I actually wrote this blog in March 2019 and published it on the charity website. I had a read of this today, I don't generally re-read any of my blogs, but the upshot was that I thought I'd publish my musings here on my personal page too. Other than this introductory paragraph, the blog is as is.
So many people have said to me they think it would be good for me to write a blog, and even write a book. I’ve pushed that notion to the side so many times, but then I got thinking. I have so many thoughts on so many topics …. Edward, family, loss, grief, heartbreak, bereavement, trauma, meningitis, sepsis, charity, spiritual beliefs, love ……. I could go on. My mind has all thoughts of all these things going on constantly; it’s like a washing machine. I don’t know if I’m ready to write a book. I might be. I just don’t really know how to go about it. But blogging yes. Getting those thoughts out there. Written down. Offloaded. That is cathartic. It helps me enormously. But hopefully it will help others too. Hopefully something I write will resonate with someone else; maybe it will help them; maybe it will just be thought provoking for others; to empathise; to help; to understand others going through similar things in their lives.
I don’t want to preach, heavens no. I hear so many, so many times, in so many aspects of my life telling me that I should do this, or ought to do that, other people in my position do this/that, I’m surprised you’re doing/not doing. This blog is about me … my thoughts … my opinions …. Things which helped or didn’t help me. You can agree with me, or disagree with me, that’s your prerogative; but I found when I was in the darkest of places, I wanted to read about other peoples’ experiences of what I had gone through. The loss, the grief, the trauma. Everybody’s story of grief and loss is different, everybody will deal with that grief and loss in a different way. There is no right, there is no wrong. I have read other peoples’ experiences, their thoughts and opinions, and I’ve taken the bits I need; some snippets of words stayed with me, some didn’t, some were really helpful and encouraging, and others were far from it and needed to be put out of my mind immediately. But all those words were written by someone who went through a painful experience; all those words helped that person writing them down; and all those words can be taken as a whole piece of writing or split into snippets to help many more people.
I have decided to write about my experiences; it is my story; my journey which I have decided to share.
With the words I write, some will feel comfortable; some uncomfortable; some will say that I shouldn’t be sharing some of my innermost thoughts; some will congratulate me on my strength. Whatever others think doesn’t really matter; this feels right for me; it is helpful for me, and I really hope it will help others.
This isn’t the way for everyone. Writing isn’t for everyone. Publicly writing isn’t for everyone. But offloading thoughts, opinions and emotions I find very cathartic. Cathartic writing helps get things off your chest; it helps clear the mind; you can shout about what makes you angry or upset; you can offload your emotions without involving anyone else …. write it down, you don’t have to read it again, throw it away if necessary, burn it even, but writing thoughts as they spill out … without worrying about if the words are ordered, spelled correctly, punctuated … just written as they come.
I hope that some of the blogs I write help someone else – even if only a snippet or two - but if not, it doesn’t matter; it helps me.
#blog #blogging #writing #catharticwriting #mythoughts #myopinions #mystory #realstories #life #reallife
