Therapeutic Writing and Journaling
We hear from women going through breast cancer that out of all common “literary solutions”, journaling and reading poetry can be particularly helpful in feeling our emotions. Journaling can really help us come back to the present and get clarity on what worries us, like an accessible and very affordable therapy session.
A journal is more than a notebook – it is a safe place and healthy habit for anyone to adopt. Setting aside a few minutes every day to write down our thoughts can be transformative for our mood. To begin journaling, all you need is a paper notepad. Alternatively, a blank file on your laptop or Notes app will do just as well. The text you produce does not have to be prose-like or eloquent, it is not necessarily meant to be read ever again. Going back to previous writings can of course bring something useful, but it is not a requirement.
Your journal can be made of bullet points, scribbles, lone sentences and words, whatever is on your mind. It can include to-do lists and future goals, as well as pictures, excerpts and quotes you find meaningful. We would like to share a poetry excerpt written by Sarah Chauncey Woolsey, an American children’s author who wrote under the pen name Susan Coolidge. While our team at Koning will keep working every bit as hard in the coming months, Coolidge’s words condense the experience of many women whose lives have been affected by breast cancer, and mark the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2023:
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“New Every Morning”
Every day is a fresh beginning, Listen my soul to the glad refrain. And, spite of old sorrows And older sinning, Troubles forecasted And possible pain, Take heart with the day and begin again. |