Over the last few years I have often heard the words, “Meg, your writing is amazing, how do you find the words? I could never write like you”.
The truth is, anyone can write like me. Many write better than me. All it really takes is a pen and a piece of paper. Or a laptop and a quiet place.
For me, all it takes is a feeling, a thought, an experience, or a lesson.
For me, it started from a place of pain and trauma and has grown to a place of joy and desire.
When I started writing it was only as a result of my therapist suggesting I share my day openly on my social media account so that I could notify everyone at the same time how I was doing instead of having to reply to countless messages on my phone.
You see, my journey of writing began when I thought my life had ended. The death of my fiance was the birth of my writing.
I didn’t know how to write, my grammar was and is far from perfect, and half the time I was only writing because if I didn’t write, I would be self-medicating with alcohol or trying to sleep my sorrows away.
Writing became a habitual activity that kept me from doing something I may regret.
Writing literally saved my life.
I have journals upon journals of feelings, thoughts, memories, wishes, prayers, letters to those who have passed on, and promises to my self. Some of my journals have an order to them, and others are a complete chaotic mess that most would think belonged to someone who is suffering from extreme neurosis.
Writing is a form of therapy for many including myself, and I believe wholeheartedly it saved me from myself.
I do believe anyone can write, and it certainly does not have to be shared publicly, but it can be very healing if you choose to share as it helps so many to see that they are not alone.
It doesn’t matter what you write about; chances are, someone else is feeling or experiencing something very similar.
We all have a story, and no one’s story is more powerful than someone else’s. Through writing, I learned that there are so many people out there who have been through a version of what I have been through. Through writing, I have met countless inspirational people who I now call my friends, and through writing, I have cried more tears with strangers than I had ever done before.
So many times I have been told, “Meg your writing brought me to tears,” and my response is usually this; “it brought me to tears too.”
Much of the time I didn’t truly know how I felt until I read it back, and through this process, I was able to find clarity, understanding, and a healthy way of healing.
For anyone who may want to use writing as a way of healing or self-growth here is my advice;
1. Schedule a time to get your thoughts out. Whether it is in the day or evening on paper or computer, just schedule it. Give yourself ten minutes a day if you can and get it all out.
2. Be honest. I don’t mean be honest with others. I mean, to be honest with yourself. If you are feeling it or thinking it, get it out. Don’t minimize it or sugar coat it. I don’t care if your thoughts are terrifying, get them out. Even if you are embarrassed you are thinking it, get it out. GET IT OUT OF YOUR HEAD.
3. Don’t put any thought into it. You have enough thoughts running through your head, trying to put more thought into writing is only going to overwhelm you and destroy the healing part of this process. When you sit down to write; just write. It doesn’t have to make any sense. It doesn’t even have to be sentences.
Just get what you’re thinking and feeling down and when you’re done; have a look. Chances are you might be just like me and be amazed by what you read back. This is where the healing begins.
Writing saved my life and I couldn’t be more grateful that my psychologist suggested it to me as I likely wouldn’t have done it on my own.
If you were to sit down now, what would you write about?
Take care and happy writing,
Meg
Meg Roberts is an experienced life coach in Calgary offering grief support and life coaching. As a Grief Recovery Method specialist and as someone who has overcome her share of grief, Meg is an empathetic coach with a unique perspective on love and life. Book a Free Consultation with Meg to get started on the road to healing and recovery.
