The Purge

“Words have the power to release pent-up emotions as well as to define them in rational and meaningful terms.” - Jeff Cohen

I call the purge the act of pouring out your entire mind onto a piece of paper. Doesn’t have to be grammatically correct. It’s all of your thoughts being vomited out. Getting rid of any feeling or moment that is hanging on to you or distracting you or dragging you down. Take a moment for yourself, write it all down, and then crumple it up and throw it away. I had a good friend tell me about this one day when I hated silence. Hated silence you ask? Yes. I hated being alone with my thoughts. My thoughts would run wild in different directions. I hated the anxiety it would cause inside of me. I hated the incessant nagging of thoughts I didn’t want to think about. The purge helped me for a lot of reasons. Let’s go through some and see if any of them would line up with how you are feeling now.

Thoughts you want to say out loud to a certain person, but you can’t because they are not around. For whatever reason they are not available, whether the relationship is over, they passed away or they are unreachable. If you find yourself muttering things or just wishing you could have a moment to talk to them. Pause for a second and grab a piece of paper. Say everything you want in all of its emotional raw form. Say it just like how you wish you could say it to them. You can write it as if they will read it, because it is a message you wish you could send. Don’t hold back for a second or you won’t empty it all out to the fullest. If you miss them and want to let them know, say it. If you are sad at the current state of the relationship, say it. If you have regrets or hurts or upsets, say it. This is a good way to get it all out.

Thoughts you know you should not be feeling but you are. Maybe you're jealous of someone, or you are having a selfish moment, or missing an ex that was bad for you. Maybe you’re just mad about not getting your way. You know, the thoughts that are wrong and you can’t tell anyone. If you don’t have someone who you can honestly talk to without being judged, then please pour these out on paper and get rid of them. These are thoughts you do not want to fester or grow. For example, if a close friend or family member has something you should be celebrating but you keep getting the nagging feeling of upset and anger about your situation, write it all out, give it to God and pray it away. The goal is to not allow these thoughts to manifest into your character and become who you are. You especially would not like to make the mistake and hurt someone else or even yourself.

Thoughts of anger, sadness, anxiety or fear that will not go away no matter how much you talk about them. Sometimes you don’t want to be the person that won’t stop talking about it already. Grab that paper and write it all out. I have had moments of writing these emotions onto a paper and actually saying things I was afraid to say honestly to a good friend. Because sometimes its hard to say them out loud. Sometimes it made me feel like something was wrong with me for feeling this way. Maybe you feel like someone will judge you for saying certain things. Well, hello blank paper, thanks for being here. Just imagine it is listening and soaking it all in and absorbing everything out of you. 

Holding on to these thoughts can create feelings inside that would threaten to erupt in short temperaments, quick annoyances and even depression. When you grab a piece of paper and write it all out and crumple it, a release happens. It feels freeing. Amazingly you will find yourself working through the emotions and revealing something about yourself in the process. That immature feeling, as I am pouring it out I find myself understanding that it comes from my insecurity. A revelation I didn’t see coming. Thoughts are no longer holding you back. Worries and anxieties will no longer have control over your mind. You can get back to focusing on things that bring about the right fruit.