More than ever, the past two years have highlighted the need to have conversations about mental health in the workplace, in schools and also wherever individuals finds themselves having to perform tasks or produce results for themselves or others.
Wtiting is indeniably used by many as a tool to maintain balance while it can simulteanously empower others struggling to keep their footing socially, professionally and in any other context applicable.
As writers and as creators, we can be the help we need while being the help others need but it doesn’t mean we never need help ourselves from outside sources.
In isolating times, getting shared wisdom from a community you can identify with is priceless and I have found mine in the Godess Body Mind Spirit Community led by Tirra Omilade. Meditation sessions, mindfulness practice, affirmations, and many other beneficial tools are offered to those joining the sistars* via her website, her small social network or her YouTube Channel.
Inspiration and support can come from many places.
Visit Tirra’s online community to find out what tools you could be using (some are completely free) to improve your life and walk in your power…
Writing autobio-social stories
An autobio-social story is what you get when writers decide to draw from their personal life and experiences to share a social analysis in a narrative form which isn’t cleanly pingeon-holed as being a simple biography.
Some writers will structure theirs as a first-person narrative with social commentary seamlessly embedded into a text that may come across as being possibly fictional, If not for the content warning that the story is based on true events, one might not be able to tell whether they’re reading fiction or non fiction.
Others clearly frame their narrative within the codified settings of self-help non-fiction books and story-telling is only used to highlight instances of the situations adressed as experiencced in the writer’s own life.
Picking one approach or the other is clearly a matter of personal preference and the writing process in itself can help the writer through their mental health journey, as it enables them to gain insight into their struggles by allowing them to distance themselves from the events discussed in the manuscript.
Are you trying to write such a book? Do you think you can do it on your own?
Some wi:ll write such books in solitude while others will rely on the help of a writing coach or use a ghostwriter to shape the narrative based on elements shared with them.
The ghostwriter route may be best for those who aren’t seeking healing through writing as much as they’re seeking to share the wisdom found on their life journey…
