​Let it Spill onto the Page

The amount of thoughts that run through our minds on any given day are nearly impossible to keep track of. Yet there are definitely some thoughts that tend to do laps and bog us down. Our brains also have a tendency to fill in the gaps. So we do this thing where were fill in the gaps with what we think might happen or is happening within another person. Brené Brown likes to say, “The story I’m making up in my head is…” These thoughts can then plague us and because they only reside in our minds we might come to believe them as fact. 
 
One of the best ways to empty our minds and begin to examine our thoughts is to let them spill out onto a page. This can take several shapes or forms. For some, writing the words that have been living in their minds and running rampant can allow for some release. For others, taking their thoughts and creating a representational image or art piece can create relief. And still for others there might be a combination. No matter the form it takes, letting thoughts spill onto a page creates distance and therefore allows for a new perspective to be achieved. 
 
Externalizing our thoughts can help us learn about ourselves, what’s really bothering us, and how to begin changing them or finding solutions. Creating a visual representation of something that has been on our minds can not only provide catharsis or release but it can allow you to let go of the thoughts that don’t serve you. 
 
This week I invite you to look at some of those thoughts doing laps in your mind. Find a way to put them on a page that makes sense for you. Maybe it’s a combination of words and marks, colors, or shapes. Find the ones you feel serve you in some way and rewrite those on a separate page, perhaps a journal.  Then take the sheet that contains the thoughts that you want to change or stop thinking about. Rip these up and then toss them. If you want to take it one step further, take the ripped up pieces and collage them into something new. This is a gentle reminder that we control our thoughts and we have the power to turn those unhelpful thoughts into something we find more productive or meaningful. 

Be safe and be well,
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Janette D. Macias