YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

It’s more like study group. It’s 2 hours with a break, where you sit in a group writing your own stuff. I can’t write fiction. So I literally just write down thoughts that come to me. I don’t push. I just let them come. I practice putting thoughts into sentences. For 2 hours, with a break.

Very good. In fact, excellent.

Since beginning, what have you learned? How has your writing improved? What’s next?

oak wrote: ↑February 24th, 2021, 7:27 am
Since beginning, what have you learned? How has your writing improved? What’s next?

Writing is fun. Where there’s less pressure it flows. It’s less about intelligence and more about exercising a muscle.

It comes more easily. My email communication has gotten a smidge easier. I’m better at choosing what I want to say. But honestly I don’t focus on making self improvements. ‘The one who stays the same makes changes’. I just allow for the mystery.

There’s another one in 2 weeks. But I might do a session at the library on the weekend.

I'm glad you find the group helpful, Beany.

It reminds me of going to group meditation. Before I went I wondered if there was a point to being mostly silent and engaged in my own meditation in a group, but I did find that being in the presence of others changes the experience somehow.

This also reminds me of the parallel play stage in childhood. As I understand it that's when children are first learning to interact with other children and they play separately but in each other's presence. I'm not sure why I'm mentioning this and certainly don't mean to say that you're childish, but perhaps for those of us who have experienced difficult family relationships growing up, it can be more comfortable in a group to maintain some separateness and not interact as directly.

In any case I hope you continue to enjoy the group.

rg

Thank you Rivergirl,

It’s probably true that it’s a group meditation of a kind. And there’s definitely some parallel play occurring. There’s some socializing before and after and people are warmed up and satisfied after a few hours of creative writing.

But I think honestly I’m looking for experiences where I’m not relentlessly focused on my mental health. That’s been a continuous cliff face climb for many years. I just want to step away from the wall and put my feet on the ground.

Sometimes a writers’ group is just a writers’ group. And in being so, that’s it’s therapeutic benefit. Does that make sense?

Yes, that makes complete sense, Beany. I value those times when I'm so engaged in an activity or interactions that I forget about mental health struggles that I've had.

Hello RG & BB,

"...I'm so engaged in an activity or interactions that I forget....."

I've been thinking of it (living that is) in terms of "looking forward, or looking down", like on a tightrope. Looking forward, you're OK, but looking down - try to avoid that as much as possible.

(Looking down is self absorption, rumination, negative thinking, thoughts of mortality death & etc).

BTW - Has anyone seen the documentary "Man on Wire"? OMG

http://www.magpictures.com/manonwire/

“Let go, or be dragged.”

Yes I saw it a few years ago. Michael Nyman is my favorite composer.

I miss writing. I used to sit down and write for hours. Now I never do it for pleasure (I have to do it for work, but that doesn't count). Why can't I just start writing again? I'm sure it would help this cloud over my head.

I’ve got another session next week. I would call it ‘writing without expectation‘, or ‘writing while forgetting about time’. It’s letting all thoughts land more easily on paper (I use pen and paper).