Writing as a form of therapy is as old as ink itself. Widely understood as a transformational process, the simple act of putting pen to page can effectively jump-start personal growth and healing.
I've had more than a handful of sessions on a therapist's couch over the years, sorting through the baggage I've built, bought, borrowed, and inherited over my 48 years. Every qualified practitioner, without exception, suggested the following recommendation: start and keep a daily journal.
It seems that a lot of anxiety and worry can be managed with pen and paper. Yet, for reasons that can only be explained as part of 'my personal charm', my journaling would begin and end in record time. Still, I knew the writing process was strong, despite my inability to be consistent. Once, after 13 weeks of managing to keep my diary nose to the grindstone, I leaped tall buildings from artist's block and landed on the other side, with renewed energy and a fabulous paying job.
And yet, despite my success, I quickly stopped putting my thoughts down on paper.
Miraculously, last spring, my lifelong typing inertia evaporated with the click of a computer button. As easy as one, two, three, I started my own online journal, more commonly known as a blog.
A blog is a web log composed of a series of posts on the author's choice of topic, from the professional to the personal. Each entry is marked with the date and time when they are published, giving the material the feel of a traditional diary.
The blog process is extremely simple and free for anyone with access to a computer. I type my thoughts, hit the publish switch, and my rants and raves are instantly launched on the World Wide Web. There is no middleman, webmaster, publisher or editor to be found. Blog post control, pace and frequency is in the hands of the blogger.
However, there is one distinct motivational difference between your traditional printed journal hidden under your bed and your blog. Blogging offers a possible audience.
My first thought was to use the blog to share the unusual adventure of my Calendar Girl life and bring attention to the Breast of Canada project. It didn't take long for us to realize that the fan following was a big buzz that put a huge amount of energy into the somewhat tedious process of producing, marketing and moving 3,000 calendars each year.
My second blog took on a digest format offering alternative breast news, a simple byproduct of my role as publisher.
Blog number three was born out of a perimenopausal bout of memory loss and hair loss. Affectionately titled “My Menopause Blog, How to Shorten Your Life Without a Period” This effort really fits the therapeutic model of writing and contributes immensely to my state of mind.
Writing publicly about your incredulous period in real time is like inviting a bunch of menopausal women over for tea and a heart-to-heart. It's no wonder that shrinking the dome of silence around menopause and whispers above whispers of 'Pause' resonates deeply with female readers.
Shooting from the hip and funny bone, I share my insights on medication, attitude shifts, and my belief that menopause is not a disease. Thinking expands with each input; growing confidence, understanding and a liberated sense of aging. My menopause blog is like a cyber red tent for anyone interested in thinking about adulthood.
Eventually, curiosity led to an online survey of blog networks, blogs, and search engines to see if other women were writing about their lives, health, and well-being.
Turns out they are. Thousands of blogs are written by new moms, newly divorced, empty nesters, menopausal, cancer survivors, stay-at-home parents, the clinically depressed, and the chronically curious. Photos are loaded. Advice wanted. Human contact is collected through comments that the reader leaves as cyber hugs. There is a lot of contact between people separated by geographical area but connected by circumstances.
Clever blog titles are common among blog owners. Ellie on This is My Body, This is My Blood offers a hilarious window into her perimenopausal regret party. "I'm Out of Estrogen and It's Not Pretty" provides a window into Victoria's menopausal life. A group blog I stumbled upon claims, "It's about 50,000 times cheaper to run this blog than a good therapist."
This new cyber kid on the block follows a blogger code of conduct that creates a safe, encouraging and friendly zone where you can hang out, be human and be heard. Not everyone writes like a professional, although there are excellent professional bloggers who lead many a parade of readers. Countless circles of like-minded, differently-skilled people gather and share the Blogosphere.
My greatest contribution to blogging comes from my daily commitment to writing exactly as psychologists suggest. I clear my head, organize my hormonally scattered feelings, let myself be encouraged and remind myself that life is dynamic. Documenting the cyber trail of my menopausal mood swings is proof indeed.
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