Writing for your own personal therapy has been a common theme around these parts. If you’ve had a chance to delve into the “Writing Therapy” blog series, here at Degrees of Maternity, then you know that I’ve been a strong advocate of using writing as an avenue to bring healing and balance into your life.
And more specifically, I’ve learned, through life experiences, that you can apply soul-soothing remedies to your personal woes by helping others.
In general, there’s just something personally therapeutic about taking the focus off of oneself and placing it on another person who needs a little help . . . a lift up . . . sometimes, a hand out. It’s like . . . you know there’s an opportunity to turn things around (for the positive) in your own special circumstance(s) when you reach down and help lift someone else out of his or her quagmire of a situation.
You gain this sense of purpose, strength, and achievement when championing the cause of others and witnessing the results. Again, there’s something to this therapy of helping yourself by helping someone else.
Now, just imagine if you could gain this newfound sense of purpose, strength, and achievement from a writing perspective.
And, in case I just lost you when I brought writing into the mix, let me give you a personal example of what I’m talking about.
Some months ago, I mentioned in the blog post, The Literacy Corner – Update #6, that I was reading a book about grant writing. I didn’t go into any details at the time, but I wasn’t reading the book with no intention of applying it to my life somehow.
No, not at all. I was being very strategic with this reading material — intending to use it to gain the knowledge needed to perform the new activities added to my day-to-day. I was reading with intention. And, have I followed through with the application of the knowledge I’ve gained through this book?
Well, yes I have and then some. Not only am I absorbing and using the book’s info to grant write, but I’m imparting its wisdom to others in the “Grant Research and Writing Committee” I’m leading . . . so we can all be on the same page going the same direction to help the same group of deserving individuals we’ve been commissioned to assist.
So, what am I actually doing with this “writing therapy for others” initiative?
I’ve taken on a life-changing role in grant writing for a school. Better yet, I could even look at my role as performing grant writing to secure funding for the educational needs of children as well as the educators and parents who support them. (Hey, I think I just created my personal mission statement for what I do as a grant writer. Whoo hoo!)
Pairing up two of my favorite activities: writing and education affords me the opportunity to be a small piece of the puzzle that’s coming together for young up-and-comers who’ll get to academically benefit from my efforts. Children who will use what they gain from their educations to positively impact the world now and into the future.
Writing for others . . . the perfect writing therapy for this content creator. Can’t think of a better way to spend my writing time.
Oh, and I’ll be sharing some of my grant-writing journey with you. You can count on it. I’ll be blogging about the good, the bad, and the ugly of grant writing. So, please stay tuned in for new writing adventures in 2025.
Until next time . . .
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