Hello Bonnie and everyone,
Thanks for all the thoughts on writing. I like the idea of writing down the successes (shows how negative my mindset can be, because I'm having a bit of difficulty thinking what positives I could write about!) and I think it could be a real help to change my downward-spiral over-criticism of myself, which I tend to fall into at low points.
I so agree that suppressing stuff seems to build up and end up in overwhelming stress/panic etc, and in the past I've used writing to pour it all out, but I also agree that the "venting" writing makes grim reading afterwards...(could almost bring you down again just by remembering how bad you felt then!) In fact I avoid doing so; maybe we should do the venting on loose paper and tear it up once the job is done!
But the positive writing could be in a lovely book with a nice cover and using beautifully coloured pens, maybe...I'm already looking forward to trying it...and maybe I'll illustrate it too (I love drawing but it's one of the many creative hobbies I haven't found time for in recent years...): then it could be a lovely celebration of our acheivements, to keep, re-read and treasure!
Thanks all of you for getting me started thinking on this. So nice to share: all those worries kept inside make us so lonely don't they, when you think everyone else is coping fine with life..?!
More later, love, Sarajo