Remember how wonderful it feels to be warmly welcomed with open arms by another. In a split second, the power of the affectionate gesture comes flooding into you straight from the heart of your loving friend.

When you take time to write to yourself with honesty and innocence from your heart, you are extending a similar gesture of openness and love towards yourself.

The act of writing freely about what is happening in your life can be profoundly significant. Writing gives you time for reflection, and thinking about what you have written may slow you down a bit and give you fresh insights. You may well discover that you are expressing much more than you expected, surprising even yourself.

You may embark on a rich inward journey where the person you get to know is you. Note the date and anything else that affects the writing process so that over time you get an overview of how simultaneously you are building a foundation to support you from beneath and gaining a new experience from above.

Here are some helpful tips from my book

Aftershock

that may help you begin using writing in a journal as a means of reflection:

Sit quietly with a blank sheet of paper, a beautiful notebook or your journal in front of you

Breathe gently and when you are ready, allow your thoughts and feelings to flow from your heart through your hands on to the paper in this moment

Express yourself freely in whatever way you wish; write, draw with colored crayons, pens or pencils

Become aware of both what has happened during the day, and your feelings about it

Consider writing a mini-memoir

Contemplate special thoughts, blessings and wishes you'd wish to pass on to your loved ones and gently begin to write

Written by Altimont Parker, SUNY New Paltz Intern for Roots & Wings