There are some rules to keeping a journal that can help it be more therapeutic and keep it from being an emo-drag. I got some good advice from a friend:
-- Allow only X minutes of emo barfing. Time it. -- Have structure to the writing -- like an assignment. "right now, I am going to write a letter of love to myself." or "write a list of 20 adjectives that describe your hopes for the future." -- Make the assignments hopeful, positive, anger-purging, indulgent.... depending on what you need at the time. If you're going to emo-purge, come back out of it with an entry that is positive.
Unstructured wallowing can really be damaging without support.
Thanks for posting this. This is a great idea and has done wonders for me during this very difficult first 14 days of NC. In addition to writing myself a similar email the day that I intiated NC, I also took some of the resources from the healing garden and sent them to myself in that same account that I used to contact xap. Now, when I feel like I want to contact him, I make myself read my email and the many many resources from the healing garden, including "Why NC works" and "Enough is Enough." By the time I am done reading them, I no longer want to reach out to xap.
oh, that is a great idea. One might also change the email passwords to be reminders -- such as I<3myhubbie or nocontactever Or, the ever-popular: IWANTMYWINGS!
There are some rules to keeping a journal that can help it be more therapeutic and keep it from being an emo-drag. I got some good advice from a friend:
-- Allow only X minutes of emo barfing. Time it.
-- Have structure to the writing -- like an assignment. "right now, I am going to write a letter of love to myself." or "write a list of 20 adjectives that describe your hopes for the future."
-- Make the assignments hopeful, positive, anger-purging, indulgent.... depending on what you need at the time. If you're going to emo-purge, come back out of it with an entry that is positive.
Unstructured wallowing can really be damaging without support.
got to go EAT!
Ciao, and chow!
Dee
NC/LC since January 28, 2010
http://secretlifeofjane.wordpress.com/
Or, the ever-popular: IWANTMYWINGS!
Hi Gal, I loved what you wrote! I have done this too, and I think I will write another one to my dear self :-)
Thanks!
Htgo