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Writing in the Face of Fear
I came to writing through fear. A recurring feature of my childhood was going without the basic necessities we need, especially as children, to make us feel safe: food, attention and shelter. What many people are experiencing as we shelter in place, and worry about what the unknown, infinite-possibility-laden future holds, I taught myself to tame 30 years ago when I first put pen to looseleaf paper to move my anxiety and despair out of my body and onto paper. Here are a few ways to begin and/or consider:
Write with paper & pen, preferably: Get a writing instrument of your choice. Pen & paper are preferable to me and especially in this case, because they cut down on distractions and the inherent distance between you and the emotions created by your words. Fear, in particular, is a bully, and if you don’t sit with it and stare it down, it comes back to taunt you more and for longer. If you most want to use your phone or laptop instead, be sure to set yourself up for success by using it in a mode with the least possibility of distraction (e.g., Airplane mode for your phone, utilizing the Compose feature in a Word document, etc.)
Freewrite for 5–10 minutes: By now, I’ve been assured that it is not second nature to sit somewhere for any amount of time and just share all your feelings, even with yourself. (That took me a longer time to figure out than I’m proud to admit…
