“The purpose of writing is both to keep up with life and to run ahead of it...”

 

William Saroyan (1939)



The “words” that I am talking about here, include those which you are reading, right now - this blog...

 

A few months ago, I also, published a post on the authorship of the blog (“When is a blog not a blog?”) - and accordingly, I am in a sense, not covering too much new ground. There is though, a pretty straightforward, but important point which I didn’t address in that post and I would like now, to rectify the omission.

 

My inspiration for this, was actually, some negative thoughts and feelings which I experienced yesterday evening. Out of curiosity, I consulted an analytical tool and discovered that readership of this blog is now dramatically reduced, from what it once was. I appreciate that this is a typical state of affairs, but nevertheless...

 

In fact, I went to bed last night, with a sense that the whole exercise is pointless and a resolve to call it a day!

 

I did, however, wake up this morning, in a more positive frame of mind and made a decision to continue.

 

While I have an instinctive admiration of the actual content in the opening quotation, I am not going to dwell on it.  A more general point though, is that it considers the written word, from the perspective of the writer. I think that it is sometimes too easy to focus on what the reader gets out of it. Maybe a writer is providing: 

 

·      information

·      entertainment; and even

·      inspiration.

 

On reflection though, I am starting to appreciate that there is more to it than that, and often “words have power” over the writer, too.

 

If the writer gets something out of it, then limited readership is not in itself, a reason to give up.

 

In addition to the points made in my earlier blog post, here is another reason why the blog is actually, rather self-therapeutic.  

 

·      As you will be well aware by now, the ways in which I spend my time have a very important and frequently positive, effect on my mood (or to adopt “OT speak” again, it is “meaningful occupation in facilitation of my emotional wellbeing”). Being an activity which I wish to pursue, writing the blog is certainly, “meaningful occupation”. But then, how does this facilitate “emotional wellbeing”? 

 

For a start, anything which I am getting on with (and that includes this writing) provides a distraction from negative thought. Perhaps more importantly though, what I am doing is often, enjoyable its own right and I do take pleasure in my weekly writing stints. I talked about why this is the case in “When is a blog not a blog?”

 

Writing my blog is of course, only one among many pleasurable activities which I undertake. It is therefore very important for me to notice that I am doing and enjoying them. A big help with this is (perhaps, needless to say) an adoption of a “mindful” sense of living in the moment. I do however find that this is effectively supplemented by

 

·       positive reflection.

 

Every week, in preparation for writing a post, I necessarily ponder what I have been doing and thinking about, of late. In doing so, I will frequently be forced into a realisation that there are actually plenty of good things in my life in (at least partial) compensation for those that I see negatively. Preparing to write the blog, forces me into retrospective contemplation and I am frequently surprised to find that it actually constitutes positive reflection

 

For this reason, if nothing else, the blog is doing me some good. It is compelling me to look back over recent activity etc. and I am quite frequently in receipt of a positive surprise, as to how full and worthwhile my life actually, is!

 

 

 


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