Write your thoughts.

I say more in my writing than I do in verbal expression, i'm not sure if anyone else feels the same way.

I write about anything and everything. I know, it’s vague. But I’ll get into the ‘why’s' later on.

...

I discovered the importance of writing and journaling in my high school days. I was beginning to take a heavy interest in reading ‘based on a true story’ novels and autobiographies, at the time there was just something about writing your thoughts on paper, that was extremely powerful.

As a young child growing up in an South African Indian community, I was afraid of my voice. The girls weren't really taught to speak up, which can be dangerous in some cases. Talking about your feelings weren't really encouaged either, so I 'became' shy. I was shy to speak. I also feared from a young age of not being ‘well spoken enough’ or ‘smart enough’ or ‘not speaking properly’, as those were the phrases I heard a lot growing up. So i doubted my voice.

As a 24 year old, I’m learning a lot about trauma and what grown-ups, guardians or parents, say about their kids, in front of their kids - but that’s conversation for another day.

So writing became a voice I didn't have growing up. It gave me a voice. Journalling, especially - Actually, just to verify I don't really know the different between journalling and writing, to me their just getting your thoughts and feelings out on paper.

...

I'm sure many of us have a certain paradigm of ‘journaling’. At first, I thought you have to write essays and essays about your feelings - even though that does hold true in some cases - but it's not always the case. Journaling is simply writing your thoughts on a page..with a pen or pencil of your choosing or a keyboard of your choosing (For those of us who are more technologically advanced). Thoughts can range from a sentence to a paragraph. That’s the beauty of it. Thoughts can be negative and positive, it's your space to write whatever it is you want to write.

Yeah, I know some humans are like, ‘But, I don’t know what to write about...everything is good in my life, or sorted or I don't know where to start...”...Write that. Write about the good things in your life. Write about life around you. Your desires. Your thoughts about a certain someone, about your dream house or car. Write about how you’re feeling. My favourtie thing to write about is all the things I'm grateful for you. (Extra bonus, because it puts you in a better mood)

If you’re confused about when to write, that’s also up to you. A timer helps me to write. I set it for about 10-15 minutes and just write about whatever comes to mind.

...

If that’s still not enough to persuade you, there’s a book titled, “The Right To Write”, by Julia Cameron and in my opinion, (totally unbiased by the way), makes you fall in love with the simplicity of writing. I won’t spoil it if you haven’t read it, but at the end of each chapter, you have these exercises that train your writing muscles to literally set aside time to write about whatever. It’s super fun.

For me writing is like a mediation, or like that workout in the morning that you have to do or else your day is off, or even like a nice cup of coffee. For me it’s a check in with myself before I take on the day. Before I respond to messages. What am I feeling? What are my thoughts? What am I holding on from yesterday or last week? Sometimes, it's not even that structured, sometimes, it could be as simple as, “The weather is really nice today...I don't have anything planned for today..” and for the most part, a majority of my journal entries start like that and end like that, truly. And then there are also days, where I don't have anything to write about, and that’s just as valuable as having lots to write about. The relationship I have with writing is symbiotic.

IF you’re still not sold; I’ve included a couple extra reasons why you should take up a writing habit.

1. It’s a safe space for your thoughts.

If you feel like no one is around to hear your thoughts or feelings about something, write. Simply write as if you’re venting to someone. Right how much you hate a job that you’re in or the fact that you like the yoga class you’re attending twice a week, write. I treat my journal as a personal confidant, whom I trust with my life. I write my fears, my worries even all the things that are going well in my life. It's simply a safe space for all of my thoughts.

2. It’s a good release.

I have often had a fear of venting to people, in fear of possibly spoiling their day ...so I vent to my journal, and damn does it feel good. It's not good to hold in thoughts, especially negative ones, they need a release out of the body. Movement helps with this too, but writing, and physically seeing your thoughts, hmm. It makes me reassured that I'm not carrying any unnecessary weight in my mind.

3. There’s no right or wrong way to do it. You just have to write.

A lot of people think you have to write a certain way, or in a tree house or sanctuary. Nah. You can write anywhere and about anything. That’s what I enjoy about it. I write on my phone. I write in my sketchbook. I write in my notebook. I write outside, in my room, in the kitchen, in the bathroom. Whenever I feel like I have lots to say. I speak my thoughts out sometimes on my voice recorder and then transcribe it.

4. It’s fun.

It’s playtime. For me it’s playtime, I’m in the playground, I’m exploring my inner child, by writing whatever I want. The options you have, to use words, through poetry, essays, plays, screenplays, are endless. You can invent different stories, you can write about people, literally anything.

So there you have it. That’s why I think you should write and just write.

And who knows, maybe one of you will win this challenge or became a best selling author one day?