By Sarah Paton, ND
Dr. Sarah Paton, NDIf you spend your days caring deeply about the world and its future, it’s easy for your inner landscape to become crowded with worry, urgency, and unfinished thoughts. One way to tend to that is with ten minutes of free writing each morning.
Set a timer and write whatever comes up—without editing, organizing, or trying to solve anything.
I think of this kind of automatic writing as a form of mental and emotional detoxification. It gives the mind a place to put down the worries, frustrations, grief, and background noise that otherwise follow you through the day.
You’re not there to fix the problems. You’re there to let what’s asking for attention be heard. Often, that’s enough.
I sometimes think of this as another way of “keeping yourself regular.” When the mental clutter has somewhere to land, it frees up precious energy for living your life—and for continuing the important work you’re already doing with more clarity, steadiness, and ease.
Dr. Sarah Paton, a licensed naturopathic physician, specializes in natural, integrative medicine at drsarahpaton.com.
Disclaimer: Self Care posts are shared for information purposes only, and are never intended as individual medical advice nor as a substitute for healthcare services.