body language

february 19 | weekly warm-up

The second step of last week’s exercise asked you to write about how a significant event affected you emotionally at the time that it took place. You were to explore your internal landscape and your feelings about the specific facts you described in the first step. This week, review what you wrote, and rewrite it by showing instead of telling. You can do this by avoiding internal dialogue (thinking), and instead describe your internal body response, show your interactions with other people, show any external physical reaction. Did your heart beat faster?  Did you notice a certain smell?  Did your shoulders slump, did you step backwards, or lean forwards?

Then turn the camera outward and describe what was going on around you by showing instead of telling. Keep in mind that you don’t have to write poetic descriptions. The goal here is simply to describe using observation and simple words.

(If you haven’t had a chance to do the exercise from last week, it’s best that you do that before this one.)

One of the surprises I’ve experienced from this writing journey is that writing is not just a cerebral activity. I have so much compassion for the 35 year old version of me who was banging her head on her desk trying to get her brain to cooperate and turn the fog into words. Eventually I learned that creative well-being is connected to all aspects of our lives, particularly our physical wellness practices. I learned that practicing mindfulness was not just for my mental and physical health. The increased ability to be in my body and observe the present moment could also help me develop as a writer.

Our bodies have a language all their own, don’t they? We would do well to learn what our bodies are trying to tell us— how they communicate, how they warn us, how they guide us. For example, I know now that the rush of heat in my chest, the tightening in my gut, and the shaking of my hands is a sign that my boundaries are being crossed in some way, or my values are not being honored. For many years I didn’t know that, and my body always reacted before I even could conjure a thought. By practicing mindfulness, I learn ways to pause and decide how to respond to what my body is trying to tell me. When it comes to writing, this deeper body awareness and desire to observe my surroundings with a witness consciousness can also help me tell more vivid stories.

This week we’ll look at the part of last week’s exercise where you identified your feelings and emotions as they relate to the significant experience you wrote about.