Being positive isn't about ignoring the negative.

Although I haven't been blogging lately, I have been experimenting with other forms of journalling.

I've posted some short comments on Facebook about the events of my days. The quick responses from friends and family have been encouraging, and I've found I've been able to share not only the good things but also, the not so good things that happen.  However, unlike blogging, I don't end up with a record of my writing that I can refer back to.

Art journalling is a form of expression I've recently been dabbling with although the term "art journal" makes me vaguely uncomfortable.  It sounds rather grand for what I've produced which is essentially a scrap book with the addition of some writing, paper crafts and occasional stabs at drawing.  Nonetheless, it was in my journal pages that I noticed the development of themes which allowed me to identify and make some shifts in my attitudes.  It is possible to express in a journal what might be considered "negative" in a blog post.  In allowing myself to "vent" in my journal I've made steps to move through some painful emotions.

When my children were little, we read a book about a boy who discovers a small dragon in his room.  He tells his mother about this and is told, " there's no such thing as a dragon".  Each time mother ignores the dragon it grows until by the time dad comes home for dinner the dragon, wearing the house like a snail shell, is heading off down the road.  The dragon returns to manageable size when mother recognizes the dragon and admits the dragon grew because it just wanted to be noticed.

So, unpleasant emotions can grow out of control until we recognize them.  In recognizing them, we bring them down to something manageable we can work on.  Having a positive attitude isn't about ignoring the negative.

I think I'll try scanning some pages from my art journal to share here.

Barb