#31: Write out your sob story - you know the one
We all have that story that has become a sticking point in our lives.
A wound we can’t escape; a personal or professional failure, a trauma or tragedy, a season of misery or an unfortunate event that occurred.
If we’re being honest, we all have many of these, but there are some you feel within the fibre of your being.
Like the one you thought of when you read the title of this essay.
These stories, when we avoid them for long enough, become crevices in our psyche that we start to shape ourselves around. Unconsciously limiting ourselves over time to live a smaller and smaller existence - these stories can pile up in a lifetime.
Life writing, or journalling, is something I’ve avoided much of my life. I realised as at teen I'd only journal when I was feeling bad or sad, and so implemented a lifelong ban on myself from keeping journals.
If only I knew then what I know now:
That we can journal our way to contentment, joy, clarity and freedom
That we can write our stories out of us - many times over - to reframe them, process and learn from them
That journaling connects us with our emotions, develops our relationship with self, is an act of - and powerful habit for - self-care
Instead, I've manifested a mental block - another story - around my case for journaling-not-journaling and though I’ve tried, I’ve never been able to commit to my morning pages practice.
So with that in mind, I’ve devoted myself to a year-long Authentic Self Journaling course through DailyOM with a handful of friends in a self-care circle. I’m on a mission to reframe my relationship with the intimate page.
Each month we’ll be respond to a different set of journaling prompts and wade into our stories that need deep-diving and gold-mining.
The course guidance and the group accountability are the hook for me; giving me direction on which crevices to explore each month and being in community to do the work and stay the course.
It’s time to write out a few sob stories I’ve been avoiding.
Why don’t you join me and write yours - you know the one. ;)
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