Thank you for all your inspiring posts. Your words and music have helped me so much as I work on my songwriting, while trying to view the process in different perspectives and open my mind and body up to different methods of creative expression. You were the reason I joined substack and I really owe you for leading me to a place where I can work on my writing and share my process with others.
your speaking with confidence and clarity about our difficult inner world made me slow down and reread, the only way for me to get visiting ideas to stay for a while. Gradually I realized that the one really important thing for me, though not poetry or music, is also impeded by the same thoughts you describe. What you said about addressing them gave me another perspective. I enjoyed the upbeat painting too. This is a nice place to visit.
Oof! Talk about hitting home Kimbra! The brain cannot discern from the real or vividly imagined experience. Thus, creating art with a process of mining difficult experiences to distill and turn into sonic or silent poetry, feels as if you are being re-hurt over and over again from the brains perspective and the bodily reaction follows. Or at least that is what I think is happening to me as well. I have projects unfinished because they are of tremendously painful origins but moving on from them in their unfinished state feels disrespectful to the energy involved so I don't move beyond them to other potential projects and don't finish them because it is painful to revisit them. Catch 22. Stuck forever.
I'm not kidding when I say that this post made me cry. I have so many intrusive thoughts, always have (I kind of outlined them in my initial comment below, have fun reading that😅). And while I have a primal craving for external validation that I think all human beings have, I have been gradually learning how to validate myself at moments when I feel most alone. I want to learn how to hold myself in those times of loneliness, so that I can get better at holding others.
I am so glad I joined your substack... I needed to read this, today and the last few days almost two weeks I have suffered intrusive thoughts. I have been struggling to subdue them without fighting or feeding these. Your words are poignant directly to my experience and medicine to my heart. I love you.
I love 💕 my thoughts...good or bad and consider them equally.
I don’t have anxiety, but have many friend’s & grandchildren who do, so I have some empathy.
I tell others that when you are happy and excited about something you have butterflies 🦋 in your stomach and it’s exciting and WoNdErFuL.
SO...when you have bad feelings and have those same butterflies 🦋 you can choose to recognize that they are the same and just need to turn them to goodness somehow...
We need to each do more positive self talk; I do it when brushing my teeth every morning!
This one is super interesting. As someone who’s been battling with agoraphobia I think allowing intrusive thoughts in will actually help allow my physical self out. Thanks for being here K.
I love this so much. I will think of it when anxiety hits, which it can do so easily. I love the key you mention, to offer everything an equal seat at the table. That just feels kind. And adult. I think anxiety needs that. A kind adult.
Even though I said that I "hate" my intrusive thoughts in my comment, I also kind of wish I could hug them, because they're responding to some real hurt I've experienced in my life and it's not their fault that they aren't equipped to know how else to help me survive.
Life is no easy thing . And to live even harder . But the hardest is allways doing the right thing . Which is probably impossible . Means , we shut try to act in the way not to harm ourselfs to much with our mistakes . Some of them are irreversible . By the way , í´m very thankfull that your incident with your bike did´t harm you to much .
Hello, all you that have been bitten by the word “should” - after running again, it caught up with me yesterday, so I unburied myself by writing it out to get to clarity and get to feeling alive, again!
If you are done wrestling with the “should monsters” - I invite you to find and release yourself through this unpacking and clearing the air:
Hello thought that insists my mental illness isn't really that bad, and berates me for being weak and fragile, constantly reminding me of all the things I should be doing to be more successful. I see you. I understand you. And while I would very much like you to kindly get the fuck out of my home, I know that's not going to happen any time soon. So please, remind me why you're here and what you think your purpose is in my sanctuary. Why do you want me to break down crying so often? Why do you insist on always tuning in to the radio stations of older people who don't understand how difficult it is to be young and invisible (powerless) today? Why do you mistranslate my ordinariness into mediocrity? Why do you believe I'm not good enough for anything? I hate you. But you are a part of my beloved mind, the only thing I can really rely on since my dream is to be a great writer. I want to know how you think you can help me accomplish that when all you do is frighten me and make me feel so small? I genuinely want to know. Please tell me.
Thank you for all your inspiring posts. Your words and music have helped me so much as I work on my songwriting, while trying to view the process in different perspectives and open my mind and body up to different methods of creative expression. You were the reason I joined substack and I really owe you for leading me to a place where I can work on my writing and share my process with others.
your speaking with confidence and clarity about our difficult inner world made me slow down and reread, the only way for me to get visiting ideas to stay for a while. Gradually I realized that the one really important thing for me, though not poetry or music, is also impeded by the same thoughts you describe. What you said about addressing them gave me another perspective. I enjoyed the upbeat painting too. This is a nice place to visit.
Oof! Talk about hitting home Kimbra! The brain cannot discern from the real or vividly imagined experience. Thus, creating art with a process of mining difficult experiences to distill and turn into sonic or silent poetry, feels as if you are being re-hurt over and over again from the brains perspective and the bodily reaction follows. Or at least that is what I think is happening to me as well. I have projects unfinished because they are of tremendously painful origins but moving on from them in their unfinished state feels disrespectful to the energy involved so I don't move beyond them to other potential projects and don't finish them because it is painful to revisit them. Catch 22. Stuck forever.
Thank you for this reminder. I needed this badly. We seem to do this for everyone but ourselves. I’m back on track. Thank you!
I'm not kidding when I say that this post made me cry. I have so many intrusive thoughts, always have (I kind of outlined them in my initial comment below, have fun reading that😅). And while I have a primal craving for external validation that I think all human beings have, I have been gradually learning how to validate myself at moments when I feel most alone. I want to learn how to hold myself in those times of loneliness, so that I can get better at holding others.
I am so glad I joined your substack... I needed to read this, today and the last few days almost two weeks I have suffered intrusive thoughts. I have been struggling to subdue them without fighting or feeding these. Your words are poignant directly to my experience and medicine to my heart. I love you.
I've been living with intrusive thoughts most of my life, you are not alone (and I'm validating you so hard right now😄).
I love 💕 my thoughts...good or bad and consider them equally.
I don’t have anxiety, but have many friend’s & grandchildren who do, so I have some empathy.
I tell others that when you are happy and excited about something you have butterflies 🦋 in your stomach and it’s exciting and WoNdErFuL.
SO...when you have bad feelings and have those same butterflies 🦋 you can choose to recognize that they are the same and just need to turn them to goodness somehow...
We need to each do more positive self talk; I do it when brushing my teeth every morning!
This one is super interesting. As someone who’s been battling with agoraphobia I think allowing intrusive thoughts in will actually help allow my physical self out. Thanks for being here K.
This is beautiful. I love Rumi, and I love your transparency.
I love this so much. I will think of it when anxiety hits, which it can do so easily. I love the key you mention, to offer everything an equal seat at the table. That just feels kind. And adult. I think anxiety needs that. A kind adult.
Even though I said that I "hate" my intrusive thoughts in my comment, I also kind of wish I could hug them, because they're responding to some real hurt I've experienced in my life and it's not their fault that they aren't equipped to know how else to help me survive.
Yes. It sounds like they are doing their best and you are offering some love and parenting with a hug and understanding. And for sure, it is not easy.
Life is no easy thing . And to live even harder . But the hardest is allways doing the right thing . Which is probably impossible . Means , we shut try to act in the way not to harm ourselfs to much with our mistakes . Some of them are irreversible . By the way , í´m very thankfull that your incident with your bike did´t harm you to much .
So much of this speaks to me. And I love the ancientness of this very struggle, of dealing with our thoughts.
Hello, all you that have been bitten by the word “should” - after running again, it caught up with me yesterday, so I unburied myself by writing it out to get to clarity and get to feeling alive, again!
If you are done wrestling with the “should monsters” - I invite you to find and release yourself through this unpacking and clearing the air:
https://entrekathy.substack.com/p/judgement-or-witnessing-should
Hello thought that insists my mental illness isn't really that bad, and berates me for being weak and fragile, constantly reminding me of all the things I should be doing to be more successful. I see you. I understand you. And while I would very much like you to kindly get the fuck out of my home, I know that's not going to happen any time soon. So please, remind me why you're here and what you think your purpose is in my sanctuary. Why do you want me to break down crying so often? Why do you insist on always tuning in to the radio stations of older people who don't understand how difficult it is to be young and invisible (powerless) today? Why do you mistranslate my ordinariness into mediocrity? Why do you believe I'm not good enough for anything? I hate you. But you are a part of my beloved mind, the only thing I can really rely on since my dream is to be a great writer. I want to know how you think you can help me accomplish that when all you do is frighten me and make me feel so small? I genuinely want to know. Please tell me.