I was standing in line at a little shop today, when the radio station they were playing started sharing news headlines. It was a 60 second blurb, but in that 60 seconds, I heard far more than I wished to hear. So much brokenness in the world.
That's why I limit my consumption of news. That's why I'm careful about the media I view. I'm cautious about the audio I listen to, too. What I'm saying is, I'm super intentional about my inputs - what, where, who, and how much. There's good reason for this. As someone in the helping profession, I've learned to keep my trauma exposure to a minimum, because there's enough I'm exposed to already. As a mom of teens, I've learned to avoid heavy or overly emotional content because, again, parenting has its high emotional load as it is.
As a writer, I do my best to limit what I expose my readers to as well. I approach the keyboard with the same trauma-informed lens I use in real life and carefully consider the words I use and the details I share. This lens helps me focus on the hope of a situation rather than overwhelm. As a result, each piece I submit and publish offers the audience one step further along the path of healing.
To learn more about trauma-informed writing, join next week's training, 'Beyond Awareness: A Trauma-informed Approach to Writing'. I'll be giving practical steps for becoming trauma sensitive toward your readers while extending trauma-informed compassion toward yourself - the writer. I'm excited to spend an afternoon with other writers looking to offer hope and compassion to their readers. Join us! (A limited number of scholarships available!)
Comments (0)