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Journaling Life.com's Monthly
Newsletter
August 2004
Issue Three
- Volume One
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Confronting
the Blank Page
Dealing with the Blank Page is
a subject that causes far too much anxiety for journalers. We're
supposed to be creative, and creative people after all should
have plenty of ideas right? Unfortunately, that is not always
the case since all of us have life issues and there are times
when they impede our thought process and creative abilities.
Let me relay a situation in the recent past that for a time
seemed to cripple my ability to think or write straight.
A couple of years ago I went through
a very painful divorce that left me a blubbering puddle of mush.
Those of you who have gone through this know exactly what I'm
talking about. Your stomach churns, you lose your appetite,
and your mind whirls in all different directions. I found myself
virtually unable to muster the strength or the desire to put
my mind in gear journaling wise. Every time I tried to sit down
to write, I was plagued with the curse of the blank page. One
would think that at a time like this you would have plenty about
which to journal, and I'm sure that some of you found yourselves
to be busy journaling machines in the same situation. This was
not so for me. It was sheer exhaustion every time I sat down
to emote about the pain I was experiencing. I think I feared
having to relive the experience through writing my thoughts.
One day I forced myself to sit
down and reflect on the situation, but what helped me was to
stop and think about why it was so hard. I came to understand
that I was thinking about the entire situation rather than breaking
it down one issue at a time. This is true of life in general
insofar as we find ourselves overwhelmed with the big picture.
I had to learn to eat the elephant one bite at a time, and in
so doing, the blank page syndrome slowly went away.
It is not my place here to offer
any kind of counseling or psychological advice since I am not
qualified to do so. Additionally, it is not my place to suggest
easy answers for the problem of the blank page, let alone serious
life issues. I can say that it is important to force yourself
no matter how painful it may be, to articulate your thoughts
and feelings. If need be, you can start with just a sentence
or a paragraph of how you feel. The first line I recorded after
a long bout of blank page syndrome was, "I have never felt
more alone and empty. I feel as though my world has vanished
like a whisper in the wind." That was all I wrote for a
couple of days, but it was important that I at least get the
process going. Yes, I did write some dark and lonely thoughts,
but eventually I was able to journal my way out of the fog into
a more joyful state. I can't really explain why or how, but
forcing myself to get beyond the pale of what was becoming an
unhealthy self-consumption, I eventually overcame the pain.
I leaned heavily upon my faith and continually sought the wisdom
of God to help me in this process.
That was my blank page situation, but you may have a different
reason(s) for you own. The blank page syndrome is not always
a result of living through a painful or stressful situation,
however. Sometimes our minds are overactive and we have too
many ideas and thoughts upon which to reflect. When this happens
to I try to make a list of all the issues and thoughts crowding
my mind, and in the process of seeing them in written form I
can prioritize them and write about them one at a time. I think
this is one reason journaling is so helpful in our quests for
personal transformation. To see our thought in written form
somehow makes them more concrete. They are recorded before us
and we can sort them out and approach them one issue at a time.
This goes to the heart of the blank page syndrome in that sometimes
we are overwhelmed with too many thoughts and ideas that we
don't know where to start. Consider making a list of all the
ideas and thoughts that may be overwhelming you. Once you've
done that you can prioritize them, and tackle them one at a
time. You may at times feel as though you have no thoughts at
all, but trust me, the human mind is never void of ideas and
thoughts. Stress and life struggles can sometimes make you feel
as though your mind is a Tabula Rasa, but if you take the time
to relax, breath deep, and force yourself to write even a single
sentence, you will find the blank page soon filling up.
There are no easy answers to many
of these blank page issues, but forcing your self to even write,
"I cannot think of anything about which to write,"
has within it the power to prime the pumps, so-to-speak, and
get the creative juices flowing again. It's not magic it's merely
the power of the mind overcoming obstacles.
Here at JounalingLife.com, we have
a list of journaling prompts that may be of benefit to you.
If you haven't already received them we would be more than glad
to E-Mail them to you. We all need encouragement and help from
time to time and we would like to be a source of that encouragement
and help in your time of need and your struggles. We would love
to hear from you, so drop us a line. Until the next newsletter,
have a wonderful journey.
-David Russell, Ph.D.
Editor, JournalingLife.com
Please feel free to share this
newsletter with all of the people in your
life that you feel might benefit from learning about journaling.
Invite
them to come and visit our website and we will strive to offer
you a
wonderful visit as you explore the wonderful world of journaling.
http://www.JournalingLife.com
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Journaling Life
Email: Dave@westvon.com
Phone Contact: (419) 250-1096
P.O. Box 501 - Maumee, OH 43551
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