Writing things down is an effective way to process emotions and understand where you might be getting stuck. I don’t care if you are a terrible writer, if your handwriting is illegible and your grammar is questionable. If you find yourself writing below your standards, lower your standards. No one else ever needs to read what you write. Set a timer for five, ten, twenty minutes — whatever feels reasonable, and free write with zero judgment.

Writing prompts:

• Make a list of the things that help you feel comforted. Maybe it’s taking a bath or curling up with a weighted blanket or sitting in a rocking chair. What helps your body to feel safe?

• What are the words you’d most like someone else to say to you when you need comfort? Write those down. Maybe it’s, “you’re okay, I’m here, you’re safe, no one is going to hurt you now, I’ll take care of you.” Let those words flow through you and allow yourself to be a comfort to yourself. Learning to self-soothe and offer comfort to ourselves is an incredible skill that needs to be practiced. 

• Try self-massage - massaging your hands, feet, neck, forehead, jaw muscles. After you do that for a few moments, write about how that feels to offer yourself some comfort and attention.

This writing prompt originally appeared with the article entitled How to Stop Rehearsing for Tragedy.

About this Photo
Lisa took this picture while attending a wedding in Banff National Park in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. Perhaps it feels comforting because it’s a photo of Lisa’s home and native land.