Writing is therapy
Life has been kicking my ass lately. It’s a “one step forward, two steps back” phase.
But the difference now, compared to similar times in the past, is that I’ve been writing. Writing online, writing in my journal, or just thinking about things I want to write.
And I’ve noticed that when the dark waters are getting too high, and I feel myself sinking, writing is my life preserver.
You can write about anything really. Sometimes I open up my journal and pour out a bunch of self-pitying crap I’d be embarrassed for anyone to read.
Other times I write bad poetry (like, really bad) that makes me laugh, or gets me thinking creatively.
I’ll write romantic poems about no one in particular, and write letters to people (in particular), that I never plan to send.
The point is, right when I feel I’m drowning, I write.
And before I know it, I look around, the waters have receded, and I have the energy to keep moving forward.
For me it’s writing. For someone else, it’s yoga, dancing, singing, painting, drawing, crocheting.
It can be anything, but it’s important that it’s a creative endeavor.
What’s most interesting is even if I don’t write about the thing that’s bothering me, I still feel drastically better afterwards. There’s something magical about the act of creating.
If you, like me, are wading in your own dark waters right now, hop in the lifeboat with me.
Create something, anything. And do it as much and as often as you can. It doesn’t have to be good.
In fact, if you struggle to create because you can’t accept that it doesn’t have to be good, I challenge you to PURPOSELY create something bad.
Whatever you do, create.
Create, create, create.
Eventually, we’ll have traversed this ocean, and found solid ground.
And then we’ll keep creating. To build our strength, and prepare our minds, for the next time the waters rise.