Ariadne's Journey
Journaling
Ariadne’s Thread: The Journey of BODY-MIND-SPIRIT recommends a tool to take with you on your journey. It becomes a constant companion and brings illumination when things get dark. The Journal is a companion to “record experiences, ideas, or reflections that are kept regularly for private use.” These definitions of journal are a great beginning, but let’s dive deeper into journaling.
I have been writing in some form much of my life. When you create a practice of writing it begins to peel the mind away and reveal the heart. It becomes a mirror and reveals to you what is deep inside that wants to reveal itself. Often, when you look back on what you have written, there are feelings of “aha” or “surprise” that lead to wonder about where those words came from.
The most powerful experience in my healing journey was having a place to put my pain. It would flow out of me onto the page, and when I was done, I felt as though I had released something. Writing can be powerful, revealing, cathartic, and nourishing.
Listed below are the different forms of writing I have included in my journey, each powerful in its own right. And each came along at a different time. I encourage you to try them and see which one meets your needs.
Forms of Writing
- Journal – writing every day about my life and my feelings.
- Gratitude journal – each day, writing down at least three things I was grateful for that day.
- Writing – in capturing my family and history, I wrote a story about my grandmother, another about a trip home when my mother had Alzheimer’s, A story about my son with autism and how incredibly difficult that was, and others.
- Poetry – this became an easel to write about the pain; there was something about the metered length of the phrase that allowed my pain to come out easily.
I hope you will try one or all of these forms. Looking back on all my writing has helped me measure the immense change in my life.
In the next Wisdom entry, I will talk more in-depth about each form of writing and share some references. Meanwhile, think of what kind of pen and notebook you would like to write in. There are thousands of options, including plain notebook paper.