Have you ever read, or written, a letter that was so good that it made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?
Expressing how you feel in writing, or in real life, is not as easy as one might suppose. You are not alone if you struggle with self-expression.
It is human nature to keep innermost feelings private, but in the interest of communication, it is important to free yourself up on occasion.
Self-expression takes practice and a good way to do that is by keeping a journal, or at the very least becoming a better letter writer.
Practice. Try writing down the events of your day, but with a little more feeling than usual. Emotions, after all, make your world colorful versus black and white.
Therapists will ask you “how does that make you feel?” or “how do you feel about that?” They aren’t being nosey. They are trying to make you think about, and express, the very things that make your life meaningful.
Remember that letter? Make a copy of it. Paste it in your journal. It can be page one in this, your grown-up version, of a teenage diary.
Find a quiet safe place, sit down, and write something. Anything will do. No erasing, no crossing out, just plain unadulterated scrawl.
Bottling up your emotions or suppressing your feelings is not good for you; a psychologists would have a field day with this type of behavior. You don’t necessarily need a therapist, although it would be nice if we all had someone to talk to, but you do need to “feel.”
Journaling or letter writing can be your first foray into the world of “sharing” how you feel about day-to-day activities. Before long, your friends will be saving your letters to read and enjoy over and over again. Recording your thoughts, feelings, ideas, and reflections make everyday happenings come alive.
Your musings don’t have to be perfect (your friend or your journal won’t mind); the warmth of friendly communication Is what really matters. Your life is not boring, only the way you communicate it is. Share a little bit of yourself.
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