The Power of Daily Writing Habits
What makes a habit worth keeping?
Right now, the habit of writing a post everyday brings me into better alignment with my life.
As soon as I wake up in the morning, I open up my laptop and stare at the blank screen.
Then I recall the day before. What stood out? What do I feel is shareable? What do I need to express so it doesn't fester inside of me?
I judge habits all of the time.
They aren't just things we do unthinking. They're patterns that can shape how we feel and who we'll eventually become.
If you choose to format loops to live your life, why not choose the ones that help keep you in alignment?
Writing is becoming a daily anchor for me. It helps my mind settle and brings clarity, steadiness and grounding to my day.
I know we like to describe habits as good or bad, but I've started asking myself, "Does this habit make me feel integrated, or disintegrated? Does it support my life or result in me feeling fractured?
The answer to that question tells me more about my habits and whether or not I choose to continue them.
Why Writing Brings Me Joy
I've felt the urge to write daily for many months.
But in what way? Privately or publicly?
I chose publicly because I want this habit to stick. Writing here, and stating that you'll find a post everyday, keeps me accountable.
My first full-body psoriasis breakout was when I found out my parents both had cancer. Since they died, the psoriasis comes and goes, and I noticed that the flares correspond to periods of stress.
I realized that I can eat all the right foods, take all the right supplements, exercise, get sunlight, drink water but what I wasn't doing was dealing with my internal self-talk and my misunderstanding about self-expression.
So, I thought, "What have I not done on the mental plane? Where am I not in alignment spiritually, mentally and physically?"
As it turns out, A LOT is out of alignment.
A habit that has not brought me joy is stuffing how I feel about things until they explode out of me in uncontrollable and in-elegant ways.
I've always needed a pressure valve, and until recently, I realized that my mother and our daily talks was my pressure valve, and then she died.
I'm a Terrible Talker
On my website that leads to this blog, I state that I think through my hands. The pathway for me to communicate clearly needs to include my heart, which then directs my hands.
I do this in my creative life, too. I don't think about a design... I fiddle with bits and pieces of wire and sheet metal before a design comes to life.
It's the same with my communication. I think out loud, which is basically fiddling with words, until a coherent idea emerges, and unless you know me pretty well, this can be overwhelming for the other person.
I have to hear myself first to know what I think about something. Sometimes I change my mind mid-sentence once I hear it, and I go into a completely new direction.
My mother understood that, and could gently guide me into clarity.
Writing slows the process of turning those jumbled thoughts and ideas into words, and I can find the structure of what is swirling around in bits and pieces in my mind.
I can marry feelings, facts and experiences using my hands by typing out a post.
My pressure valve is working again, and I'm seeing a vast improvement in my skin, too, as a result of establishing my daily writing habit.
The joy in healthy self-expression is the reason, I think, why we are alive.
When that ability is shut off for any reason, I'm learning that some sort of pathology emerges to get our attention to reassess what loops we've been stuck in that need to change.
Writing daily, a brand new habit, is my medicine.
Random fact about me: I only have 7 pairs of shoes: fancy Birkenstock's, casual Birkenstock's, fancy winter black shoes, casual winter black shoes, water shoes for snorkeling, a pair of boots, and a pair of Hoka's.