Just Write

Listen to your thoughts.

Are you really reading this? Are you actually thinking about something else? Do you ever "read" a sentence or a paragraph over and over again without really reading it? You're pointing your eyes on the words yet your brain doesn't compute them and doesn't creating meaning from them.

Stop. Acknowledge your thoughts.

You're thinking about that project you have to hand in tomorrow. Now you're thinking about next week's exam you didn't study for. Now you're wondering what you'll cook for tonight's dinner. Now you're thinking about your boyfriend. Now you're thinking about that pretty girl you saw earlier today. Now you're being jealous of your friends. Now you're fearing of missing out on something.

Breathe. Organize your thoughts.

You're planning your day, or your week to come. Now you're figuring out how you'll get your daughter to her dancing class and your son to his soccer game. Now you're silencing toxic thoughts and focusing on the important things. Now you're pushing anxious feelings aside.

Grab a pen. Write down everything that's on your mind.

You don't really know how to start it off. "Just start", as the saying goes. Write down the first thing that comes to your mind. Anything, really. Start with the one thing that stresses you out the most. Explain it in detail.

After a dozen lines of disorganized bits of thoughts, something happens: your synapses connect and information rushes through your brain. You understand your thoughts, you spot patterns.

A few more lines later, your mind feels clearer. Everything shapes up. You feel at peace. You keep writing.

Half an hour later, you end up with ten pages of long-winded, mostly incoherent sentences that don't make any sense one after the other.

Yet, you place the pen on the table and feel happy. You feel light as air. You're profoundly proud of the text in front of you.

Writing is therapy. When things aren't going as planned, write. When you feel on top of the world, write. When you're alone, write. When you feel down, write. When your mind feels clogged and heavy, ready to explode, write. Let go of the information overdose and write it all down.

Writing really does help. Writing your thoughts down allows you to see the situation from a (till now) completely unknown and unimaginable perspective. That's how journals work: by writing, for example, how today was a bad day, positive elements that happened throughout the day will pop out and soon the day wasn't so bad after all.

It allows for creativity and imagination to bloom. Fiction pieces are also a great way to relieve the stress you keep inside. Perhaps writing a fictional story about that annoying neighbor of yours will alleviate your feelings towards them. Maybe even put a smile on your face.

In conclusion, just write. Anything. Even the most mundane stuff. Turn it into something amazing. Clean up your mind. Free your thoughts.

Write. Even if you only write once. Even if it's just one paragraph. Even if you make mistakes.

Embrace the power of writing. Just write.