Category: Newsletter

 

Commitment and practice are powerful partners.

                                                       Sarah Jane Pennington

 

The importance of practicing

How does a potter craft a perfectly balanced vase? She practices.

How do you become an accomplished musician? You practice.

How do you become proficient in a sport? You practice.

How do you become adept at a task? You practice.

How do you sustain healthy teeth and gums? You brush every day.

How do you master all of the Tai Chi sequence? You practice.

How do you nurture mental health every day? You practice.

How do you become a reflective person? You practice.

Have you something that you would like to do better than you presently do? Is it mastering something physical? Is it developing emotional or social skills that would help you live with less strife? What is a small thing which if you mastered, would add to the quality of your life? What is it that interferes with your ability to enjoy where you are, what you are doing, and who you are with?

 

What is practicing?

Basically, practicing is improving or refining something that is desirable and important to you. We improve our practice in order to improve our results.

All of us are already practicing many different things throughout our days. Some practice humor, some practice competence, some practice kindness, some practice fairness, some practice taking control, some practice strength, and some practice being difficult.

One of the tenants of consistent mental health is “if you want something different in your life, you have to do something different.” That means practicing.

 

Improving your nature

Every day, we encounter evidence of the stress imposed by our complex culture. The impatient driver, the short-tempered colleague, the discouraged student, the dispassionate clerk, the neglectful neighbor. COVID has magnified many of the issues by accelerating constant change, imposing unusual expectations, contributing to isolation, and assigning unexpected consequences in our life over which we have little or no control. Media contributes by selectively focusing on the aberrant.

It is important to remember the courteous driver, the supportive team member, the dedicated student, the compassionate clerk, or the helpful neighbor. It would be easy to forget the many acts of kindness that demonstrate people’s willingness to lend a hand during difficult times.

Practice is often associated with the physical dimension of our lives – learning to swim, learning to drive safely, increasing our ability to do something physical. However, it is equally important to practice behaviors that develop qualities that help us maintain a balanced perspective. With Covid or without Covid, achieving/sustaining a positive sense of well-being takes practice.

It takes practice to develop a commendable character, to become a person whose values are a solid balance of our relationship to the greater good.

Many people are unskilled at even the smallest self-sacrifice. They are accustomed to instant gratification.  Delayed gratification is annoying to them. They want what they want when they want it. A friend recently captured the essence of the consequences of this kind of attitude saying, “The thrust of humanity to live in the kingdom of self has taken its toll and we are all paying the price.”

 

Beginning your practice

Change begins with a decision. Commitment to that decision brings practicing.

Marion Roach Smith in The Memoir Project says that it is never too late or too early to begin. She is referring to writing. In reality, the statement holds true for many aspects of our lives.

If you wanted to change something about the way you live life, what would it be? It needn’t be huge. Do you need more or less structure in your life?  What aspect of your character would you like to further develop? What practice would contribute to your mental well-being?

Sometimes before we can embrace a new practice, we need to relinquish an old practice. What practice might you need to let go of before you can focus consistently on the person you want to become? Do you tend to procrastinate? Do you feel entitled? Do you blame others for how you feel? Do you want to be rescued? Do you avoid asking others for help? Do you have fear or anger as your “go to button”? Do you act before you have thought something through? Do you hold on to resentments?

We don’t learn to swim with one lesson. Similarly, we don’t succeed in our aspirations to live life differently without intentionally setting out to do so. Change takes practice. Practice needn’t feel painful. It can actually feel rewarding in and of itself.

If you practice forgiveness, you become more forgiving. If you practice tolerance, you become more patient. If you practice smiling, you will be more fun. If you practice mindfulness, you will become more calm. If you practice gratitude, you will become more grateful.

Does practice make perfect?  Probably not. Practice is a series of successive approximations. That’s why we need to begin over and over again. Each day, we can start over. Over time, our practice can become our personal way to sustain our mental health.

What is your way of bringing about change. Some people need to follow a recipe. Here is a helpful site on how to develop new habits. Other people do well finding their own way. The way that works for you is the way that works best for you.

Remember, many people find writing helpful.

 

The role of writing

Writing can help us name what we want and therefore what we need to practice. Putting our intention and our progress on paper reminds us that we are in charge of our inner lives even when our lives are affected by factors outside of our control. As we learn to notice the lives that we live, we increasingly understand that our inner life is a continuous statement of what we have been doing.

Just start writing. Write about how and why you want to live life differently. Write about your commitment to purpose-driven-change. Record your progress and your shortfalls.

Matt Lillywhite points out that developing a writing practice itself can change your life.

 

Recommended readings

The Gratitude Diaries

Janice Kaplan, a journalist, makes a New Year’s resolution to be grateful and look on the bright side of whatever happens. She realizes that how she feels over the next twelve months will have less to do with the events that occur than with her own attitude and perspective. Over the year, she consults with psychologists, scholars, teachers, doctors, and philosophers sharing with the reader her witty journey to discover the value of appreciating what you have. Relying on her personal experience of practising gratitude and her research, the author explores how gratitude can transform every aspect of life including marriage, friendship, finances, ambition, and health.

 

Research

Developing and executing rituals is known to effect outcomes. One approach to rituals is to think of them as helping to establish habits. Another is to think of them as helping with a specific issue in your life. In both cases, writing out the ritual is helpful.

 

Writing Strategy of the Month:

        Using ritual to develop a practice: (May 2021)

Testing your resolve

How long does it take to develop a new or release an old habit?

The time that it takes varies. It varies depending on our level of commitment, the practice that you are developing, and the support you have or need. With a “thirty-day challenge”, it is common to successfully establish a new healthy ritual.

However, choose the duration that you prefer, if you differ.

A duration too short will be ineffective; a duration too long will be tedious.

Thirty-day challenge:

• Identify a new practice that you want to develop or an old one you want to release.
• Write out clearly what you will practice each day for 30 days. Keep it simple.
• Include writing about your practice each day.
• Print out a one-month calendar. Each day that you do the ritual, cross off one day.
• At the end of a month, reflect on how your developing practice is progressing.

 

Photo Question of the month

 

Using the above image as a prompt, please write about what you would like to do well on a consistent basis? Then write about how you experience life differently once your practice becomes more consistent.

 

Nourish your inner author,

                                       and she will flourish.

           Starve your inner author,

                                       and she will perish.

                                                        Sarah Jane Pennington

 

Your Inner Author 

Your inner author is that voice within you that keeps saying, “It’s my turn. I have something to say. You are always finding reasons for us not to write. Please listen.”

Whether you write the occasional poem, pour your heart out onto the pages of a journal, have a writing project underway, are intent on publishing an article, or aspire to writing your memoirs, you need the cooperation of your inner author.

You want to write. You want to journal. But, it’s not happening. You think about writing, but somehow your fingers don’t land on the keyboard. Even when you settle down with a cup of tea, get out your favorite pen or stash of sharpened pencils, it is just not happening. You wonder if it is ever going to happen.

You keep promising yourself that you will take the time, if not daily or weekly, for that writing retreat. Which writing retreat? The one you keep not taking.

You talk yourself into doing a little more research before you begin. You wonder if you would benefit from a co-author. You soothe yourself by understanding you have a lot on your plate and yet, you want to write. You need to write. You feel called to write.

Your Call to Writing

You may have started to write something but you stall easily. Other priorities sneak in. Doubt creeps in. The call to writing slips into the recesses of the busyness of life.  The inner author goes silent again. It waits for you to notice the call to write.

The call might be reflective writing – journaling to provide insight into your inner life. There is evidence that written disclosure to oneself has psychological and physical benefits. This kind of writing deepens one’s understanding of one’s self and the contexts in which we live.

For example, you have a call to write that letter in your head to the brother-in law who conned your parents into supporting his ill-conceived dream. You have never put it on paper before. You fear you might send it. You have never explored how you really feel about what happened. Your inner author is ready to journey there when you are.

The call might be to record your legacy. As one older gentleman said about writing his memoirs, “I am not sure why I am writing this. I know that my dad loved me but I didn’t really know my dad. He died when I was 25.  I want my kids to know their dad, to understand who I am and what I value.”

The call might be to writing professionally, perhaps even a book. You may even have a title in mind. Or different still, you have always wanted to entertain. You tell great stories, particularly light-hearted ones.

Your inner author would actually love to cooperate with you in one of these calls to writing.

Getting to know your inner author

You might be surprised how much you already know about your inner author. Begin by reflecting on a series of questions:

• What events and people have influenced the development of my inner author?
• What is my present relationship with writing or with journaling?
• How would I rate my adequacy as a writer?
• How do I feel about my competency as a writer?
• What are my present writing practices?
• Under what conditions does my inner author feel most supported?
• Who is supportive or non-supportive of my inner author?
• What are the most common barriers my inner author encounters?
• How open is he or she to feedback?
• Would my inner author like to be a published author?

Some additional ideas about getting to know your writing self can be found in the “Outline for the Inner Author Workshop”.

What discourages the inner author? 

     The inner critic

It is hard when someone gives us difficult-to-hear feedback on our writing. It is even more damaging if our inner critic joins in with discouraging messages like:

“Writing is silly, what’s the point?

“What makes you think anyone would even be interested?”

“You were never good at English.”

“You have more important things to do.”

“You can’t handle rejection.”

Although your inner author can transcend disparaging remarks, it is often handcuffed by criticism and may retreat until you garner more confidence. There is never a positive outcome when you speak out against your inner author.

Encouragement to take an occasional writing course is perhaps warranted. A journaling course could give you multiple strategies for reflecting on your life. A short editing course could save you hours in the long run. The challenge is not to avoid writing by taking course after course after course, but to choose one that will foster an increased confidence.

If you want to write, write. If you just want to talk about writing, that’s different.

Writers write. They don’t always write well but they write.

     Distractions

There is no question that if you have the resources to create a writing space – the time and place to write, the opportunities to write are greater. However, many a would-be writer has discovered that with more time and resources, they don’t necessarily put pen to paper.

There is always something else to attend to:

Pack for the weekend.               Plan for guests.           Write that letter.

Bake that cake.            Send that special card.            Visit Grandma.

Make that appointment.        Call that friend.        Order that gift.        Read to Janie.

Wash that track suit.        Buy hearing aid batteries for Dad.     Groom the dog.

Prepare a low-calorie cheesecake.     Write my member of parliament.

Repair the car.   Fix the kitchen tap. Sew on that button. Re-do the guest room.

Attend Bobby’s ball game.    Arrange an on-line meeting.   Order that book.

And it goes on …. and …. on.

Little wonder that—

Some days the Muse doesn’t visit at all. (The muse is your creative side/self.)

     Procrastination

Distraction goes hand in hand with procrastination. It is not always distraction that pushes the would-be writing towards “maybe tomorrow or next week” or “maybe when I retire.”

The more clear the mission and the greater the commitment to your writing, the better words will find their way onto your page. The answer to a well-defined focus is not always a rigid outline. Rather it is allowing the purpose of your writing to emerge.

John Cousineau, author of The Art of Pilgrimage recommends, “If in doubt, write.” Stephen King has often been quoted of as saying he doesn’t know what he is going to write about until he writes it.

Action is the antidote to procrastination. Writing is the required action.  If you want to understand yourself better, just write. If you are uncertain what you want to say in your letter to the editor, just write. If that story that is aching to be told isn’t yet clear, just write. See what comes forward. With exploration, vague ideas transform to lucid thoughts. At some point, you will go, “Yes, that’s it. That’s what I want to write.”

Encouraging the Inner Author

What encouragement do you need in order to begin/continue writing about what you are drawn to?

• The encouragement to begin?
• The encouragement to ask for help?
• The encouragement to send your inner critic on a long overdue holiday?
• Encouragement to follow your heart?
• Encouragement to take time when seemingly other things are awaiting you?
• Encouragement to experiment with different genres?
• Encouragement to write what author Ann Lamott in Bird by Bird calls “a shitty first draft”?

Although later revisions are not a fun part of writing, they are an essential part of the process of writing something well. But, being fussy with your first draft is rarely helpful.

Recommended reading

Living Life as a Writer is an enjoyable and encouraging book that draws in the reader with engaging photographs, inspirational quotes, and the right mix of humor and insight.

With each richly described segment of this lighthearted reflection on the author’s relationship to writing, you may find yourself with similar  day to day challenges encountered while writing.

Research

Writing Power: Kent State Professor Studies Benefits of Writing Gratitude Letters.

This study examined the effects of writing letters of gratitude on happiness, life satisfaction, and depression. The more letters that people wrote, the greater their happiness and life satisfaction, and the greater their decrease in symptoms of depression.

This expanded version of the study was published in the 2012 Journal of Happiness Studies 13(1):187-201.

 Strategy of the Month

      Letters

The art of letter writing was once a primary means of communication. Letters, (sent or unsent), allow us to put our thoughts and feelings onto paper as if we are speaking to someone. Letters give us a voice. In letters, we can express the entire range of our emotional response, from gratitude to resentment and beyond. Often letters are a way of dealing with “unfinished” business.  John Evans in an article published in the March 24, 2014 edition of

Psychology Today suggests various motivations that lend themselves to letter writing that include but are not limited to offering condolences, asking forgiveness, or expressing gratitude.

Letters that you intend to send will hopefully have a positive intent and a measured tone. If you have any hesitancy in sending a letter with strong emotional content, let it sit for a few days. Revisit the letter asking yourself, “How would I feel it I received this letter?”

Unsent letters allow us an uncensored one-way conversation with someone. You can even write a letter to someone who is no longer present in our life. Begin by writing whatever you want to say. You can write more than one draft of a letter. With each draft, your thoughts may further clarify. You can also experiment with writing letters of various lengths about the same issue.

     Priming the pump

Who would appreciate receiving a letter from you? What do you hope the tone and content of it would be?

Who would you appreciate receiving a letter from?  What do you hope the tone and content of the letter might be?

Write one or more of the letters reflecting the tone and content of your choice.

Be sure to take a moment after writing to ask yourself,

“What am I noticing about the content of what I have written?

What am I noticing about how I felt about the writing?”

     Experiment:

Write to your inner author and/or have your inner author write to you. Simply begin, “Dear Inner Author” ….

Send a letter to me,  …….please.

 

There is not enough darkness in the world

to extinguish one candle.

           Saint Francis of Assisi

 

   Where and when do we need courage?

It is often in the darkest moments of our lives that we need courage.

What comes to your mind when you think of a “darkness in the world” in your life? What were the circumstances? Who was involved, either by being present or even by being absent?  What did you fear? What challenged you to go on? What allowed you to stay focused on the candlelight?

   What does courage look like?

What images do you associate with courage? Do you think of Covid front line workers, soldiers facing overwhelming odds, cancer patients “fighting” for their lives?

Our ancestors left all that they knew, taking all that they had, in a single small suitcase to a new land where they braved long winter nights in sod huts. That takes courage. Women of the suffrage movement and those who took part in civil rights protests changed the destiny of many of us.

When you think of specific people you would call courageous, who comes to mind? Nelson Mandala? Wyatt Earp? Desmond Doss as portrayed in the Hacksaw Ridge movie? Or someone that you know:  a grandmother who raised her Down’s Syndrome grandson from the time he was two? Perhaps you know a young man, who as law student became a quadriplegic, and went on to become a judge.

   Who is most likely to be brave?

Courage is not limited to the old or the young, to the civilian or the soldier, to the nobleman or the peasant. Even the young can teach their elders.

____

A 9 year old boy, a member of the Junior Pilgrim Writers club, was facing unjustified corporal punishment from his father. The boy found the courage to say to his father with compassion and directness ,

“When I grow up, I don’t want to be like you.”  

The Dad instantly aborted the flogging.

The next day the father met with his son’s school principal and said to her, “I want you to teach me what my son is learning.”

____

It is sometimes easier to face physical danger if you are strong or have a weapon. A strong faith may help during the grief of a painful loss. A strong medical team is a definite asset when facing a threatening illness. All of these situations, though, have the backdrop of fear.

Take a moment now to remember someone who you feel has courage.  What fear were they willing to face?  What is it that pulls them forward despite challenging circumstances?

   Prerequisites of courage?

Courage is not a single act, but rather a mental set sustained over a longer period of time.  At least three factors enter into the mindset of courage, whether it be a specific moment of bravery or an ongoing commitment.

Firstly, there is a momentary or a sustained fear. There is a potential to lose something of value, whether it be life, limb, a valued relationship, or something as abstract as democracy.

Secondly, there is a deeply held belief. The stronger your belief or value, the more it guides behavior.

Thirdly, courage doesn’t come with a guaranteed outcome. Courage arises from giving it our best efforts despite dismal odds. Courage unfolds by holding on to what we believe and letting go of the uncertainly of an outcome.

   Called to courage – examples

• While hiking with their mom, a cougar lunges at her son and young daughter. Mom instinctively intercedes without thought of possible circumstances.
• A young father of two is told his leukemia is not responding to treatment. He is informed that increased doses of chemotherapy could be fatal. With little hesitation, he says “let’s go for it”. He understands there is no guarantee.
• A young widow holds two jobs to make ends meet. Somedays she wonders if one day, she will fall short of what it takes to provide for her family. Her commitment though never waivers.

In each example, there is a fear; there are values and beliefs that guide behavior; and the outcome is uncertain.

   What courage do you need?

Think of a situation in your life that you are reluctant to confront or deal with? What kind of courage does it call for? What do you need the courage to do or to stop doing? Do you need the courage to speak out or the courage to be silent? Do you need the courage to stand alone or to ask for help? To say “yes” or to say “no”? To stand your ground or to admit you are wrong?

What is required may be something major, or it may be to simply do what you can with what you have, where you are at that moment.

   Courage and writing

It  is often said that writing itself takes courage. For those who use writing to explore beliefs and values, writing can clarify and strengthen commitment. Looking into our souls and asking ourselves, “What do we stand for?”, is an act of courage.

For writers or “wanna’ be writers”, it can take courage to accept a challenging writing assignment, to persevere with a creative project or to try a new genre. Pursuing publication requires the courage to face rejection or criticism.

Writing has the power to affirm courage.  A veteran of three wars gave his first Armistice talk honoring the 21 men with whom he served who did not return. Tears came to his eyes as nine year old Melissa presented him with a bundle of thank you notes from her grade four class thanking him for his sacrifice and his courage.

Many veterans of many wars violated military regulations by keeping personal diaries, often openly writing in quiet periods at the front lines. Letters to and from war zones were reminders that there was something to fight for, something to return to.

Suggested reading

The Train in Winter is a truly chilling portrait of ordinary women who found the courage to do extraordinary things as part of the WW2 French resistance.

In Writing to Change the World, Mary Pipher draws our attention to how writers have helped reshape our society.

Research

The website This I believe is an international organization that shares people’s writing about their core values. There are over 100,000 essays written by people from all walks of life and categorized by theme. They also have a weekly featured podcast.

Writing strategy of the month – The essay

Please read several of the essays on the “This I believe” website, then write your own essay espousing what you believe about some aspect of life. The site has generously provided guidelines which are as follows:

   Tell a story about you. Explain the circumstances that shaped your core values.  Be specific. Describe moments when a belief was formed or tested or changed. Think of your own experience, work and family. Your story need be neither heartwarming nor gut-wrenching. It can even be funny but it should be real. Tie the story to the essence of your philosophy of life.

   Be brief: Your statement should be between 500-600 words.

   Be positive: Write about what you believe, not what you don’t believe. Avoid statements of religious dogma, preaching, or editorializing.

   Be personal: Make your essay about you; speak in the first person. Avoid using “we”. Tell a story about your own life. This is not an opinion piece about social ideals. Write in words and phrases that are comfortable for you to speak. The recommendation is that you read your essay aloud to yourself several times, editing it until you have the words and tone that truly echo your beliefs and the way you speak.

Photo question of the month

 

 

What do I need to remember as I pass through the war zones of my life?

Please  write an essay in response to this question.

Quiet the mind, and the soul will speak.

Ma Jaya Sali Bhagavati

“Staying in the Calm Zone”

 

Is stress optional?

Unfortunately not. Life in ordinary times has its stressful events. In this unprecedented time of COVID, the stressors are multiplied and magnified. The challenge is to listen to our inner voice, the one voicing what is happening in our inner life. What do you hear when you ask these questions?

What are the challenges of COVID in your day to day life? What are the increased demands? Or, is there decreased stimulation. How would you describe your response to the demands and restrictions imposed by COVID?

As you approach the holiday season, how is your “joy” meter? What is the level of “good cheer” in your heart?

What is the Calm Zone?

The Calm Zone is the emotional zone in which you feel comfortable, safe, composed, even relaxed. Flanking the Calm Zone is a Red Zone and a Blue Zone. The Red Zone is where you feel restless, tense, unsettled, perhaps irritated or anxious. In The Blue Zone, you are likely to feel disheartened, discouraged, even demoralized – and for sure, stuck.

In the Calm Zone, we still have, if needed, the capacity for the fight or flight response. The Calm Zone is not passive. We still experience ups and downs but we return to a stable emotional state relatively quickly despite external stressors. In the Calm Zone, we can have our feelings, but our feelings don’t have us.

Zones are not just attitudes. They are physiological states that indicate the level of arousal that our bodies are feeling.

How does stress affect our bodies and our well-being?

To oversimplify, we are designed for short term stress. Our bodies react to a threat and then reset to a state of balance.

Chronic stress keeps our arousal levels too high for too long. Being outside of the Calm Zone for long periods of time has substantial consequences on our bodies, our feelings, our thinking and our relationships.

Each of us is unique in the way that we experience chronic stress. One person may develop high blood pressure, while another develops fatigue. Irrational thoughts and fears are common. Some people become cranky; others feel overwhelmed.

How do I  know what zone I am in?

Being aware of your body is key. How relaxed are you? How is your energy level? How well are you sleeping? Are you over eating or losing weight? Is there a bounce in your step? Is there delight in your voice? Are you finding yourself  ‘short’ with friends, family or strangers? How is your sense of humor?

Does your mind turn to what you are missing, or does it focus on how to navigate challenges with courage, creativity and kindness? Are you feeling powerless or empowered?

Under stress, would you say you are inclined to the red, blue or calm zone?

How do I maintain or get into the Calm Zone?

First, step away from the stressor – physically if possible, and mentally. It takes practice. Our grandmother’s advice to “Count to ten before you react” was wisely given.

Secondly, in study after study, stress research over the years has pointed to the need for “a pause button”. The brain needs to go into neutral. There are many ways to induce the “relaxation response” and enter the Calm Zone. What works for one person may not for another.

Thirdly, Canadian D. Meichenbaum coined the expression “stress inoculation”. The list of stress inoculators is long. Quilting, music, meditation, journaling, writing poetry, art, walking, deep breathing, yoga. The list goes on. The essential element is that the activity is predominately quiet; it is truly a time out from a slow or accelerated pace. It is free from judgment, strain or compulsion.

What takes you to that place of quiet, to that sense that “this too shall pass”, to a confidence that you can handle life?

Why is being in the Calm Zone so important?

There are two main reasons:

The first reason is that outside of the Calm Zone, our judgment is impaired. The zone we are in influences the choices we make. For example, imagine that someone just rear ended your vehicle. Now you will be late for an important appointment! How would the responses differ depending on which zone you were in?

The second reason is that you need to be in the calm zone to experience joy.

Dr. Grant McLean, long time friend, responded to last month’s newsletter on Joy with this:

“I stopped to truly listen to the sea, and feel the peace, and let go the tensions and fatigue that were part of my life as a physician in the modern world. The joy was not out on the waves, or in the gulls that soared above on the sea breeze, or behind me in the trees, or the green hills. I found the joy inside myself. It was waiting there to be rediscovered, to be acknowledged, to be treasured. … The secret is to take precious time, now, to focus on that tiny flower, or to listen to a favourite song.”  (shared with permission)

Where does writing fit in?

Whether we write the occasional poem, pour our heart out onto the pages of a journal, are writing our memoirs or crafting letters to influence the world, writing slows us down. It takes us to the Calm Zone. When we slow down, we can listen to our inner life.

Writing is a form of deep listening.  When we listen, we quiet the mind. If we quiet the mind, our soul will speak.

 

Suggested Reading

Listening Below the Noise by Anne D. LeClaire

A personal favorite of mine, Anne LeClaire chooses two days a month for silence – for 17 years. She documents the transformations in herself and her family as a result of learning to listen to her inner life and body.

Find a Quiet Corner: Inner Peace, Anytime, Anywhere  by Nancy O’Hara

Are you unsure what activity you might help you enter the Calm Zone? If so, Finding a Quiet Corner is for you. The author offers a near endless menu of options available in our day to day lives.

Buddha’s Brain by Rick Hanson

“What flows through your attention sculpts your brain”. This book is an excellent starting place for understanding the need for and the pathway to the Calm Zone.

Seven Thousand Ways to Listen by Mark Nepo

The author asserts that “Listening is the doorway to everything that matters.” Every chapter ends with a “Reflective Pause” that includes a mediation, questions to discuss with others and journal questions.

8 Minute Meditation by Victor Davich

This is an easy to read guide to alternatives that might fit your busy schedule should you decide to experiment with meditation.

 

Research

1. Smyth, J., & Helm, R. (2003). Focused expressive writing as self-help for stress and trauma. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 59(2), 227-235. doi:10.1002/jclp.10144

Smyth and Helm report the value of workbooks used to guide the writing of asthma patients. They used a procedure called Focused Expressive Writing (FEW) concluding that self-administered manuals represent a promising avenue for the use of FEW as a self-help technique. A case illustration is included in the article.

2. Elisabeth Christiana & Vryscha Novia Ningsih (2017). Effectivity of Expressive Writing Technique to Increase the Emotional Anger Management to 10th Grade Electrical Engineering Student in State Vocational High School. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 118. 9th International Conference for Science Educators and Teachers (ICSET).

This is one of numerous studies focusing on practical applications of writing beginning to appear in the international literature.

 

Writing strategy of the month

The Dialogue Strategy (December 2020)

This month’s strategy is credited to Ira Progoff who developed the intensive journal process.

The dialogue strategy involves having a conversation with some aspect of our life. For the purposes of this newsletter, a dialogue with your body is the assignment. Ask your body a sincere question. Record the question.

The strategy guidelines involve three steps:

• Using only phrases or short sentences, list a 8-10 individual events or periods of time that capture a brief history of your body. Refer to individual events or periods of time that suggest how your body has arrived at how it is now.
• Summarize your reflections, capturing your present relationship with your body.
• To begin the dialogue, sit in silence, perhaps with eyes closed. Begin to feel your body as if it has a separate identity, as if it is a person in and of itself. Say “Hello” to Body and listen for its response. Continue the dialogue, simply listening to each other (recording both participants – you and your body). When the dialogue seems to have gone as far as it wishes, let it rest.

Sit quietly. Reread the dialogue. Reflect on and record your reaction to what you and your body were discussing.

Be willing to resume the dialogue if it seems that conversation could continue.

 

Photo question of the month (December 2020)

What have you locked yourself into or out of for too long?

Use the “dialogue writing strategy” to respond to this image, in writing.