Your emotional expression matters. I am writing this book of expressive writing journal prompts in the hope that you will create new neural pathways to naturally express your authentic feelings. Too many of us have been taught to bury our real feelings. We bury them with silence. We bury them with people-pleasing. We bury them with alcohol. We bury them with drugs. We bury our real feelings with Netflix binges, food, sugar, shopping, sports, and the gym. We bury our true feelings with unhealthy relationships, drama, politics, anger, hating, social media, daydreaming, gossip, and other forms of self-harm. We ignore our own internal warning systems. We keep driving with the red check engine light on. We cover it up with tape, ignore the warnings, and keep going. I wrote this book with the intention of helping you see what you really feel. I hope it helps you know, see, hear, understand, and love yourself more deeply and better. Abuse and invalidation will tell you that what you see, feel, hear, and know do not matter. But, they do, because you matter. When you go through these writing prompts, it is up to you how you approach them. Some of you may approach the prompts methodically, one by one, in order. That's okay. Some of you may choose to open and point, and answer whatever prompt your finger lands on. That's okay, too. Some of you may flip through the writing prompts until your heart finds one that feels resonant and juicy. That's terrific, also. English teachers may choose to use these expressive writing prompts with their students. Therapists and social workers may use these expressive writing prompts with groups, in therapy. You may start this book on January 1st, or on your birthday. You may start it on the first day of college, or on the first day of your divorce. You might choose to start it on the first day of your sobriety, after a profound loss, or during a challenging time. Today is the day. It is as special as any. There's no wrong way to start writing what you really feel. All of the journal prompts can also be art journal directives. Writing and drawing pair nicely together. This book will help you externalize your internal feelings. You may even be surprised at how much you've been burying. Let your real feelings come out to play. They matter, because you matter. Love to you, Christine Scott-Hudson, MA MFT ATR---Daily journal writing is well studied to good for your health. Studies have shown that writing nonstop about your feelings for around 15 minutes a day helps reduce emotional pain. Expressive writing helps us tap into our authentic voice, helps us organize our thoughts, and helps us begin to give meaning to what hurts and what happened, which can help us break free of clinging to old stories of abuse, neglect, and trauma. "'Write With Yourself' is about exactly that, getting 'right with yourself' through the slow medicine of expressive writing. Returning to yourself, regularly tuning inward, noticing what is there, and then expressing what you truly mean and what you truly feel is a creative wellness practice. Again, and again, returning to your own well, the place inside of you that is your real home, your real center.'" says Scott-Hudson. "This is how you remember who you really are underneath all of the fawning, the hustling, and the people pleasing." says the author. "Write With Yourself" contains 800 prompts.
