In the book Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within, Natalie Goldberg introduces her readers to a writing strategy called “First Thoughts”. For further information on the activity, visit the link below:
Although this activity was not new to me, I had trouble trying to
write without thinking about grammar or punctuation. In the school I used to go
to, all the English teachers would tell their students, myself included, to
write correctly as the whole school year was dedicated to learning the various
grammatical rules. Now that I am in college, I still have the same habit of
checking for grammar, punctuation and spelling errors as I did in school. I
guess it is a manner of discipline. Naturally, not having to worry about it
gave me the opportunity of speaking my mind freely. However, having to get used
to writing without caring for the aesthetics was difficult; but once I got
accustomed to the whole process again, I was able to write with liberty. 
In contrast to last semester’s journal, this time I decided to not
only express my emotions towards an event, but also some secrets that I had
been keeping to myself. This journal became like a part of me. Although, I
still found the same pattern as last semester; the journals done in the
classroom were longer than those done at home. Whenever I wrote at my house, I
would be interrupted by my family members and I would lose my line of thought
or the strong emotion I was feeling before. This would usually prevent me from successfully
going for the jugular as I did in class and as a result, my journals to be
shorter. Moreover, I was able to keep expanding my vocabulary as I do not like
the constant repetition of words. Eventually, my focus went from the esthetic
of my work to the self-understanding and management of anxieties.
Undoubtedly, this method helped me deal with my stress and
entanglement of emotions. Every time I went for the jugular, a feeling of
relief and lightness would invade my body. As a result, I was able to enjoy the
rest of the day and put all my troubles aside. Last semester I was putting too
much pressure on myself, resulting in health problems. This time, I decided to
not let that happen to me again and found this to be a great way to discharge
my emotions. At the end of this activity, I saw my journal as an analogy of a
friend. Having analyzed this, I came to the realization that there is always
someone willing to hear us and have our backs whenever we feel like we might
fall or that we have fallen and do not know how to stand up.
