Have you ever been in that place when you felt intense sadness, anxiety, or anger without really knowing why? Maybe you know the reasons but you can’t identify the real source of such strong emotions?
Let’s say your dog took a shoe and you go crazy over such a simple thing that she’s done hundreds of times before. You never reacted that way before but now you get to the point of yelling and punishing her for being a dog. You think it’s the dog, but the reason is somewhere deeper in your subconsciousness. When you try to articulate it, you can’t. So you remain stuck in the whirlpool of bad emotions, hoping you’ll suppress them.
No; you shouldn’t suppress them. You need to express them!
Writing can help with that. Journaling on a daily basis puts you in direct contact with your emotions. It forces you to name your feelings and be honest with yourself, recognizing them just as they are. When you get used to freewriting, it will take you to the root of those bad emotions.
What’s Freewriting, Exactly?
Freewriting is a pretty simple concept. It doesn’t have a learning curve. You just need some practice to learn how to let go and give yourself permission to write anything that comes to your mind.
This is how you practice freewriting:
- Sit in a quiet space where you won’t be distracted. Get a piece of paper and a pen. You may also get a notebook that you’ll solely use for freewriting. If you prefer writing on the computer, you’ll simply open a blank document.
- This is your prompt: how do I feel?
- Challenge yourself to write about the things that disturb you the most. It wasn’t the dog. It was something you’ve been avoiding to address. It was a step you’ve been avoiding to take. Write about it!
- Just write. That’s it! Write whatever thought that comes to your mind, no matter how crazy it seems and no matter how much other people would judge you for it. Do not try to stop or redirect your mind. Just follow its flow.
- Don’t worry about grammar, spelling and punctuation. The point of freewriting is to get your thoughts on paper. Grammar has nothing to do with your emotions. You won’t publish this anywhere, so it doesn’t matter.
- If you get to a block, just keep your hands moving. If, for example, you can’t think of anything to write, just repeat the same things you already wrote. Freewriting will guide your mind in a different direction.
Turn Freewriting into a Habit
Some people think they can’t write, so they never start journaling. Remember this: everyone can express themselves. Maybe this expression won’t be impressive.
Maybe you won’t turn yourself into the next Tolstoy if you start writing. But your skill is not important at this point. The process is what matters.
Even if you have zero confidence in your writing skills, you should still do it. This will be a simple journal that no one will access but you.
If you come to a point when you want to publish the things you’ve written because you believe they might help other people deal with bad emotions, then you’ll edit. For that purpose, you may simply hire a service like BrillAssignment.co.uk and the editors will improve your content. For now, just focus on being yourself.
To turn journaling into a habit, you need to do it every single day. 10-20 minutes will be enough, so lack of time shouldn’t be an excuse. You can’t get ten minutes on your own because your home is crowded? Well you may still find a solution: install a note-taking app on your phone and take it t the bathroom with you. No one will disturb you there.
So no excuses, okay?
So You Start Writing. Then What?
The point of this practice is to set your emotions free. If you’re going through a really difficult period of your life, your mind is suffocated with bad thoughts. You need to let them go. When you express them in writing, the things you experience suddenly seem less serious. Seeing them on paper puts you in the role of a reader. You see them as something happening to a character. You isolate your ego, so it’s easier for you to think of reasonable solutions.
The most important thing is to stop judging yourself. You’re allowed to have bad thoughts and emotions. You’re just human. If you realize that some of the things you’ve been feeling are not good, it’s a good thing. Stop judging yourself for something you’ve thought or felt and start thinking about ways to improve your emotional wellbeing. Now that you identified the problems, it should be easier for you to deal with them.
Writing about your emotions is an incredibly effective tool for self-discovery. Depending on the quality of your writing and your drive to have your thoughts and content seen, you could turn it into a selling point for a book or an ebook. Not everyone knows how to get to that point though and there’s nothing wrong with that. Feel free to look online for solutions if you’re asking yourself how do you get a book published and make your own next steps into the journey from there. In addition, the more deeply you go into your thoughts, the more you’ll know about yourself. You might identify the main causes of your suffering, so you’ll address them instead of addressing the effects.
Author Bio: Ellie Chapman is a freelance writer, content manager, and blogger. She loves to read good books, travel and take pictures on her digital camera.
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I agree with everything you shared in this post. Journaling is one of the best stress relievers and tools for self-discovery. I always sleep so much better when I journal before bed, compared to when I don’t.
Absolutely. I tend to journal in the mornings and evenings, but then do a ‘brain dump’ before going to sleep as my brain tends to be a bit ‘over-active’ when it’s time to sleep.
Lovely post! I’m currently doing NaNoWriMo and I feel this is just the pep talk I needed…! Freewriting definitely works for me but I struggle to be ‘free’ with it sometimes, I find myself questioning or trying to edit. These were some great tips on how to manage that. Thank you for sharing.
I am glad you found this helpful, I too struggle at times with free-writing as I most of the time end up editing it.