Do you ever feel like your thoughts are a jumbled knot inside your head? And the more you try to untangle the knot, the bigger and more cumbersome it becomes?
Yeah, I totally get that.
Writing is my go-to tool for untangling the knotted strands of thoughts within my head, especially when my mind feels unusually overwhelmed, hyperactive, or just generally confused.
The act of putting words onto paper brings our abstract thoughts into reality where we can more clearly see, analyze, and begin to understand the strands of thoughts.
When I write out my thoughts, it feels as though I’m letting air out of a balloon that was ready to pop. Writing diffuses the tension of trying to sort through my thoughts in the abstract and what felt confusing and overwhelming becomes clear and manageable.
It’s basically magic.
Beyond helping us to better understand our current experience and conscious thoughts, writing also provides a tool to tap into the treasures that lay beneath the surface of the mind.
We all have troves of treasures in our subconscious mind, which stores everything that makes us who we are — our past experiences, memories, and beliefs — and deeply influences our thoughts, behaviors, actions, and decisions.
The elusive yet influential subconscious mind runs the show, which is why it’s important to learn to tap into your subconscious to begin to understand the forces influencing your thoughts and behaviors.
If we don’t dig deeper into our minds, we are simply a passenger on the bus of our life, not fully aware of who’s driving or in control of the destination.
To get to the subconscious, we must first quiet or circumvent our conscious mind, which is usually pretty loud and chatty. That's where writing comes in.
The flow of words out of our heads and onto paper allows us to more fluidly bypass our conscious thoughts and dip into the subconscious mind.
Writing sweeps away the dust and surface layers of the mind so we can access what’s going on underneath and more clearly see the influential forces constructing our identity, beliefs, thought patterns, and behaviors.
Although writing creates something tangible that is external to us, it can be used as part of your practice of going deep within, one that pairs perfectly with meditation, yoga, walking, or any other flow activity that is part of your routine.
If you're interested in learning more about using writing to dive into your subconscious mind, join us for the upcoming Healing in Writing workshop.
We'll be fusing together meditation and writing to go deep within with the intention of seeing ourselves with just a little bit more clarity than before.