The courage to write comes from avoiding avoidance.
We are in constant motion and in our busy lives we make time to rest, but resting our minds normally means numbing it. We watch TV, we doom scroll and we read. We numb our minds to avoid what we really should be doing or thinking.
The actions we take in our lives are either built on habits or needs. If said actions are not habits, they mainly consist of us rushing to complete what needs to be done and doing it at a cost. The cost normally is our money or our time.
While habits are built to serve our regular needs, actions based solely on needs are created because we have not added them to our routines, and they urgently need to be done.
Though the sense of urgency gets us to work faster, for example, that email you had to finish while you were busting to go to the loo, it may not be the best method for getting everything done.
We create lists to feel like we are productive but ignore or change them as the sense of urgency changes. If we adopt the same logic for our mental health needs, the sense of urgency to ‘feel better’ leads us to actions that give us immediate gratification. Watching tv, scrolling, and even excessive eating.
Hits the spot initially, and periodically it will work, but if it is the only way to make yourself feel better, it can be damaging. Actually, it can halt personal growth.
Avoidance is a part of the new trend of triggers that stop us from feeling confident.
We have more to distract us, not just phones or social media. But everything can be a distraction, some clean to avoid. The task is a good one, but avoidance, nonetheless.
We avoid saying things to people we love.
We avoid listening to our inner thoughts to find what we truly want.
We avoid acting on the things we want.
Call it comfort zone, call it breaking habits, call it whatever you need to. The creation of a culture where distraction is acceptable is now our norm. Most of us know the actions we need to take. At work we have peer monitoring and managers, and in school, we have teachers. In the gym, we have personal trainers that keep us accountable.
The sole need for accountability alone, takes away from the effort you put it. We attach our success to these individuals, but in fact we don’t need to.
These are great ways to take us to success. However, they should not be the only way you feel successful. You put your sense of confidence in the hands of those that applaud you, but they are only there to support you. The achievement is yours.
Read that again.
The Courage That comes with Writing.
Our minds are busy. 20% of our daily energy is used by our brains to keep us alive. Breathe, think, talk, walk — the whole lot. That’s a large portion of our energy. The more energy we waste on avoidance, the more we spend our mental capacity on wasteful tasks. Everything has a time and energy value, and this is how journaling maximises it.
It frees up our mental capacity, it is a habit that seamlessly tracks our mental wellbeing. When not rushing for instant gratification, you give yourself the opportunity to find long-term results. Addressing something that has probably been building up.
When journaling, we repeat things we want, rewrite our concerns and give them the right amount of attention, we acknowledge what we are grateful for and feel clear on our future tasks.
The courage to write comes from avoiding avoidance.
Recognition, acceptance and then action.
It all starts by finding what you are avoiding to voice, so write it.
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