Write About Your Past To Help You Heal

Those who have been following me this first year I’ve been writing on Medium know that I write about all sorts of things. Silly things. Funny things. I enjoy satire and humor writing and will say anything for a laugh. I love to entertain.

But I have other, more serious topics I write about frequently.

Politics, religion, racism, and bigotry are common topics I write about. I’m also mentioning social justice, LGBTQ topics, and world events in my blog. Though I try to maintain a sense of humor while writing about these topics, I do often find myself angry and emotional when tackling the more serious things I write about.

But that’s the beauty of writing. It can be a release, cathartic, conducive to the healing process of past traumas and abuses we’ve endured. It gives us a strong, powerful voice to speak our truth. It allows repressed, bottled-up feelings to flow. It becomes easier to be honest about the things we’ve endured and struggled with.

I’ve had a number of writers mention in their kind, encouraging comments how much they admire and respect my sometimes brutally honest writing. That means everything to me. It’s not always easy to speak our truth, but I refuse to be bullied into silence about difficult things in my past.

If I need to write about a specific topic on any given day, you bet your ass I’m going to do it. Regardless of what anyone thinks. I am past the point of giving a damn what anyone thinks about me or my writing if it’s not supportive.

Some may say, “Let sleeping dogs lie”, or “Why are you bringing up old shit?”

Motherfucker, because I can.

I feel empowered when writing about the things that still hurt my heart, all these years later. Things that were not apologized for by those who wronged me. People that took advantage of my kind-hearted, sensitive nature. I deal with those abuses by speaking my truth through my writing.

You should give it a try, too.

Some of you do. I read so many articles every day, week, and month. I’m always cheering for those who are speaking their truth with bravery and a lack of fear. Nobody should tell you how you should feel about past wrongs that were unfairly sent your way.

This goes for you, parents. For those who were physically, mentally, psychologically, and emotionally abusive, I hope you’ve apologized to the children you have wronged. Some of you have. Most of you haven’t. A half-assed, lukewarm, saving-face apology is not appreciated by the ones you abused.

Some people may feel guilt for talking about the shitty things their parents have put them through. Judging by the number of people with horror stories about one or both parents, they shouldn’t. Believe me, I can relate.

Conveniently forgetting the details of the abuses you’ve committed and the traumas you’ve caused isn’t acceptable. Most of you probably don’t enjoy people exposing the truth about the sins you’ve committed toward your own flesh and blood. Tough shit. Don’t read our blogs, then.

I’m also talking to you, exes. So many exes have wronged their ex-husbands, ex-wives, and ex-significant others. Some of you are still doing this to new people. Some will keep being bullies and abusers until the day they die.

I hope that day comes soon.

You have no right to treat another human being like shit. The narcissism, gas-lighting, blatant lies, and abuse are unacceptable. Stop now before someone stops you in your tracks. Or leaves you alone to live with your own miserable feelings and thoughts until you are gone.

If you are afraid to speak your truth, don’t be. Letting your feelings, anger, emotions, and sadness out through your writing will help you heal. It will empower you to be a better, more honest writer. You’ll deal with your hurt and feel power over the people who have wronged you.

Second only to professional counseling, I feel that writing is the most powerful form of therapy on the planet. It not only is therapeutic and healing for you, but it is inspirational and encouraging to others.

So many of us go through very similar, horrible things growing up, or even in our adult lives. Having a bond with someone else who speaks their truth through their writing gives us the strength and courage to do what they do. To release our bad feelings and start to truly heal.

I love reading each and every blog and story my Medium Writer friends put out into the world. I feel connected to those who have gone through similar experiences that I have in my past and have risen above all of the bullshit. We are bonded through our writing and past experiences.

So keep at it. Or start doing it. You will always have my respect for using your writing as a weapon against those who have hurt you and are still harming others.

The pen is truly mightier than the sword. Let’s kick our past’s ass with our writing, and lean into a better present and future. &:^)