Self-love, self-care: Doing something I enjoy

 

I write... It's a form of a hobby, an outlet, as well as self-care.

At an early age, I was drawn to writing. Whether it was a short story to read in fourth grade, a poem to express myself, a script to a short movie, or just allowing my imagination to run wild.

So it turns out that what used to be my hobby, was actually one of my best coping mechanisms. It helped me even when I didn't know I needed it. And of course, even thought subconsciously I knew it was good for me, I strayed from this outlet for a while.

These days most self-care coaching will advise you to take up journaling, and I can say that it helps.

I just had an idea and flowed with it. And it allowed me to complete a piece in a couple of minutes. It may not be a work of art, but it allowed me to let out some thoughts, express myself.

If you want to attempt letting out some feelings, you can try something like the below:

• Write down words to describe how you feel.
• Explain what caused these feelings.
• Write down how you would like to feel and a time you remember feeling that way.
• Write down any current coping mechanisms and evaluate if they are destructive or constructive (e.g. substances are destructive, meditation is constructive).

You can check out my work in progress on All Poetry. Who knows, you may fancy the hobby too.