The Writer's Comfort Levels ~ PART 2

The Writer's Comfort Levels

PART 2

BLOG SESSION

January 28th, 2018

We're back for another wonderful Blog Session dear Writers ~ Today's Session will be taking you on a journey into PART 2  of "The Writer's Comfort Levels".

If you were here for our last two Sessions, then you have your Journal Notes about our list of emotions that we are covering.  You may go back to look at any of our previous Blog Sessions by scrolling down past today's Session, or by looking over in the far right-hand column in our "Blog Archive".

For those Readers who are new to our Blog Sessions, be sure to Bookmark the Blog, and sign up to "Follow by Email" so that you will receive each Blog Session in your email box as soon as it is published.  You'll find the spot to sign up right below my eyeball in the far-right column.  Simply enter in your email address and then click the "Submit" button.

We use our Journals here so that we can refer back to our notes as we work on our writings.

Journal Notes

As an overview, in our last Session, we took the emotion of "sadness" (sorrow) and worked with it in our Journals.  The instructions were for all Writers here on the Blog to:  Take a moment to reflect on a time when you were sad.  If you can remember the date, jot that down.  If you can remember why you were sad, jot that down.  If you have no idea why you were sad, jot that down.  If there were people involved in your sadness, write their names down.  If there was a circumstance or situation that caused your sadness, write that down.

Here is what you are doing -- you are meeting up with this friend of yours called, "Sadness" who sometimes goes by the nickname "Sorrow".  You must learn not to be afraid of sadness/sorrow because you will learn valuable lessons from this friend.

Remember, you'll find that Sadness/Sorrow will help you to hone your writing craft.  And, don't worry at all, because Sadness/Sorrow won't charge you a dime.

If you completed the exercise on Sadness/Sorrow in your Journal, then you should be feeling really good about yourself.  You should now be ready for our next emotion.

True Intensity

Now onward to our next emotion . . .

2.  True intensity

True intensity involves the quality of being "intense".

True intensity may masquerade around as any of the following:  strength, power, potency, force, severity, ferocity, vehemence, fierceness, harshness, magnitude, greatness, acuteness, extremity, passion, ardor, fervor, fervency, zeal, fire, heat, eagerness, animation, spirit, vigor, energy, and/or fanaticism.  

There are some people who have an intensity level that is frightening.  Most of these type people are known as overbearing, toxic, deadly.  The vibrational level around them is like poison.  And, as we all know, poison is a substance that is capable of causing the illness or death of a living organism when introduced or absorbed.

What I'd like to turn your attention to today dear Writer ~ is the way in which you may learn how to harness your intensity level from the inside.

True intensity for the Writer is that which is mastered from within.  Once you have learned how to do this, then you will be unmoved by madness.  You will also be able to recognize false intensity ~ otherwise known as drama.

Those individuals who feed on drama find ways in which to increase their intensity level so as to stir those around them up into a frenzy.  If you are a person who has not learned how to fortify yourself, a person of this type will unnerve you.

You, dear Writer, must learn how to possess true intensity so that you may walk into a room that has an out-of-whack vibrational level ... and ... still the space you enter into.  What will happen is more of a calming effect.  A focused calmness so to speak.  Have you ever been in a room full of people and there is a lot of activity going on ~ loudness ~ talking ~ walking ~ movement of all types ~ and then....someone enters into the room, and every activity, sound, and motion stops.

hmmmmmmm ~ True intensity has arrived.

This is what happens when you are able to write a Novel that grabs your reader's attention and it has a profound effect upon them.

Make a note that True intensity will not only grab your Reader's attention, it will also grab your attention, and those who come around you....in a GOOD way.

You will get more insight on how to harness your True intensity in PART 2b of our Blog Session on "The Writer's Comfort Levels" . . .

See you back here tomorrow Writers!

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSION:

The Writer's Comfort Levels

PART 2b

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2018 - All Rights Reserved

The Writer's Comfort Levels

The Writer's Comfort Levels

BLOG SESSION

January 27th, 2018

Welcome back to another fabulous Blog Session all Writers!

We are going to be discussing "The Writer's Comfort Levels" today.  If you were here for our last Blog Session, then you should have a list of the following emotions . . .

1)  Sadness (Sorrow)

2)  True intensity

3)  Joy

4)  Disappointment

5)  Wonder

6)  Curiosity

7)  Betrayal

8)  Hurt

9)  Grief

10)  Passion

11)  Warmth

12)  Empathy

13)  Fear

14)  Hate

15)  Happiness

16)  Anger

17)  Disgust

18)  Shock

19)  Kindness

20)  introversion (personality)

21)  extroversion (personality)

When we talk about "Comfort Levels", we need to focus in on the areas in which you feel comfortable when it comes to your writings.

Sadness is an emotion that is familiar to all of us.  We have times when we are sad for whatever reason.  Some of us go in and out of sadness quickly, while others of us may stay in prolonged states of sadness.  When you think of sadness, you must draw a line between sadness and depression.

Sadness can also go by other names, such as unhappiness, sorrow, dejection, misery, despondency, despair, desolation, wretchedness, gloom, gloominess, dolefulness, melancholy, mournfulness, heartache, grief, the blues, and finally . . .

depression.

Depression is where for the purposes of this Session, we will draw the line.  Self doubt is the root of depression.  And from self doubt springs feelings of severe despondency and dejection.  Although depression has been classified as a state of being sad, I tend to think that it goes deeper than that.  Sadness is not necessarily long lasting, whereas depression can be.

If at any time you feel yourself becoming "sad", that is the exact moment when you need to get your pen and paper out, or sit yourself down at your computer or laptop, or grab your tablet.  Here is when you do what you do best -- WRITE.

If you don't think you are comfortable when you are sad, you will find that as a Writer, this is a place of comfort when you utilize your gift of the pen.  Poets will know well of what I am speaking about.

All sadness has meaning.  Whether you find that meaning to be trivial or of deep significance ~ believe me, there is meaning.

What do I mean when I say, "sadness has meaning"?  I mean that you are sad because you need to get to the story behind your sadness and write it out.  Why on earth would you be a Writer if you have not taken a journey through all of the emotions that flow in and out of your being?

Take the emotion of "sadness" and work with it.  Treat sadness as a friend when you meet it.  Ask of it what you will, and sadness will be glad to talk to you.  Make a pot of coffee and sit yourself down and get comfortable for a bit with sadness.  If you don't like coffee, make yourself some tea.  Sadness likes to talk.

We are going to have a eye-opening Blog Sessions dealing with "The Writer's Comfort Levels", so grab your Journal...

Journal Time

Take a moment to reflect on a time when you were sad.  If you can remember the date, jot that down.  If you can remember why you were sad, jot that down.  If you have no idea why you were sad, jot that down.  If there were people involved in your sadness, write their names down.  If there was a circumstance or situation that caused your sadness, write that down.

Here is what you are doing -- you are meeting up with this friend of yours called, "Sadness" who sometimes goes by the nickname "Sorrow".

Don't be afraid of Sadness/Sorrow.  You'll learn valuable lessons from this friend.  You'll find that Sadness/Sorrow will help you to hone your writing craft.  And, don't worry -- Sadness/Sorrow won't charge you a dime.

While you work with Sadness/Sorrow in your Journal, we'll just take time out for a coffee break, and afterward, we'll be back for our next Session dealing with "The Writer's Comfort Levels"...

Coffee Break

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSION:

The Writer's Comfort Levels

PART 2

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2018 - All Rights Reserved

May 2017 - Mental Health Awareness Month

Good Afternoon everyone - We're dealing with Mental Health this month in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month.  The image above gives all Readers a visual of what a person who is battling mental health issues may feel like.  They may feel as if their mind is "out of order".  Depending upon the mental health issue they may be facing, different aspects of both the body and the life of the individual may be affected in different ways.

In our last session here on the Blog, we discussed keeping Journals and Diaries as a way to document your daily activities, thoughts and emotions.  We also talked about placing a specific focus on the material in your Diary by inserting tabs labeled with the particular topic that fits the direction you'd like to focus on with regard to your mental health, i.e., emotional state, mental state, physical state, environment, etc.  You can do the same with a Journal.  It is your choice as to which tool works best for you ~ A Journal or a Diary or both!  Now is a good point to get your Journal or Diary out to take notes...

Decorative Journals serve two purposes:

1)  To brighten your mood; and

2)  To document the important activities in your life.

Diary

A Diary will help you in a very detailed way.

You can label sections of it, or you can add embellishments in it to represent your daily moods.  You can also add pictures within to illustrate your daily activities.  More importantly, you can honestly write about your feelings and emotions and lock your Diary if you want to keep your Diary private.

One of the first topics we're going to look at today is "Depression".  There are many people who are depressed and do not realize it.  Let us take a look at some of the symptoms of depression...

Symptoms of depression may include:

• A depressed mood most of the day (feeling sad, empty, hopeless, or on the verge of tears);
• Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you once enjoyed;
• Weight loss (even when not on a diet) or experiencing weight gain. Also decreases or increases in appetite;
• Difficulty sleeping or being overly tired;
• Restlessness or feeling slowed down;
• Fatigue or a loss of energy;
• Feeling worthless or guilty;
• A lack of concentration or difficulty with decision making; and
• Thoughts of death or suicide.

Major depressive disorder is a serious medical illness

affecting an estimated 15 million American adults.

Ten (10) Most Common Symptoms of Depression

Millions of people suffer with depression, and it does come in a number of forms. The most common, clinical depression, causes general sadness, a loss of interest in activities that were once fun and pleasurable, and oftentimes, causes thoughts of suicide.

There are lots of symptoms that doctors use to diagnose the condition, but if you’ve been feeling sad, or you’re worried about a loved one, you can look at these symptoms and come to a conclusion.  Take a look at these top 10 most common symptoms of depression and see if your condition, or a friend’s condition, is worth speaking to a doctor about. Generally if you have even just a few of these symptoms, it’s possible that you are suffering from this psychological condition...

1.  Fatigue

Though fatigue is a symptom caused by lots of other conditions, when combined with other depression symptoms, fatigue is a tell-tale sign that you have the condition.

Please Note:  People with depression will experience emotional changes that can impact their physical health, making them feel overall more tired and unable to move as quickly.  Their thought processes will slow down and they will have very little energy to get up and about, and get things done like they used to.

2.  Sleep problems

There are two ways that depression might affect your sleep. First of all, you might find it difficult to become relaxed enough to fall asleep. You may find that you can put your head down on a pillow, but have to wait hours until you fall asleep, as a result of your low feelings distracting you.

Please Note:  Some people, however, will sleep for more than 12 hours each day and still feel depressed or tired, as a result of having no emotional interest in doing something with their day.

3.  General irritability

Instead of seeming like a person is down or sad, a person with depression might just be short tempered and irritable. This is particularly common in men, who get angry about their low feelings and can easily lash out.

Please Note:  As a result of constantly feeling down or depressed, men often get angry and this can be particularly noticeable to close friends and family – so watch out for sadness combined with anger.

4.  An inability to concentrate

As a result of having a lack of interest in daily activities, a person can also begin to find it difficult to concentrate.  This is known as psychomotor retardation, meaning that the brain is unable to process information as quickly as it used to, making it practically impossible to complete tasks that would usually be considered easy or at least, achievable.

Please Note:  Depression takes over the whole brain with depressing thoughts, meaning that anything other than thoughts of sadness are unable to receive the focus they need from the brain.

5. Anxiety

Thought anxiety is actually a condition reported by many and diagnosed by itself, it can come hand in hand with depression.  Research has shown that there are strong connections between depression and anxiety disorders.

Please Note:  It’s now known that men are more likely to experience depression whereas women are far more likely to experience anxiety.

Please make your Notes in your Journal and/or Diary on these first five Symptoms of Depression, and check in on our next Blog post for the next five Symptoms of Depression . . .

We're taking a short Coffee Break

~ See you back here in a few minutes with your Journals/Diaries ~

Peace, Love & Light,

 René

©Copyright - René Allen - MAY 2017 - All Rights Reserved