Non-stop writing, stream of consciousness, free writing . . . it doesn’t matter what you call it – it can change your brain, change your day.
I’m not being overly dramatic as there is a body of research which shows that
simply putting pen to paper changes your brain to reduce anxiety & stress.
Easy Peasy Writing How-to
Choose a focus – a situation, feeling, thought and create a “topic Sentence”
If you can’t think of a specific begin with
“When I ____________”, Right this moment I am thinking . . . ” , “I am feeling . . .”,
“I can’t think of anything to write because . . . “
It can be anything in the past, the present or the future.
- Use a pen that writes smoothly and comfortable to your hand.
Don’t use a keyboard since the act of writing with your hand is important. Your small muscle movement is expressive (much like artistic expression, your handwriting is unique to you). It doesn’t matter if it’s legible or beautiful as your hand movement registers with your brain in ways that tapping out letters on a keyboard do not.
- Set a timer for approximately 20 minutes. It takes that long for your unconscious brain to push through your logical thinking processes.
- Use a journal, a piece of paper, a brown bag- it doesn’t matter.
- Start with your “topic sentence”,thought, feeling . . . just start.
- Write continuously for 20 minutes, never letting the pen stop. If your mind goes blank simply makes loop-d-loops with the pen until you have words to put down. Write quickly, spontaneously, intuitively. It doesn’t matter what you write just put down on paper where your mind takes you.
- Do not be concerned about spelling, punctuation or grammar.
- Do not be concerned if it doesn’t make sense.