Beth Terrence – Page 2 – HEAL MY VOICE

Journaling For Health And Well-Being

Heal My Voice Author and Board Member

Journaling or reflective writing is a practice that has been around for a long time. Whether someone is a “writer” or not, really matters little when it comes to personal writing. Journaling is simply a way to express and explore our life experiences and ourselves on a deeper level through the written word or even through art or imagery, too. It doesn’t have to be for anyone but ourselves. And, it is an exciting time as we are now seeing the scientific evidence supporting the benefit of this simple practice for our overall health and well-being.

University of Texas at Austin psychologist and researcher James Pennebaker has done extensive research on the benefits of journaling. He has found that regular journaling strengthens immune cells, called T-lymphocytes. Other research has indicated that journaling decreases the symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. Pennebaker believes that writing about stressful events helps you come to terms with them, thereby reducing the impact of stressors on your physical health. He recommends writing for 20 minutes per day.

Additionally, the benefits go way beyond your physical health. Scientific evidence has discovered that the act of writing actually accesses your left brain, which is the analytical and rational part. When you begin writing, your left brain becomes engaged freeing your right brain to create, intuit and feel. So, in a sense, writing takes you out of your head and into your heart. This allows you to use all of your brainpower to better understand yourself, others and the world around you. The act of writing is helping you to access your creativity on a deeper level.

Journaling helps you to:

Clarify your thoughts and feelings.
Know yourself better.
Reduce stress.
Be healthier.
Solve problems more effectively.
Resolve disagreements with others
Practice good self-care
Access your creativity
Release and Express Held Memories & Emotions
Set Intentions

You may be saying to yourself, “But, I’m not a writer, so how can journaling work for me?” There are many ways to explore journaling and many types of practices. Writing offers an opportunity to explore who you are, what are your likes and dislikes, and your strengths and weaknesses. It is a vehicle to find your voice and explore ways you can flow more easily with life.

Here are some ways you can explore writing and journaling:

Stream Of Consciousness ~ Just put the pen on the paper and let whatever words come to mind flow onto the page
List Writing (e.g. Make a list of Feelings, Choices, Losses, Things You Enjoy, Topics for Writing, Triggers, Self-Care Toolbox, Favorites, etc.)
Gratitude – Make a list of everything you are grateful for – this can be a powerful daily practice
Affirmations & Intentions – For the day, month, year or as you feel to
Prayers/Blessings – Write for yourself, family, friends, the world…
Meditations – Pick a topic like peace, love, happiness, etc.
Poetry – Explore haiku or free verse. Write a poem or read a poem and write what it means to you.
Just For Today I will… – Write
Letter Writing (e.g. To Self, Family, Friends, Higher Power, Past/Future)
Holistic Exploration – Do A Check-In or Self-Care Review For Body, Mind, Emotion & Spirit
Morning Pages – Do three handwritten stream of consciousness pages first thing every morning (from The Artist’s Way)
Or, try Dr. Pennebaker’s Basic Writing Assignment:

Here are some books on journaling and writing to explore, too!

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Journey Notes: Writing for Recovery & Spiritual Growth by Richard Solly & Roseann Lloyd
Writing from the Body by John Lee
Creative Journal Writing by Stephanie Dowrick
The Daily Writer by Fred White
Writing Begins with the Breath by Laraine Herring
Writing as a Sacred Path by Jill Jepson

I hope you’ll take some time to explore journaling for health and well-being. If you don’t have a journal, you may wish to browse around for a journal that feels meaningful to you. Or, just pick up a composition book or blank sketchbook and you are ready to go. If you want to, you can decorate it and use the words or images to inspire your writing. Maybe you want to make one journal dedicated to self-care or gratitude practice. Be creative, explore and enjoy!

If you have any journaling practices or tools that you’d like to share, feel free to drop us a note in the comments below. We love to hear from you – YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

Beth Terrence is a Shaman, Holistic Health & Wellness Expert, Speaker and Writer. She has been working in the field of Holistic Healing and Transformation for over 18 years. This path evolved from her own healing journey through fibromyalgia and the impact of trauma on her life. Beth found that by taking a holistic approach to life and well-being, she was able to achieve of a state of happiness and wholeness that she never imagined was possible. Her mission is to support others in cultivating a heart-centered, balanced and joyful life through discovering the healer within.

Writing has always been one of Beth’s greatest passions. Since childhood, she has written poetry and kept a journal. Participating in a Heal My Voice project opened the door to Beth stepping forward in the world as a writer. Her stories are featured in Inspired Voices: True Stories of Visionary Women and Harmonic Voices: True Stories Of Women On The Path To Peace. Beth joined the Heal My Voice board of directors in May 2013. Additionally, she is the lead facilitator and program developer for a Heal My Voice program that brings writing and creativity to women in addiction recovery at Chrysalis House in Crownsville, MD.

Beth is available for Integrative Transformational Healing Sessions & Programs by Phone/Skype or in person in Annapolis, MD. She offers a variety of classes, workshops and trainings on Holistic Healing, Transformation, Writing and Creativity in the MD/DC/VA area and virtually. Beth also writes regularly on her own blog, The Heart Of Awakening: Searching For A New Paradigm, an online resource for transformation and healing. To learn more about Beth’s Integrative Transformational Healing Services, visit http://www.bethterrence.com.

Beth’s Take A Break Summer Special Offer:

20% Off All Sessions By Phone/Skype Or In Person In Annapolis, MD Summer is a the perfect time to relax, reflect and renew. We’ve passed the Solstice so the days are beginning to get shorter once again but the Fire energy of summer is still very strong through July 22nd. The intensity of this Yang energy can take a toll on our system – it is still very expansive but a part of us is beginning to pull within. With the outward energy of summer, increased social activities and extreme heat and humidity, our systems can more easily move out of balance. It may not be uncommon to experience fatigue, headaches, and intense waves of emotions during this time. I invite you to come for a healing session to support your overall balance and ease of well-being. Take A Break ~ Relax, Reflect & Renew! Integrative Healing Sessions may include Shamanic Healing, Bach Flower Remedies, Zero Balancing, Body/Energy Therapies, Meditation, Holistic Self-Care and other holistic resources to support transformation and healing on all levels – body, mind, emotion and spirit. Learn more about Beth’s Take A Break Summer Special Offer and Integrative Transformational Healing Services in July’s Discover The Healer Within E-News…

Where To Connect With Beth:

Website: www.bethterrence.com

Blog: http://theheartofawakening.wordpress.com

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/bethterrence

Twitter: @BethTerrence

Contact: beth@bethterrence.com

30 Quotes To Inspire & Ignite Your Writing

By Beth Terrence

Heal My Voice Author and Board Member

One of the tools that has helped me to develop as a writer and to support others in getting their words flowing is to have a toolbox of various writing prompts. A writing prompt simply consists of an idea, word, image, phrase or set of instructions to help you jumpstart your writing. You may want to use a prompt on the days when you just can’t seem to get the words flowing or you may wish to work with writing prompts as a part of your regular writing practice.

One of my favorite type of writing prompts are quotes. When looking for inspiration, I look for a quote on a specific topic or theme, such as love, peace or leadership or I may gather as many quotes as I can on that topic and put them all together on one sheet. Later, I cut them up and put them in my idea box, post them around or save them in a ziploc baggie for future use. Sometimes when looking for a prompt for the Heal My Voice Chrysalis House weekly writing circle, I will bring a bag of quotes; participants will pick one randomly and then explore what inspiration comes from the quote for their writing that day.

I have found that as a writer, it’s essential to have a variety of tools in your toolbox. I find quotes to be a great tool for getting my ideas and words flowing. And, one of my favorite things to do is read quotes by other writers to help me gain insight into the art of writing and the experience of being a writer. Here are 30 quotes by writers to inspire and ignite your writing:

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ~ Maya Angelou

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” ~ Ernest Hemingway

“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” ~ Sylvia Plath

“You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” ~ Madeleine L’Engle

“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” ~ Toni Morrison

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” ~ Stephen King

“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” ~ Mark Twain

“You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.” ~ Saul Bellow

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” ~ Anais Nin

“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.” ~ Ray Bradbury

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” ~ Louis L’Amour

“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” ~ Anne Frank

“A word after a word after a word is power.” ~ Margaret Atwood

“Writing is like sex. First you do it for love, then you do it for your friends, and then you do it for money.” ~ Virginia Wolf

“Tears are words that need to be written.” ~ Paulo Coehlo

“Write the kind of story you would like to read. People will give you all sorts of advice about writing, but if you are not writing something you like, no one else will like it either.” ~ Meg Cabot

“The role of a writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say.” ~ Anais Nin

“The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” ~ Albert Camus

“I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.” ~ James A. Michener

“Write what should not be forgotten.” ~ Isabel Allende

“I’ve got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen.” ~ Louisa May Alcott

“The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.” ~ Emily Dickinson

“Breathe-in experience, breathe-out poetry.” ~ Muriel Rukeyser

“Instructions for living a life:
pay attention
be astonished
tell about it” ~ Mary Oliver

“Revision is not going back and fussing around, but going forward into the highly complex and satisfying process of creation” ~ Mary Sarton

“Writing is an extreme privilege but it’s also a gift. It’s a gift to yourself and it’s a gift of giving a story to someone.” ~ Amy Tan

“If you’re going to write a good book, you have to make mistakes and you have to not be so cautious all the time.” ~ Zadie Smith

It’s better to write about things you feel than about things you know about. ~ L. P. Hartley

My aim is to put down what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way I can tell it. ~ Ernest Hemingway

“The unread story is not a story; it is little black marks on wood pulp. The reader, reading it, makes it live: a live thing, a story.” ~ Ursula K. Le Guin

I hope you’ll take some time to explore working with quotes as a writing prompt. And, if you have any favorite quotes by writers that you would like to share, please drop us a note in the comments below.

Happy Writing!

Beth’s Take A Break Summer Special Offer:

20% Off All Sessions By Phone/Skype Or In Person In Annapolis, MD

Summer is a the perfect time to relax, reflect and renew. We’ve passed the Solstice so the days are beginning to get shorter once again but the Fire energy of summer is still very strong through July 22nd. The intensity of this Yang energy can take a toll on our system – it is still very expansive but a part of us is beginning to pull within. With the outward energy of summer, increased social activities and extreme heat and humidity, our systems can more easily move out of balance. It may not be uncommon to experience fatigue, headaches, and intense waves of emotions during this time. I invite you to come for a healing session to support your overall balance and ease of well-being. Take A Break ~ Relax, Reflect & Renew!

Integrative Healing Sessions may include Shamanic Healing, Bach Flower Remedies, Zero Balancing, Body/Energy Therapies, Meditation, Holistic Self-Care and other holistic resources to support transformation and healing on all levels – body, mind, emotion and spirit.

Learn more about Beth’s Take A Break Summer Special Offer and Integrative Transformational Healing Services in July’s Discover The Healer Within E-News…

Where To Connect With Beth:

Website: www.bethterrence.com

Blog: http://theheartofawakening.wordpress.com

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/bethterrence

Twitter: @BethTerrence

Contact: beth@bethterrence.com

7 Ways to Jumpstart Your Writing This Summer

By Beth Terrence

Heal My Voice Author and former Board Member

Anyone who writes knows that there are times that the worlds flow like waterfalls and times when we find ourselves in the desert hoping to find that next oasis.

Not sure what to write about or how to get the words flowing? Here are 7 Ways To Jumpstart Your Writing This Summer:

Read ~ You need to read to write.

As Stephen King says so eloquently, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” Summer’s a great time to read more – books, blog posts, poetry, magazines, the Sunday paper, etc. As you read, see what pops out at you, what inspires you and what types of writing you might like to explore. Make notes when ideas come to you for your own writing.

Also, you might want to add a book on writing to your summer reading list. Why not explore Stephen King’s On Writing – A Memoir Of The Craft or Natalie Goldberg’s latest book The True Secret Of Writing.

Create a new journal for your writing.

Having a space to write that you are connected to really helps to get the words flowing. I know nowadays many folks like to type rather than write by hand, but there is a flow that can happen when we create our own sacred writing space. All you need is a new composition book or blank sketch book. Get some magazines and cut out images or words that inspire you. Grab a glue stick and design the cover of the journal and the inside pages, too, as inspiration and writing prompts. Here’s the cover of my recent journal to inspire you!

Make an Idea Box for your writing

Write all of your ideas – for books, articles, blog posts or just phrases on separate pieces of paper. Place them in your idea box and add more as they come. When you are ready to write, just pick one at random or if you feel to lay them all out on the floor and see what bubbles up that day. Start writing! You may wish to review your ideas periodically to see if there are some that go together or certain themes arising.

Start your day doing the “Morning Pages”.

This practice comes from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way – she calls them “a bedrock tool for creative recovery”. Morning pages entail writing three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind – and they are for you only. Morning Pages are meant to “provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize” the day at hand. The instruction is to not over-think Morning Pages – simply put three pages of anything on the page, then do three more pages tomorrow. Later you may want to go back and highlight or note anything you want to add to your journal or idea box.

Start a blog or recommit to one you’ve already started.

If you haven’t started a blog yet, what’s stopping you? Summer may be the perfect time. Blogging is a great way to share your words and inspiration with the world. It’s also a great way to connect with other writers through the blogosphere and social media. There are lots of free, easy to use platforms to start your blog such as WordPress.com or Blogger.

Do you have a blog but seem to have forgotten about it? Maybe it’s time to recommit to your blog and your writing. Take some time to review, consider what changes you wish to make or what you would like your focus to be going forward. Is there a post you have written that has a second part or follow up piece? Maybe there is a series to develop or weekly post to keep the juices flowing. Also, consider joining a Blogging Challenge to connect with other bloggers for inspiration.

List Writing.

This is a practice I use in some of my writing circles to get the words flowing as well as to explore a theme. Sometimes people feel too stuck to go straight to stream of consciousness style writing like the Morning Pages, but making a list is something we can all do. We do it everyday with our To Do Lists – so why not take a skill we’re well versed in and use it to stimulate our writing.

There are two ways to do this – one is to just do a download of all the words that come into your mind at any moment; the other is to pick a theme word such as “feelings” or even a specific feeling like “fear”, which may have come from the first list. Later, it can be easy to turn a word list into poem – here is one example by poet Ray Hansell,

Fear
Fear of conflict, fear of change
Fear that our lives
Will always stay the same

Fear of sickness
Fear of the dark
Fear in the heart
That we lost that spark

Fear of the unknown
Fear of something new
Fear is alive and well
Fear lives inside of you

Fear of being alone
Fear of suffering pain
Fear of not knowing
How to play life’s game

Fear of the future
For what it may hold
The fear inside some people
Knowing they will grow old

Fear of helplessness
When things are going wrong
Fear because you know
You’re not really that strong

The fear of never knowing
The fear of facing death
The fear of not knowing when
You’ll take your final breath

Go out into nature and write.

Summer is a great time to connect with the energy of nature. Everything is growing and there is a sense of abundance. Also, if we consider the element of the season in Chinese Medicine – it’s Fire, which is the spark of creativity. Allowing our creativity to be expressed actually supports our overall sense of balance and well-being during the summer season. So get outside – walk in the woods, lay on the beach, sit in your garden and notice what you see, feel, hear, smell and observe. Wherever you go – bring your journal with you and see what words connecting with nature brings to you.

*****

Beth Terrence is a Shaman, Holistic Health & Wellness Expert, Speaker and Writer. She is one of the HMV authors featured in Inspired Voices: True Stories of Visionary Women and Harmonic Voices: True Stories Of Women On The Path To Peace. Additionally, Beth is the facilitator and program developer for a Heal My Voice program that brings writing and creativity to women in addiction recovery at Chrysalis House in Crownsville, MD. She writes regularly on her own blog, The Heart Of Awakening: Searching For A New Paradigm, an online resource for transformation and healing. Beth is available for Integrative Transformational Healing Sessions by Phone/Skype or in person in Annapolis, MD as well as classes, workshops and trainings on Holistic Healing, Transformation, Writing and Creativity. To learn more, visit http://www.bethterrence.com