The Healing Power of Writing and a Giveaway!
Mara Glatzel is one of my favourite people in the world. The whole wide world. Her beautiful blog is a tour de force of body love, authenticity and being the best person you can be. I consider us online soul sisters. Mara has written a guest post for us today on the amazing power of writing in honour of her newly released ebook – ‘Body Loving Homework: Writing Prompts for Cultivating Self Love.’ I’ve read it. It’s divine. And you can win a copy. I also have three double passes to the inspiring new Aussie film ‘The Sapphires’ staring Jessica Mauboy and Deborah Mailman to give away. Gifts galore!
Learning how to own our own power, the honest and soul-filled goods that we have to offer, is the careful process of figuring out who we are and how we can harness those truths to serve the world around us. It is the process of digging deep and asking the questions that lurk on the periphery of our consciousness:
What makes me truly happy?
What am I best at?
How can I begin to permit myself the space and freedom to allow those gifts to be seen by the world around me?
At first, and especially when we are young, our power is mitigated by those words that we have internalized over the course of our lives. These are the subtle (and not so subtle) expectations of our parents. The social rules that we have accumulated around belonging and not belonging. The beliefs that we hold close about what it requires to become who we want to become: loved, successful, and happy. We are married to those ideas – believing deeply that without them we would not stand a chance at survival. Without them, we might cease to exist.
Often your purpose or your calling, is hidden there, buried deep beneath the rubble of: what should I do next to please as many people as possible, and come out on top? And so you must begin an internalized search and rescue mission, becoming adept in removing the debris shaken loose and uncovering the buried gems – your authentic self – that is hiding out, waiting.
Frequently, when we begin the process of digging deep and uncovering our best, most essential self, the words hidden there are stuck in our throats – thick and untrained by lack of use. Even when we begin to know what we’d like to say, if we could just figure out just how to say it, we are unable to get the words out.
This moment, this exact moment, is the writing time – the time when you know there is something more to be said, but you falter every time you open your mouth. This is the moment where the beautiful freedom of pen-to-paper can save us from months or years of wondering, where should I begin? How should I begin? What if no one takes me seriously? What if what I uncover there is radically different from how my life looks, on the outside, today?
The healing power of writing lies in coaxing out our secret truths, our most heart-felt prose, and committing to the intermediary step of sharing it with the page. It lies in the moment of deciding to believe in our own power by making real all those words that we’ve been holding on to. It is the sharing of our stories, authored by our own hand, and carefully crafted in our own words.
Even before you share these words with a single other soul, your authentic self is fortified by seeing its truths in hard-copy.
With every word you write, your dreams are embolded and you have embarked on the process of freeing yourself from all that has tethered you down.
With every word you write – you give yourself permission to speak your truths out loud, in the light of day.
When you are scared and unsure of how to begin, begin like this: pull out a fresh page, grab your pen, and write the words, “I am…” Allow your story to transform there, intricately woven and impressive. Allow yourself to deepen into the idea that you are deserving of a page of your very own. Allow yourself the permission to begin today.
Mara Glatzel is a self-lovecoach+ author of BodyLovingHomework: WritingPromptsforCultivatingSelf-Love. She works with women who are ready to create the lives they want — and deserve. Her blog —MedicinalMarzipan — has inspired thousands of women to heal their relationships with their bodies, and treat themselves with relentless compassion. Catch up with her on facebook, twitter, or join her body-lovingmailinglist for bi-monthly secret swapping and insider news.
Thank you Mara. You write so beautifully and I certainly encourage all my counselling clients to journal and write for themselves, 
especially when the words they want to say don’t come easily. To win a copy of Mara’s ‘Body Loving Homework: Writing Prompts for Cultivating Self Love‘ leave a comment for me below sharing with us what you would most like to write about now or memories you have of something you wrote or kept such as a diary, journal or blog that inspired you. Also as part of this giveaway I have three double passes to the divine new movie ‘The Sapphire’s’ which is set in the ‘60s, telling the story of a quartet of young, talented singers from a remote Aboriginal mission, discovered and guided by a kind-hearted, soul-loving manager. Receving a ten minute standing ovation at the prestgious Cannes Film Festival, this one’s sure to be an inspirational watch.
Mara will have the difficult task of picking the winners of this giveaway (4 in total!) with all entries to please be in by August 12th, 5pm Australian Eastern Standard Time. Please indicate in your comment if you are from Australia as passes to the film are only available to Australian residents. Mara’s beautiful book is available to everyone worldwide from New York to Norway and everywhere in between!
In my teenage years I suffered normal growing-up angst and puberty blues, so I kept a diary throughout all my high school years. I used to write about my friends, my parents and my life, and I would write things (both good and bad) that I couldn’t actually say to those people.
Now when I read the journals, I am amazed at how small things bothered me so much! It makes me grateful that as an adult I am so much more relaxed now!
Currently I’ve been trying to write about my grandmother and great grandmother. I have great memories with my great grandmother and recently lost my grandma(who happens to be her daughter).
I am trying to find myself. Always. Through writing. I haven’t really written in so long. I used to write poetry, rants and raves, fractals of bliss, daydreams and actual sleepy dreams. I used to write a lot about what I wanted out of life, relationships, etc. My feelings. A lot of the chitterchatter that goes on in my head, I’d write down.
I usually don’t re-read my old blogs/journals. I wonder what kind of things are buried in there!
(ps. not living in Australia, but I would love to visit! Maybe I should write about all the places I want to visit.)
Thank you for the giveaway. I love your work and Mara’s as well! You two have helped me tremendously.
I was given a diary as a gift when I was 11 years old and kept writing one for almost 10 years! I still wish that I had kept up this form of self-discovery to this present day as I sometimes re-read them and find a lot of lessons to be learnt or re-learnt amongst the pages! The way I saw myself was through others’ eyes predominately and I’m relieved to now have a more healthy, realistic and positive view on myself and my strengths and weaknesses! I now look forward to the day when I can return the favour once bestowed upon me and give my nieces and friends’ daughters their own diary at around the same age as gifts now! Even in this age of technology I beleive that a diary/journal is a special gift you can give youself!
This past year has been a rough one in many ways, lots of loss including really beginning to lose my identity as “being anorexic.” It leave me in an odd place of discovering who I really am, what I care about and how I choose to spend my time.
What I write about now is where I am each day, my goals for the future and my hopes and dreams outside of the murky realm of ED.
I love to journal. I am currently writing a spiritual journey of my own, figuring things out for myself through this process. I am on day 95….and plan to go for 100 days, ending on my birthday (woo hoo)! It seemed to go slow at first, but it really picked up speed and is now roaring quite nicely. I have meditated for 23 days in a row now. I started a yoga practice. I met with a spiritual mentor. I watched “The Secret”. I plan to go to a drum circle this weekend! It’s been just a crazy good journey!
Actually, I didn’t mean to write about my 100 days journaling. I wanted to tell you about something else. I recently reviewed another journal of mine where I had written a page a day answering a few questions (inspired by Rosie Molinary, whom you are likely already familiar with). I went through a hard time last fall and as I was reading over it….day by day…it looked depressing. Each day, I would finish the sentence, “Right now, I need ___________” and some of the answers were sad. Right now I need to breathe. Right now I need a plan to feel better. Right now I need to just make it through the day. I saw page after page of that. It was almost dragging me down. What I didn’t even realize is there was a shift when I decided to take a slightly different approach….a bit more “artistic” or “creative” approach. I would doodle (sometimes the sweetest, simplest pictures). I would design coffee mugs or umbrellas. I would write poetry (such as acrostics for the word KIND or FUZZY or perhaps a haiku about my cats or chocolate….but some really kinda deep and profound). Sometimes I would name things, like the day or the bird outside the window. Sometimes I would write letters….to myself or parts of myself. It was really, really cool to see before my eyes , as the depression lifted. It was recorded in this journal and it seemed to be the creative approach…perhaps engaging and firing the other side of my brain…that made the difference.
Right now I think just sitting and writing would be so good for me. Not only would it force me to actually sit down and be calm, but it would give me the space to actually figure out what is going on in my head. I speed through life and get all of my taks done, but I rarely take the time to reflect on who I am and what I enjoy doing (I have no idea anymore!) I want to write – anything and everything – to help me rediscover myself.
[...] lovely Julie Parker has opened up her virtual doors to me this week, with a guest post entitled The Healing Power of Writing. And, as a bonus, because she is just so awesome, she’s giving away a copy of Body Loving [...]
The good and bad times of growing up in a poor travelling farm worker’s family. The bad times were sad but wow we had so many good times as well
One thing that I would most like to write about now is how badly I was harassed at a former workplace by certain managers, and the extent of their illegal activity had on my life. How I finally took the stand to protect my some of my rights, and how the company attempted to, in part, pay me the equivalent of six weeks’ pay to keep quiet, and drop any and all claims against the applicable company.
I declined the company’s offer, was successful in a worker’s compensation claim, and am now studying at a university towards a degree in Industrial Relations Law.
I am living in Australia.
My daughter was diagnosed with an illness at the age of 9 – she is now in her 20′s and still ill, but I’ve kept a diary of our ups and downs, medical treatments, successes and failures – my writings have inspired me to help others with the same fate.
I live in Australia
I chose not to have children, and I think sometimes that people like me are not valued in the same way because we don’t leave a direct legacy. However my life is important – I live it deliberately, consciously, and thoughtfully; I have my own clearly defined purpose, which includes connecting and contributing, and that in itself will leave a legacy in my family of friends, workplace, and community. I would love to write about this so that the essence of my life can be captured for future generations of women in my family.
Jo – Australia
I love this post. When my daughter was born (1 year ago in two weeks time) she was a bit sick and we had a terrible first 4 weeks with her. I found out that my mother and me both had the same problems as a newborn and decided to write a journal for my daughter about how I was feeling just in case she had the same problems with a baby one day. I continued her journal and write in it every single day. My Dear Zoe, Love Mummy journal is going to be a lifelong project that I intend to give to her on her 18th birthday. It felt so good to be writing a journal that I have now started a personal one which has been immensely helpful during the last few weeks after losing a close family member suddenly. Very interested to read Mara’s book and would love to take my Mum to this movie. (I am in Australia).
Just last weekend I was doing a huge clean up and came across a diary I wrote when I was 14… oh how I wish the present me could have given advice to the past me! I live in Australia.
I recently remembered a dream I held as a teenager – a dream that was methodically beaten down by the many voices of the doubters that surrounded me, and then repeated for the following 20 years by my eating disorder. Last week I bought a note book and wrote 3 goals to start me off on a journey to rediscover this dream. I began by answering these statements quoted on my friend’s blog:
“This is what I am going to do…
Here is why I am going to do it…
This is the result I am hoping for…
I am not asking for permission. I’m starting today. It’s OK if it doesn’t work out.”
For far too long I have been asking my eating disorder for permission to live the life I want to – so I plan to keep setting myself new goals and recording them in my little notebook and hopefully over the next few years I will be able to see my dream become reality.
xxxCate
Beautiful Mara, as usual. You never disappoint with your authenticity and ability to get straight to the core. I have already got my copy of your ebook and really looking forward to diving into it! love Mxx
I kept jounals for all of my high school years and beyond probably 9 years in total. I then met my husband (18years married) and being young and kinda stupid i threw them all away. I have this regret buried inside of me and long for those jounals to re-appear so i can read my story and look for some answers. So i would love to start this writing journey for myself and for when my daughter gets older she can have an insight of my life. I am from Melbourne Australia.
With the advent of laptops, I have always written a travel blog whenever I go overseas on holidays.
It’s a great way for the family to follow my moves, I thoroughly enjoy the process of crafting a daily story and it remains a permanent online memento for me to fondly look back on.
Thank you everyone for your lovely entries in this giveaway. Mara has kindly decided to giveaway not one but TWO copies of her ebook which go to Jill Z and Jo. Congratulations!
Congratulations also to the winners of the movie passes who are Meri, Debz and Rebecca.
[...] “The healing power of writing lies in coaxing out our secret truths, our most heart-felt prose, and committing to the intermediary step of sharing it with the page. It lies in the moment of deciding to believe in our own power by making real all those words that we’ve been holding on to. It is the sharing of our stories, authored by our own hand, and carefully crafted in our own words.” The Healing Power of Writing – Beautiful You [...]