Stuck at Home (together)
Words Matter
Discover the Power of Prose & Poetry
Now that you have an extra hour or two in your day when you’re NOT commuting: what are you going to do with that time? Here’s an idea: Connect through words. Get your thoughts out on paper or soak in the those of other writers.
How does writing support your health?
There’s evidence that journaling can have a positive impact on our physical well-being. University of Texas at Austin psychologist and researcher, James Pennebaker contends that regular journaling strengthens immune cells at the same time it reduces the impact of stressful events on your physical health.
Journaling to Connect
If you don’t normally write in a journal, try it out for the next week. Any old notebook will do. And if you don’t have one, fold three pieces of paper in half, nest them together, staple the center fold. Voila! You have a 10-pg journal.
To get started, here are a few prompts to consider as you prime the pump:
- Reflect on the new routines you’ve adopted since the pandemic started. How have they impacted your day-to-day? Are there other routines you’d like to adopt?
- Try to remember any New Year’s Resolutions you had on the eve of 2020. Write about where you were and what was important to you at that moment. Now reflect on your current mind-set: how has the pandemic changed or impacted your priorities?
Care to Share? You can leave your answers and reply to others in the conversation below.
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Soak in the Words of Others
Remember to read. Not just the news. Read a novel, or a mystery. Or read science fiction or a young adult series. We will be sharing different selections of creative writing that we think might be food for thought.Â
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don’t open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground
Why is reading good for us?
“Books trigger greater brain activity than television as it encourages the act of visualization. It also extends higher-order thinking needed for problem solving. Literature builds empathy and respect for others, as well as provides comfort. (see this New York Times article). Read historical fiction or history to gain some perspective on what we’re experiencing. You’ll be surprised by the parallels you will find.
Need a little jumpstart for your imagination? Here are a few reading lists to peruse:
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Special Thanks
The Stuck at Home (together) initiative is partially funded through the generous support of:
Thanks to these partnering organizations:
The mission of the Foundation for Art & Healing is to promote creative arts expression as a means to improve health and well-being for individuals and communities. Our signature program, The UnLonely Project, broadens public awareness of the negative physical and mental health consequences of loneliness associated with a wide range of living conditions and circumstances while also exploring and promoting creative arts-based approaches to reduce the burden.Â
The content on this site is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health condition.
Guess I am not disciplined enough to keep a journal because every time I start, it never lasts. Maybe I feel like my thoughts are not worthy or profound enough to document. Even when I start with a theme, it doesn’t work. I knit hats for cancer patients so at one point I journaled about that. Most recently I have begun to declutter in anticipation of my move to a Life Plan Community in 2 years. But that hasn’t worked either. I haven’t made an entry since last month.
I just lost my job yesterday due to Covid. I’m processing it in my journal – the fear, frustration and facts. It’s daunting to join the ranks of 20 million unemployed people during a pandemic. Writing my way through this will get me to the other side. It’s the best sorting out process there is.
Stay well, everyone.
I hear you about not being able to keep a good journal habit. 🙂 I used to get so excited about a new planner I wanted to try and it wasn’t long before it too gathered dust. I think as long as you write in your journal when you feel like it, your journal habit is fine. Everybody is different. And I as a former cancer patient thank you for knitting those wonderful hats. P.S. Your thoughts are worthy because you are worthy. A journal is a place where judgment is not allowed (especially if you have it in a hiding place so you can feel totally free to write whatever you want). And you don’t have to be profound, either. I’m looking to get into journaling again — I know it would help me as I write my novel.
If your journalling is anything like when you post it, your thoughts are profound. They show a sincere self-awareness that most people do not have. In addition, I can guarantee that most people have done the same thing. I have at least 30 blank or half filled journals and I’ll probably buy 30 more before I die. Don’t give up on it. Don’t give up on yourself.
There is no rule that a person has to journal on a regular basis. Journal when the words call to be written.
For me there is no written rule when it comes to journaling. I give myself permission to be free and write out my thoughts when I am ready to release them onto paper.