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| Author | Topic: creative emotional outlets |
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kythryne Advocate Posts: 1685 |
posted 12-05-2001 07:45 PM
  
As some of you may already know, I journal obsessively -- largely because I've found it's an incredibly effective way for me to vent pent-up emotions and work through difficult things in my life. Keeping a journal has helped me to heal a lot, and it's been a useful tool in conjunction with therapy, too. So what are some other creative ways y'all work through difficult times in your life? Music, art, writing? Has being able to express yourself in art or music or writing helped you express yourself to the people around you as well? Kyth ------------------ "The only unnatural sexual act is that which you cannot perform." - Alfred Kinsey IP: Logged |
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keoki_14 Activist Posts: 620 |
posted 12-05-2001 08:32 PM
I tend to journal a lot too, and that REALLY helps. I also like that other people can reply, but not really know who you are. You can keep it private, yet you can get advice/support from others. I really like that part. I listen to music to get through tough times. I just turn up some music really high and lay on the floor. I like to feel the deep music vibrating through my body. I feel much better afterwards. Sometimes I like to feel Nightmares on Wax, sometimes I like to feel Beethoven... It all depends. What matters most is that I can feel the music through the floor. Art works for me too. Getting frustrated over a bunch of graphics eases my mind on whatever else I'm going through. I'm utterly involved in whatever it is I'm creating, so I just forget all about whatever's bothering me. I also play music. Sometimes I feel that when things are going bad, I play better. Maybe because I have more rage flowing through my body which then flows into passion. That's definitely a good way of expressing myself. I feel that I can communicate to people better through typing. That's why I love my journal so much. I just let it all flow, and then people can understand me better. In person, it's hard for me to express my true feelings, but on a screen... I flow like Niagra Falls. ------------------ "This **** ain't over until the last record spins." Groove IP: Logged |
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BJadeT Activist Posts: 394 |
posted 12-06-2001 04:23 AM
I'm apalling at keeping a journal, both online and in real life. When I actually bother to write in it, it ends up shallow and vacuous(sp?) because I'm not good at letting my real feelings come out. However, although I'm not an artist in the traditional painting/drawing way, I am a crafter. When I'm a bit down, I make things. Since I have been ill, I've completely transformed my bedroom! I love to decoupage, and the combination of artiness and practical hands-on skills that it uses is perfect. I do paint when I'm stressed, as well, but I paint things like walls and doors and furniture rather than pretty pictures, because that's just the kind of gal I am. My mum's gonna let me get my hands on the bathroom soon-wahey! IP: Logged |
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unhappykoger Activist Posts: 365 |
posted 12-06-2001 10:06 AM
i write alot of poems and short stories. over the years i have mainly went to just poems though because they are short and simple and i can express everything i am feeling at the time. i write stories when my problems are over and the stories are pretty much about my life in someone elses perspective. it works for me. IP: Logged |
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Dude_who_writes Advocate Posts: 673 |
posted 12-06-2001 04:22 PM
Generally, when I'm feeling stressed, I write -- either poetry, short-stories, or slowly ticking away at that novel that I've had in me for two years -- and that seems to vent a great deal of my stress. But, I also find that listening to music, especially songs with a lot of truth and/or a great deal of emotion (gee... who could possibly possess both of these qualities in their songs... hmmm... ALANIS?) really helps me. I also used to have conversations with people in my mind when I was angry/upset/attracted/or happy with them.... that one was a huge tension reliever.... although, it was slightly disturbing. ------------------ IP: Logged |
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Lady Moonlight Activist Posts: 943 |
posted 12-06-2001 10:51 PM
quote: Me too! In fact, I still do it! I find it's amazingly theraputic, in fact. I knit for stress relief. It's not very creative, admittedly, because I follow patterns rather than creating my own designs from scratch. However, I find the repetitive motion very relaxing, and eventually I have a finished product to show for it. IP: Logged |
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gillians_gal Activist Posts: 354 |
posted 12-07-2001 03:48 AM
I tend to let out my emotions by writing poetry or stories, or perhaps even adding a personal touch to schoolwork (I get along with my teachers great). I wrote an assignment on Boticelli's "Birth of Venus", about body image. I shared my own experiences and had a good vent. I was surprised when I got an A for it. It made me feel closer to my teacher. I'm really going to miss high school (today was my last day) and all the people in it. I've been thinking of compiling a website with all my writings on it, but I am yet to find the time. Now I'm on holidays I should be able to. Hugs & Scully, IP: Logged |
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glitter695 Activist Posts: 1976 |
posted 12-07-2001 11:34 AM
I do write a lot myself, if I am stressed or really need to get something out. I write it on paper and then rip it all up into tiny pieces and throw it away. If I am really bothered then I usually talk to my boyfriend. He helps a lot. He always has a way of making me feel better. He likes to try to make me smile and feel good again. Unless the problem is with him. If the problem is with my boyfriend. I try and talk to him. I do as much as I can to make the situation better. I hate when he is mad at me, it makes me feel sick (literally) to my stomach. Usually we make up and he gives me a huggins and says (sometimes) that the whole thing was his fault, and he didn’t mean it. Sometimes we don’t communicate as well as other days. We tell each other straight up that this needs to be fixed or that needs to be fixed. Also I try and watch my favorite TV show (when its on). I love the show Friends, so if it is ever on when I am being a little moody, I pop the show on and it makes me laugh and feel a little bit better than I did. That’s about it. ------------------ *~*Scarleteen Advocate*~* IP: Logged |
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Gumdrop Girl Sexpert Posts: 11271 |
posted 12-10-2001 06:14 PM
i used to write. but now i'm uninspired for most part, and that's pretty painful for me. a few nights ago, we had a little drama unfold, and it ended with my guy telling the other girl he wanted to stay with me and work things out between us. it was pretty stressful. he walked her to her car and she had a two hour fit of hysterics. in that time, i was sitting in the living room with a guitar in my lap, just playing chords, until i came to a really great chord progression. it felt so good to have a really great song on my hands. all i need are lyrics. so i rocked out for a good while before eventually calling him back into the house. yeah, we're still working through our problems. *sigh* ------------------ IP: Logged |
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Tigris Activist Posts: 31 |
posted 12-11-2001 03:46 PM
well i wish i could say my emotional out let was as calm as most of yours but when i really go bickies(mad) the only way to release it is my punch bag in my room! Its amazing the best xmas presant i was ever bought i visualize who ever or what ever is annoying me and punch sweet hell out of it!!GRRRR!! hIGHLY RECOMEND IT! IP: Logged |
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kythryne Advocate Posts: 1685 |
posted 12-11-2001 03:59 PM
quote: Oooh, physical exercise is a fabulous way to work off stress! When I was working in strip clubs, if something pissed me off, I'd ask the DJ to put on a really bitchy song (my favorite was and still is "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morrisette) and I'd get up on stage and work out all my frustration during that song. It was great fun to stomp around in my 6-inch heels for a few minutes. Kyth
"The only unnatural sexual act is that which you cannot perform." - Alfred Kinsey [This message has been edited by kythryne (edited 12-11-2001).] IP: Logged |
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la jaunty bohemian Activist Posts: 105 |
posted 12-11-2001 06:11 PM
While it takes a lot for me to talk to other people about my problems, I have no problems talking to myself about it! Actually, talking to myself has helped me through a lot... not only when I'm really angry but also when I'm upset or nervous. I lie in my bed or walk around, either rehersing situations or working out a plan. I'm also a compulsive list maker. I have a billion stacks of clean white legal pads and black ink pens to make my lists. When I'm really upset, I'll also write little rants or record the memory or the feeling. I've found mini-essays I wrote years ago while cleaning my room, and they've helped me gain a lot of perspective. Finally, I cry. Crying is so cathartic to me, it lets me release pent up emotions that I don't even always know where they came from. After I sob and wail and cry my eyes out and then nap, I wake up feeling really refreshed. [To facilitate the cry, I often put on really intense emotional/depressing songs by Ani diFranco.] IP: Logged |
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Sh!mmeR!ng*staR Activist Posts: 97 |
posted 01-08-2002 09:15 AM
When i get sad/depressed, usually writing in a journal helps. I have a teenopendiary, which is really nice since then other people can comment on what i've written & offer some support. If I can't get online, I just write it down in my Catwoman notebook. it really helps me vent. Also, just writing poetry is a good release for me. I'm not that bad of a writer, & i like seeing what I come up with. Most of them are about either love or depression (sometimes both Art is good sometimes too. I usually don't draw much besides anime-style girls, but sometimes just the routine of pencil on paper is calming to me. Also if I'm mad i do abstract stuff, jagged lines & all that. It helps. Sometimes i go down into the basement and strum on my dad's guitar for a while, too. I don't really "play", but it's just to relieve stress. Listening to music always helps. What I do is i turn my Walkman or stereo up REALLY loud, close the door to my room, and just headbang or cry to whatever I'm listening to. My "sad" groups/singers are: Jewel, All Saints, Tonic, No Doubt (the slower songs), and Fiona Apple. My "angry" ones are: Linkin Park, Fiona Apple, and the Ataris. Weezer's "Pinkerton" is also a VERY good emotional venting CD; it's got both sad and angry rock songs. ------------------ IP: Logged |
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tasha Activist Posts: 68 |
posted 01-31-2002 04:50 PM
I love to journal, I think it's really relaxing. I keep different notebooks for different types of writing...one for venting, one for stories, one for random thoughts... Drawing is good, too. i love to draw people and fashions, and if what i draw turns out great, it cheers me up, and if it doesn't turn out nice, well, stratching it out or coloring over it can be theraputic, too Sometimes i'll go to the gym. Oh yeah--one more thing--my newest tension/stress-reliever is haiku...it's great fun! I start out writing serious haikus about what's bothering me, and soon they turn into silly poems that just make me giggle ------------------ share your opinion: http://www.geocities.com/tkaterisha/survey.html IP: Logged |
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kythryne Advocate Posts: 1685 |
posted 02-14-2002 08:41 PM
I just found a really excellent book for people who use or want to use writing as an emotional outlet. It's called Writing as a Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives, by Louise DeSalvo. If you're interested in journaling or other forms of writing about traumatic or unsettling experiences, I highly reccommend reading it. Kyth ------------------ "The only unnatural sexual act is that which you cannot perform." IP: Logged |
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TeddyBear17 Neophyte Posts: 11 |
posted 02-16-2002 10:40 PM
When I'm mad or upset, I either go to my room and sit on my bed and cry...or i go into my bathroom, turn the lights out and cry. Crying tends to help me a lot. I don't do it a lot though. If I just need to relax, i take a bubble bath with the lights out and only a few candles lit, it's really nice. I, like so many other people, like to write in my journal. I don't do it quite as often as I'd like to, but it's still helpful. And other times, I like to flip through magazines, look for words that describe the mood I am in, cut them out and tape them on my wall. I can look at my wall and remember times when i wa upset or depressed and made it through those times, or when i was happy and know that i'll be happy again eventually. IP: Logged |
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IWannaBeAGwenABe Neophyte Posts: 18 |
posted 02-17-2002 10:39 AM
~Im another journal lover. When I write I feel like I can say anything and not have to worry about anyones reactions. I love being able to write everything I am thinking down. ~When I get really upset I take out picture albums and look at some of the times where I was truly happy to remind myself that there is a bright side to things. It helps me get over the bad thoughts I am thinking. IP: Logged |
I'm sure it will be one of the numerous future therapy bills that I'll eventually have, but at the time (and still today, I ahve to admit) it really helped.
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