Writing your Story
Writing your story
I'm dedicating May (Mental health Awareness Month) to different ways to be healthier and happier. A great way to cultivate mindfulness, de-stress and have better mental health is journaling. below are a few ways you can start the journaling process.
Autobiography
We all have our own story. Our autobiography when written out can show us a lot about ourselves. The story expresses who we are today, where we have been, what beliefs and habits we picked up on the way and who we think we can be. Your story will have both positive and negative chapters. The ups and downs of our lives show us that we are all survivors and no matter how far we have fallen, we always get up and push on. It reminds you that life is a roller coaster ride. When we take time to look at the negative chapters in our lives, we can use these chapters as teachable/learnable moments. We can read through these chapters with the questions:
1. What can I learn?
2. What was the lesson? Did I receive it? Or do I keep repeating the negative patterns?
3. How can I grow? What changes can I make?
Adding to your story.
Your past chapters don’t have to stop you from changing in the future. You have the ability to be aware of your limiting beliefs and create new beliefs just by challenging the old ones.
Taking some time to write out your story is a great tool and one we should all do. Even if you have written your story before it’s good to add to it, your story is always growing and changing.
Five tips to writing out your story.
1. Get a journal or notebook to write your story in.
2. There are no rules. There is no right or wrong. Your story is your story, don’t judge it just learn from it. Your story is what makes you unique.
3. You don’t have to write your whole life out or in chronological order. You can write what’s relevant to you, the situations/events that shaped you.
4. Don’t plan to write it all in one day. Take time to write bits and pieces each day.
5. Writing your life story can be uncomfortable or even painful. It brings up past memories that you have repressed but also remember that writing your story is healing.
What is your belief system?
A lot of our beliefs and habits we picked up are from our childhood and we hold onto them until we decide to challenge them and re-evaluate those beliefs. To challenge any belief or habit, you want to ask yourself the following questions:
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1. Is the belief true? It might have been true or useful when you were a child but is it still working for you today?
2. Do you keep repeating this pattern or holding on to the negative belief? If so, why?
What need is being met? Sometimes it is easier to continue on with old limiting beliefs/habits due to fear.
3. If the belief isn’t true or realistic – what changes can I make?
Best Life Story
Write out a time when you were going through a tough situation. It doesn't matter what the issue was or when it was. This helps you remember, how far you have come, how you handled tough situations and survived/thrived through them. It can also show you how much strength, courage and resilience you have.
After your write out the story, answer the questions below.
How did you get through it?
Write down three positives that came from this experience.
What Strengths? Traits did you use? Did faith play a role?
What did your support system look like professionally and personally?
What lessons did you learn from past tough situations?
What things did you do well to get through this situation?
Can you see the growth? lessons learned? resiliency?
Did you have any “AHA” moments due to the challenging situation. Were they life changing?
Free Write
Just a reminder, you can always just write in your journal with no expectations or judgment. Just writing what is on your mind and releasing it to paper. No spell or grammar check. Some people do this as a daily exercise and others do it when they feel the need. There is no right or wrong.
For more information, please visit www.dianelang.org or email Diane at diane@dianelang.org