TO WRITE: Be Proud of What You See
I attended a retreat this weekend for writing and silent meditation. It was glorious. About 40 other women and I spoke only when we were meeting in groups to discuss spirituality, writing, and the role of "mystery" in our lives. Meals, writing periods and free time were all in silence - no small talk all weekend. In this freeing and reflective state, the sharing we did do in groups was especially meaningful. One comment that struck me was an older woman recalling how her father firmly told her and her siblings when they were children: "Every morning look in the mirror and be proud of what you see."
Play with this...
Try out this father's advice. Look in the mirror and consider what you are proud of in yourself. Then write continuously for 20 minutes on what you discovered. Personal traits, good habits, accomplishments, kindnesses? Even if you're feeling depressed today, try honestly to find areas of pride - at the very least, you are trudging through a lousy period and you're demonstrating bravery and persistence and modeling those traits to others... all things to take pride in. Now can you look in the mirror again tomorrow and be proud of even more?
About Me
- Elizabeth Maynard Schaefer, Ph.D.
- My book, WRITING THROUGH THE DARKNESS: EASING YOUR DEPRESSION WITH PAPER AND PEN, was published by Celestial Arts in June 2008. I've been a science journalist, textbook editor and author, poet, memoirist, creative writing instructor and -- sometimes -- a bipolar depressed person, since earning my Ph.D. in biology at Stanford University in 1991. For the past ten years, I've combined my interests in writing and mental health by teaching creative writing to other people with mood disorders in a class meeting at Stanford's Psychiatry Department. I speak on mental health topics, both personal and professional, to a wide variety of groups.
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