200+ participants the benefits of journaling as they participate in a 21 day cleanse (one I’ve participated in for 10+ years; it’s a great reset).

If you knew that only five minutes of writing could help change your perspective, notice a pattern or shift your mood, would you do it?

The impact of expressive writing has been studied for over 40 years in multiple areas of our lives (e.g., physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. James Pennebaker, a social scientist out UT Austin at Texas has been studying this very thing that entire time

So, what is journal therapy versus writing in a diary? The Center for Journal Therapy states journal therapy is the purposeful and intentional use of reflective writing to further mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health and wellness. It offers an effective means of providing focus and clarity to see issues, concerns, conflicts, and confusions.

Whereas a diary might be just cataloging daily events, we, as the writer, are focusing on our internal experiences.

In his book Opening Up: The Healing Power of Confiding in Others, Pennebaker asks the following questions:

Have you ever had a secret too shameful to tell?

Have you stopped yourself from disclosing a personal experience because you thought others would think less of you?

Have you ever told a stranger some of your darkest secrets that you have never divulged to your closest friend?

Have you ever lied to yourself by claiming that a major upheaval in your life didn’t affect you or perhaps didn’t occur?

He goes on to say if so, we may be hurting ourselves not because we’re having a hard time but because we haven’t or can’t express it.

With 40 years of research telling us that it works, that it helps and that it’s good for us, what have we got to lose?

The journal doesn’t have to be fancy; it can be a steno notebook from the dollar store. It’s personal; it’s private; it is a safe container.

In a journal article entitled Self-Care: My Responsibility, the writer states, in looking back over her life, taking care of your spiritual life is also part of self-care. Over three decades, she went to the mountains because that’s where she felt the most spiritually connected.

When it comes to making a choice about our bodies and “giving it a vacation” as I’ve often heard Ellen say about this cleanse, how can you use the journal to support yourself during these three weeks?

Here’s a prompt to kick it off:

Write a dialogue with your gut! You set it up as you would a play.

You: Hi Gut, thanks for meeting with me today.

Gut: You’re welcome!

You always thank your dialogue partner for showing up. Set a timer for 5 to 7 minutes and have the dialogue back-and-forth, letting it naturally unfold, not trying to plan it to see what happens. 

The last question in the dialogue is from you asking is there anything more?

Go back and read over what you’ve written. What did you notice? Is there new information there? Is there a pattern of response that you notice about yourself? All of this is very good data as it helps us see clearly what’s in front of us.

When I signed up for this cleanse the first time and sat in on a conference call for all the newcomers, I remember there being a wide range of over 100 people from all over the US and some from other countries participating. I’ll never forget a woman who was from New York who had a fantastic accent who stated she knew that this was a good idea to do this, that it would make things better on multiple levels, but, now that it was about to start, all she wanted to do was eat cheeseburgers and drink wine. 

I’ve also learned playing the long game for over a decade of doing this cleanse and working with Ellen one to one that it isn’t about never having a cheeseburger again. It’s about making choices for the long game of my health on all levels.

If you’re thinking along these lines like boy, I’m already missing that cheeseburger, maybe have a dialogue with the cheeseburger and see what happens.

If there’s some trepidation about the cleanse, maybe dialogue with fear: 

You: Hey Fear, thanks for showing up today.

Fear: No problem! I’m always available.

You can also write fear as a person. What does fear look like? Is fear young or old? Who are fear’s friends? What does fear eat for breakfast?

I have found that journaling for just five minutes can bring impactful information. Over time, I’ve witnessed others have transformative experiences through the journal.

The journal is never going to care about grammar or spelling or complete sentences. It’s never going to care if you intensely write, leaving indentations three pages deep. 

Keep your journal close. You might never know when you will want to write about something that is occurring to you in this journey with our gut (which  in my experience has been as spiritual as it has been practical).

There’s always the option of writer’s choice which is to write about whatever you want. But do it for just a short time, 5 to 7 minutes, then read it over and give yourself that reflective write about what you noticed or what surprised you or what is coming up again and again. What is your gut telling you?

Try this out and let me know how it goes! You can send me an email at fsconsulting2013@gmail.com