LIFE

Why Journaling and Poetry Are So Important for Life — 4 Tips

Life saviors for me

Do you live the writer’s life? You most probably do when you are part of this platform. We are writers, sharers, and deep feelers of life. We want some meaning

And some answers about what it all means to be alive

I live the writer’s life ever since I could read and hold a pen. No computers then. Just pencils to erase what went wrong. And pens for permanency

Words come alive for me

Words color my day. Like images do. And feelings. And serendipity

Sometimes life hurts. It can’t be helped. We have emotions for a reason and although they can be divided into fear and joy, fear always triggers harder than joy

Fear becomes anger. Frustration. And grief

And joy? That’s our antidote

How do I use poetry and journaling? That’s what I will share with you in this story. Along with a few tips on how to immerse yourself in feelings so the poetry gets stronger and the journaling gets more transformative

The Jellyfish Touch

Her sting is soft and gooey I hardly feel her touch She clings to me like sticky gum I watch as if not there

The disconnect is hardening me guarding me, belittling me

The disconnect is me in space just floating on a cloud

When Gaia’s hand is touching me it goes so warm inside

My body burns with flames unknown and I return from space

Landing in my life feels good I dance with sea feet for my root And when the sting has turned to flow I know… I know… I know…

That life is meant for living!

Journaling Therapy

I’m a nature girl. I can’t help it. Nature is my connection to life and to the earth. It can be as simple as a worm. Or a bee. The touch of a fish when I’m dancing with my feet in the sea. Or a tiny blade of grass in a city

Nature warms my heart in some way

But then, there’s climate change. And a river in my town that runs wild and takes cars and sheds and whole houses in her flow. There are wildfires that turn my blood cold. Like the ice that sticks to my tongue when I lick the lantern post on a winter’s day

Often, my heart goes cold with the injustice

My therapist coach, whom I only visited for 1 year when I had a very rough spot in life, once asked me to journal about my experiences. I told her I couldn’t. It was too painful. I would break inside

So, I wrote poetry instead. I could take a little distance from my feelings and still have the transformative qualities of my own words

Immerse in Landscapes

How do I use journaling then, you ask? Well, I immerse myself in visible or invisible landscapes. And then I write intuitively without ever reading it back. Or maybe later… much later… when the pain has subsided

What landscapes do I get into?

The desert is for scorching my feet and letting new things emerge in the endless space

The oceans and rivers are for flow. When I’m stuck in life I go there and let all my feelings flow. And been taken away to salty seas full of hot, painful tears

The mountains are for courage. They challenge me with vertigo and fear of falling to my death. So, I go there if I need courage. The fear will bounce me into unsuspected flames of courage. Fear is always a bouncing board. A trampoline for ending deep into joy on the other side

The forest is for complexity and mystery. If I go there, I find unexpected serendipity. It is a place that I don’t need to think about because the unexplained happens there. It heals me

I’ll give you an example of serendipity at the end of this story

The village is for people contact. For hugs and parties. For shared joy with friends. Personally, I don’t go there so often. Nobody suspects it, but I’m not too good in groups. I love a good party. Fun. Laughter. Dance. But then, I like to be alone or just with Mike again. The simple life

However, I do like to immerse myself in big loving groups in my imagination. Social media help me too. I have huge groups of friends here who wish me well and kept my strings firmly attached to the earth in 2022 and my battle with cancer

Serendipity Is My Life

Mike and I are nomads. And as long as we get out there and embrace the unknown, we encounter a lot of serendipity. The other day, I bought a bright green sweater. And when I came back to the car, I saw that Mike’s daughter had given us a link on Whatsapp

She’d had a lot of fun with a burrito challenge and I had asked what a burrito challenge was. She answered with a link to the challenge. So, I clicked. But instead of getting to the intended TikTok video, serendipity gave me another. I got this little TikTok film instead

A woman and a man. She’s singing “I’m alive” in a bright green dress. These African people are a bit like us. She’s so serious and a bit of a drama queen. And he’s full of fun and dancing hips. Mike in his young years…

I smiled. I needed that reminder that I’m alive and kicking. Nothing else matters

Loving. Living. Enjoying life. And dancing…

4 Tips

Journaling and poetry writing are both ways to express emotions. To find these intense emotions inside our own body and to release them in some way. So, how can we feel emotions in ways that transform us?

And how can we express emotions in such a way that others like to read them on this platform or somewhere else?

1. Emotions are fiercest at 3 AM at night. It is when the veil between us and the mysterious universe is thinnest, I guess. I don’t know why but you’ll find that many successful writers and artists write about that. So, if you want an artist life, don’t go for the normal 9–5. Let the flow take you to wherever she wants to take you
2. If you suffer from a lack of sleep because of your irregular lifestyle, go for siestas. Make sure that you sleep for an hour (or less, or more) around 3 PM in the afternoon. And if you can’t sleep, meditate
3. Journaling needs flow writing. If you are too much in your head, set a timer. 10 minutes. And just flow wherever your pen or keyboard wants you to be. Associating. Dissociating. Don’t read it back immediately afterward. Go do something else. And after an hour or so, you scan the page and pick out three words that catch your eye. Those are the important ones for this moment in your life
4. Poetry is strongest for another reader if you use strong metaphors. I mostly use natural ones. But others use mechanical metaphors like clocks and lantern posts and floating plastic bottles with messages inside

Happy writing, transforming your life, and experiencing, my friends

The new year 2023 is upon us. I wish you all the best!

May many words leave your pen and warm my reader’s-heart. Our book, Abundanism is written and delivered to the official publisher that will publish it in English and French

Life is good for us and you and our loved ones. And our planet will survive and thrive anyway…

Warm regards, Desiree

Let me tag a few of my loyal readers from my beginning on this platform in 2019. I wish you an especially great year of writing! I’m a reader of your words. Be assured of that!

We’ll meet someday online again…

Martine Trista Selma Elisabeth Amy Michele Rebecca Rebecca Zelam Dew Tree Agnes Agnes Jenine Adelia Kaia Yael Maria CR Annelise Nicole Caroline Melissa Charlotte Gurpreet Lanu Aurora Annick Neha Noma Sherry Paul Bill Kathryn Joe George Jessica B. A. Tony Rasheed Henery Chowa FILZA 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢 Simona Tamela Jayne Infiniti Russ Salam Ravyne Fred Liam The Maverick Thewriteyard Stuart Maria Sumera Ntathu Arthur Britni Dipti Eliot Daniella Ryan Do The Green Helen Jo Ann Kevin Nicole Kim Priya J.J. Roz Jyssica Radha Upen Suzanne Tre René Terry Jill Eli Shin Karen ◦•●✿ Christina Dr. Christine Keno Dennett Paroma Terry janny’s Jupiter Erika Aimée Carolyn Susan Wild Flower Niki Somsubhra

I’m a systemic designer. A (digital) nomad. An environmental change-maker. Coach to powerful world leaders. And to students of life. Stay tuned via our website Abundanism.com and LinkedIn and Medium

Thank you, Gaia, for giving me Wild Writing © Désirée Driesenaar, 2023