So, here’s a post that’s more on the difficult side for me to write – journaling and/or brain dumping for mental health.
Mental health is a serious issue for a lot of people. Even for those not diagnosed with a specific issue like ADD, depression, or something on the spectrum, there can be mental health challenges that can have an impact on our daily lives.
For me, it hit hard last year when my blog friend Minaxi died, suddenly. She died right around my brother’s birthday, during a “milestone” anniversary of his death. I was already trying to “brace for impact” for that week, when I learned of Minaxi’s death.
Needless to say, I felt overwhelmed. I also realized that I’d not been dealing well with lots of things, for a long, very long, time.
All that stuff builds up, it festers, it impacts you in ways you can’t even imagine. Realizing I was an empath, I learned I am pretty good with other people’s feelings, but horrible with my own. I can help other people navigate and understand their own issues, but when it comes to my own, I freeze like a deer in the headlights until I’m absolutely gobsmacked by the impact of them.
So, I’ve been trying to untangle that mess and I learned that journaling can be a wonderful form of therapy. It can be targeted and specific to a time, place, person, or event. Unsent letters can help a lot here. Writing about the wounds can help cleanse and heal them, help us get past them. Yes, it’s scary, and I know that personally. This is one of the more frightening things I have to face, and if you knew some of the things I’ve faced, you know how huge that statement is. Staring down the barrel of my own emotions is terrifying for me. I push them down and bury them for a reason, and digging them all up again won’t be any more pleasant than it is for any other body that gets disinterred. Nobody wants to see, or smell, that, especially me.
Nevertheless, the work must be done and journaling is a great way to begin it, and a lot less expensive than a therapist! I even picked up a journal expressly for this purpose, and I call it my “Mourning Pages.” I give my journals people names, too, so it feels like I’m writing to a pen pal or a friend who lives far away.
Toward that end, below are some links to articles that might help you also on your journey to healing.
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