Before writing: Stretch.
Get comfortable in your chair.
Take some deep breaths in and release.
When you are ready:
List 3 things you don’t want to write about. Just a list.
List 3 things that happened a long time ago that you are still angry, resentful or hold a grudge about. Just a list.
List 3 things that happened this past week that made you mad. Just a list.
Prompt #2
Write: Choose one of those experiences. Write about it. Be as detailed and as explicit as you can.
When did it happen? Day of week? Time of day?
Where did it happen? Who was involved?
What were you wearing?
Remember to look up and breathe if the writing is difficult.
Write for 15-20 minutes.
When you are finished with this writing, shake out your hands. Breathe.
Intro to Prompt #3
You can use writing to shift your perspective. Sometimes you can’t change the situation that’s causing you pain.
You can change how you look at it.
Take a few minutes to rethink your experience that you just wrote about and see if you can find something hopeful about your encounter.
Even though you were affected in a negative way, maybe you can find something positive that came from it.
Even if your event was traumatic and extremely unpleasant, is there anything positive you can add?
Maybe after the difficulty you noticed that you changed your attitude, your way of thinking.
Maybe you learned something that was helpful. Or you saw things differently.
Or, maybe you regret what happened and think, “If only . . .”
Sometimes thinking “If only . . .” can help by learning from our actions or inactions.
Other times, thinking “If only,” can make us feel worse, we feel we should have done things differently. It feels like it was our fault. We blame ourselves.
Something that could help: Change to thinking “At least.”
Prompt #3
The “at least” idea comes from “The Power of Regret” by Daniel H. Pink.
Take a few minutes to write about something good —anything —that came from the experience you wrote about.
What did you learn that helped you?
Start by writing . . .
I learned . . .
Or: I realized . . .
Or: At least . . .
Prompt #4
Check in with your emotions. Take a few minutes to write about how you are feeling right now.
End on a positive note:
See yourself as a little child. Look deeply into this little child’s eyes. See the longing that is there and realize there is only thing this little child wants, and that is love.
Reach out with your arms and embrace this child.
Hold her or him with love and tenderness. Tell her how much you love her, how much you care. Admire everything about this child and say that it’s okay to make mistakes.
Now, let this little child get very small, until he or she is the size to fit into your heart. Put her or him there so whenever you look down, you can see this little face looking up at you, and you can give it lots of love.
Feel a warmth beginning to glow in your heart center, a softness, a gentleness. Let this feeling begin to change the way you think and talk about yourself.
Note: You can use these prompts over and over.
Make a date with yourself to continue writing. Choose a day and time to write Treat it like a doctor’s appointment.
For more information on writing about difficult subjects:
The Write Spot: Writing as a Path to Healing
Just write. No matter what!
