As you continue writing in your journal you discover how difficult it is to find words to describe some of your feelings--some of your thoughts--some of your emotions. What words describe something as nebulous as pain--as intense as fear?
For relief, try just scribbling. Without a planned design, think about your state of mind regarding pain, or courage, or your life in general at the moment, and just scribble lines. Make them thickk or thin, light or heavy, straight or swirly. Through the connection of your mind, your arm movements, and pencil on paper, let go the tensions you may feel in a certain area of your life..release built-up frustrations..scribble freely. The beauty of scribble is that it transcends artistic ability and you may discover something about yourself and how you are feeling about your life right now.
Colors are another non-verbal way to get at your feelings. I often use coloring in my classes. The first time I gave a box of fresh crayons to my students I was afraid they would think it was too childish. I was surprisingly pleased at the enthusiasm and enjoyment of my students in this activity. The number of adult coloring books for sale testifies to the fact that coloring isn't just for children. Coloring can smooth out the ripples in your ups and downs with cancer.
I find mandalas are particularly good for getting in touch with depth feelings and there are a number of good mandala coloring books on the market.
Mandala (a Sanskrit word meaning "healing circle") is an art form going back 2,500 years. Though originally practiced by Buddhist monks in Tibet, it is found in almost all cultures. Some date it back to cave drawings and rock inscriptions created by our primitive ancestors. These circular mandalas are created to bring balance, harmony and healing into your life. Letting the conscious mind go, we sink into coloring our mandala without tryng to analyze it. We use it to understand something about ourselves during our cancer experience.
My book, Fear Not! Learning from your Cancer, gives instructions on how to create your own mandala for coloring.
Sometimes sculpture, painting or a craft will open a truth to you. It may speak with power to you personally.
The experience of cancer and our feelings about it can never be fully explained logically. Use all the methods that work for you as we seek to LEARN from our experience with cancer.
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