Great Tools 10/01/2009
 
Journaling is another expressive arts modality that I LOVE! It is one of the more powerful ways to shift distressing thoughts in a fairly short amount of time.  One of my favorites, and one that I just practiced, centers our thoughts on what we do and do not control.  Here's the truth:

I do not control:
Events
Weather
Time
What others Say, Do, Think, Feel, or Believe!

I do control:
What I put in my mouth
Getting out of bed
What I wear
What I say
What I believe
Where I work
Who I am with
The choices I make
The decisions I make
How I react/respond
What I think

People, myself included, often forget this and there is a very simple journaling exercise to help.  I just practiced it.  It goes like this.  When I find myself embroiled in a situation that I don't like and I find myself feeling powerless and angry, I grab my pen and my journal and I write out the scenario.  I do not edit myself.  I let it all out.
Then I make a simple two column list.  On the left side I label it: In my control.  On the right side I label it: Out of my control.  I then take all the events in the scenario and sort them.  What I usually find is that a lot of what I am upset about falls on the out of my control side.  This is why I feel powerless.  I cannot make someone do the "right" thing.  I cannot make someone tell the truth or stop conducting themselves in a manner that causes me suffering BUT I can get my thoughts in line so that my suffering is less.  I CAN make a plan about HOW I want to respond.  When I start to focus on what is in my control, the relief that comes is HUGE!  Try it and let me know how it works for you.  This exercise can, in a very short amount of time, shift things dramatically!  Happy Writing!
 
 
Picture

Journaling is a great tool for connecting with your day to day experiences and for going deeper in your writing (for all my writers out there).  Take a picture, like the one above, and dive into it.  What images or thoughts come to your mind?  What body response is triggered when you look at the image above?  If you could dialog with any part of the picture what would it say to you?  Adopt the first person and give that part a voice. 

It can be very surprising where this type of exercise takes you.  You don't need this picture, you can randomly open up a magazine and look at the first picture you find or even go out into your back yard or visit a park and dive into an object in nature.  The important thing is to allow your imagination to flow, limiting nothing and giving your subconscious a chance to speak its response. 

Try it and see where it takes you.