Writing for Wellness Kit. Part 1 of 3 Introduction & 10 Healing Benefits of Expressive Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

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2 Writing for Wellness Kit Part 1 of 3 Introduction & 10 Healing Benefits of Expressive Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC Founder& Director, Creative Wellness Write to Awaken, Heal & Transform 2 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

3 All rights reserved. No part of this Writing for Wellness Kit may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written and signed permission of the author. Thank you for your integrity. Important Disclaimer This Writing for Wellness resource recommends writing as a tool for greater health, wellness, and personal growth but it is by no means a substitute for medical or psychiatric care. The contents of this resource are not intended as medical advice. 3 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

4 Table of Contents Welcome to Creative Wellness... 5 Personal Story... 6 Purpose of this Writing for Wellness Kit... 7 What is journal writing? Healing Benefits of Expressive Writing Prevents you from being tossed away Helps you remember who you are and that you are enough Supports conscious living Increases your self- awareness Enhances your personal growth and takes you past fears Provides you with an intentional pause and greater feelings of balance Heals stress and trauma Inspires creativity, play and fun Helps you listen to the whispers within Quiets the inner critic so you can manifest your dreams A closer look at Life Source Writing TM What is Life Source Writing? Life Source Writing Join me for the next Transformational Writing for Wellness Salon What are people saying about Writing for Wellness with Life Source Writing? About Lynda & Creative Wellness BONUS: Suggested Reading List Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

5 Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. William Wadsworth Welcome to Creative Wellness Creative Wellness exists to inspire and support you to write for wellness and personal growth. You can improve your health, nourish your spirit, fill your emotional cup, unleash your creativity, and tap into your inner wisdom through the transformational and healing power of Writing for Wellness. Do you long for time and space to relax, reflect and renew? Do you ever feel tired, stressed, and/or overwhelmed? Is there some area of your life that you want greater clarity or direction? Are you trying to balance caring for yourself and caring for others? Do you want a more creative and soulful approach to improving your health and wellness in mind, body, heart and spirit? If you answered Yes to any of these questions then Writing for Wellness is for you! Writing can help you to heal and replenish! Research shows us that expressive writing (where we write about our thoughts and feelings) has the power to help us transform our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. In fact expressive writing has been proven to: Decrease the heart rate Lower blood pressure Strengthen the immune system Enhance feelings of calm Improve self- esteem Help manage stress Writing asks us to be awake and settle inside of ourselves. Natalie Goldberg, Author of Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within My purpose is to help you tap into the healing power of writing, to come home to yourself, reduce stress, and to honour the unique story in your own life and work. Life Source Writing, my signature writing for wellness method, is not for those who routinely avoid the whispered longings of their own hearts and soul, but rather for those who care to embrace the constant abundance and renewal available from within as well as from universal source energy. 5 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

6 Personal Story I have been journaling for over thirty years and started keeping a journal when I was a teenager. I did not know it then, but I know now that I was writing to know myself and to live true. In my twenties, I was writing to stay healthy and grounded while swimming in the deep end of trauma and human suffering in my role as a crisis response social worker. I wrote my way through a painful divorce and I went to the page to learn how to trust my heart again. My journal is where I made the decision to leave my job as a medical social worker and start my own business. The blank page is where I first dreamed of searching for my biological mother and later where I processed my feelings upon meeting her. With a pen and paper, I uncovered my longing to live on an island and at the age of thirty I trusted this inner impulse and moved from Prince George, BC, Canada to the shoreline of Salt Spring Island, where I now live with my husband and two young sons. Surrounded by water; my journal is my rock. Journaling is like meditating with a pen in your hand. I have gone to the page to love, grieve, grow, learn, honour, celebrate, create, remember, and forget. I know my reflective writing practice keeps me whole, grounded, healthy, sane, and happy. While I also eat vegetables, go for fitness walks, connect with my friends, play with my children, have regular date nights with my hubby and make lots of healthy lifestyle choices it is my Writing for Wellness practice that always nourishes my soul over and over again. Life Source Writing - my signature 5 step writing for wellness method - can do this for you too! Reflective writing has shown me the way and it has also given me the courage to trust myself and listen to my inner voice. Often a tool or a practice for hearing the wise voice within is missing. Also absent is the support to take action on what wants to emerge. Life Source Writing helps you create still, quiet moments where you can listen within. This deep listening can give you the courage and clarity to take action with what matters most to you. This transformational Writing for Wellness practice can connect you with the deep well- spring of inherent balance and harmony that is always available to you from within both your inner and outer worlds. 6 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

7 Purpose of this Writing for Wellness Kit I am passionate about the power of writing to heal and transform individuals, communities, and the world in which we live. This Writing for Wellness Kit offers you a window into the healing power of writing and serves as a guided path to starting and/or deepening your own unique writing for wellness practice. This Writing for Wellness Kit is intended to inspire and inform you regarding the many benefits of expressive writing so that you can find your own powerful why for going to the page. The Writing for Wellness Kit includes Part 1 10 Healing Benefits of Expressive Writing (which follow in this document) Part 2 20 Journaling for Health and Happiness Prompts (more than 20 actually ) Part 3 A Guided Celebrate You Mini Journaling Retreat You will also learn where you can find out more about the Life Source Writing journaling method and further resources to help you expand and nourish an effective writing for wellness practice of your own. What is journal writing? Keeping a journal is a journey into the self and with the self. It is also a record of a life lived. Kate Thompson Journaling is the act of writing first and foremost for your Self. You write to observe, know, grow and care for yourself by going to the page with your open mind, caring heart and strong spirit. A key purpose of journaling is to develop greater self- awareness which can benefit all areas of your life. Writing for wellness involves journaling in a certain ways, using various writing to heal techniques and exercises, with the goal of cultivating optimal health, enhancing resilience and generating feelings of well- being in your own unique circumstances. 7 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

8 I teach many effective writing for wellness techniques in my Creative Wellness coaching programs, workshops, retreats and products. But first, it can be helpful to be aware of the many healing benefits of writing! 10 Healing Benefits of Expressive Writing 1 Prevents you from being tossed away Natalie Goldberg, one of my favourite writing teachers and author of Writing Down the Bones, Freeing the Writer Within, said to me (and forty other students in a writing retreat with her at Hollyhock on Cortes Island) Don t be tossed away. Meaning, no matter what is going on in your life, keep writing. Write for yourself first. Breathe. Write. This is grounding. This helps you to not be tossed away. In our often busy, modern lives we can lose our way, get off center; feel overwhelmed, confused and stressed writing is a way of coming home within ourselves. Journaling provides a way for staying the course and it is also a vessel for diving deep into the richness within our lives. Sometimes one doesn t have time to write. In fact most of the time we don t have time to write. Most of the time we do not have time to be with ourselves. And when that happens, it is time for the five- minute journal entry. Burghild Nina Holzer, Author of A Walk Between Heaven and Earth: A Personal Journal on Writing and the Creative Process 2 Helps you remember who you are and that you are enough As someone who is heart- centered, (and chances are if you are reading this you are a person who makes a difference with your caring in your work, in your family, in the world), you know what it is like to give so much of yourself in service to the needs of others that at times you might feel disconnected from yourself and forget the essence of who you are. 8 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

9 Regularly writing for yourself helps you remember who you are! You connect with your sense of worthiness. You feel self- confidence in your bones. You get in touch with your need for both giving and receiving. You experience more inner peace, joy and happiness when you remember you are enough. These feelings of worthiness are not things you go after, someplace outside of yourself, but rather they are part of who you are. Sometimes these things can get buried under our other- focussed work and ways, or lost in lists of things to do, a negative circumstance, a pessimistic view, perfectionism, guilt, an emotional wound, regrets, or times of suffering. Through journaling you dust off your inner world, you create a path into your highest truth, you remember your most authentic self. You remember who you are. You remember you are enough! Self- acceptance, self- love, self- respect and self- care (and in turn accepting, loving, respecting, and caring for others) are as necessary as breathing for our health, well- being and happiness. You are more likely to honour and tend to these four virtues when you feel your inherent worthiness and remember you are enough. Only you hold the key through these four acts to allowing love, well- being, healing, and abundance to flow through you. We have to accept ourselves in order to write. Now none of us does that fully; few of us do it even halfway. Don t wait for one hundred percent acceptance of yourself before you write, or even eight percent acceptance. Just write. The process of writing is an activity that teaches us about acceptance. Natalie Goldberg Reflective journaling helps you see your worth. It literally reflects your - deserving, good enough, magnificent, worthy - self back to you like a mirror reflects your image. Your journal reflects your essence, while your journaling helps you to nurture and accept the deepest parts of yourself. 3 Supports conscious living Sometimes you have to tune out all the mind chatter, slow down all the doing and busyness of modern life, unplug from the constant connectivity through cell phones, computers, and other devices, to truly plug in to yourself. As my co- author of Writing Alone Together, Ahava Shira says, You have to tune out, to tune in. Life Source Writing is a tool and practice to help you 9 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

10 tune in to yourself. Life Source Writing helps you touch the still and grounded place within. This is conscious living. Conscious living helps you live with your core values and virtues leading the way. It is choosing to keep making visible what often remains invisible in ourselves and in our world helping you shine a light on the essential goodness and potential in yourself, others and the planet. Writing heals because writing makes us conscious. Susan Borkin, Author of When Your Heart Speaks, Take Good Notes: The Healing Power of Writing 4 Increases your self- awareness In life, self- awareness is foundational to everything you do. Being effective as a parent, partner, friend, leader, helper, healer, change agent or any other role you might fill rests in a significant way in your capacity to be self- aware. Self- awareness puts you in touch with your core values, as well, it teaches you about both your strengths and opportunities for growth. It is at the heart of having emotional boundaries and being able to set limits. Self- awareness gives you the courage to live your full potential, and bring the best of yourself to all that you do. In my 25 years as a helping professional, educator and student of personal and professional growth, I have noticed that there are many messages about the importance of being self- aware, as if you just tell people often enough that self- awareness is important that they will automatically know how to gain in self- awareness and then in fact do these things. In my experience, there is a widespread assumption that people know how to become more self- aware. This is simply not the case. The reality is that increasing self- awareness requires intention, tools, support, feedback, mindfulness and intention. Life Source Writing is a highly effective process for gaining self- awareness on an ongoing basis. Self- awareness does not occur in a single moment in time. We do have aha! moments where new awareness seems to come to us quickly. But mostly we experience a slow, simmering, cumulative growth, which happens day to day in our lives. Journaling puts you in touch with this less dramatic change. It helps you increase your self- awareness and ability for reflective living over time. This means you can always write your way to greater self- awareness and enrich your life by doing so. 10 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

11 5 Enhances your personal growth and takes you past fears When we as writers talk about finding our voices, we mean: What do I sound like when there is nothing and no one else speaking? What do I have to say once the distractions of my life are stilled? Laraine Herring, Author of Writing Begins with the Breath: Embodying Your Authentic Voice Personal growth is the way you stretch, reach and become more of who you were born to be and, more of who you already are through self- reflection and self- expression. For many reasons you may get stuck living in certain ruts and, not living into your highest potential. You might be afraid or uncertain how to live your life fully. You might live with external circumstances that hinder your growth. So often it is actually internal circumstances that will get in the way of living your best life. For example, inner blocks like fear, doubt, guilt, low self- esteem, and/or lack of self- confidence. When we generate a relationship with our creativity and imagination we begin to recognize we do not have to live with fear as our master. Indrus Piche I once heard a spiritual teacher say, the cure for fear is love and love is the expression of your essential Self. Life Source Writing is a powerful vehicle for expressing your essential Self. Life Source Writing connects you with your sense of personal power and confidence because you build a meaningful, honest relationship with yourself through consistent self- reflection. This enhances your overall sense of calm, inner peace and self- esteem. A loving, kind and compassionate relationship with your Self is the foundation to truly loving relationships with others and with the world you live in. This is harmony. This is self- actualization (Self- realization) which is the ultimate goal of all personal growth efforts. 11 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

12 Self- actualization is your birthright. No matter what circumstance you are in - you are a deserving individual because you exist. Your voice matters. Awareness is the greatest agent for change. Eckart Tolle, Author of The Power of Now 6 Provides you with an intentional pause and greater feelings of balance It is easier, sometimes to become focused on the healing of our outer lives, of the world, than it is to look at the need for healing our inner lives. Susan Borkin, Author of When Your Heart Speaks Take Good Notes: The Healing Power of Writing When you allow time each day, or as often as possible, to write for yourself you develop a reliable way to relax, reflect, and renew. The act of putting pen to paper creates a natural pause that gives something back to you. Perhaps you gain a new insight or a greater sense of balance or harmony (congruence) between your inner and outer world. Maybe you provide yourself with solace simply by hearing your pen scratch the paper, and the affirmation that you and your life are worthy of time each day to stop doing and simply be with your own thoughts, ideas and feelings. You pause on purpose when you write for yourself. It is like breathing: Inhale, pause, exhale, write. This pause is available to you in the midst of a crisis, or when daily cares try to push you away from your center, or in the simple ordinary moments of life. We are naturally balanced and whole, we simply need to create the optimal conditions for harmony to emerge. Stillness and self- reflection can help us replenish and notice more opportunities for balance in various areas of our lives family, work, health, creativity, self- care and more! When we allow ourselves quietness and inner contact regularly, we may no longer need to get sick in order for our inner selves to get our attention. Shakti Gawain 12 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

13 7 Heals stress and trauma Did you know that regular journaling and expressive writing can improve your overall health and wellness in significant ways? Journaling is cathartic. While you write you can laugh, cry, rage, heal, play, express yourself with compassion, without judgement or fear of criticism. Your journal never gets tired or bored with your words or stories. As such it is a container and a process for releasing stress and it can also help to heal trauma. You have the opportunity to heal old stories or narratives that might still exist in your life. For example, if you have gone through something traumatic and/or difficult in your life, you can re- story your experience. While you can t change what has happened you can create and choose the story you tell yourself about what happened, including naming all the ways you were strong and resilient to get through the situation, and therefore relate to what happened in a more affirming, empowering, and healing way. Gabriele Rico, author of Pain and Possibility, says: The act of writing helps name the unnameable: the chaotic feelings we resist, fear or remain unaware of your pain becomes manageable, explorable, transformable, into unexpected patterns of meaning. It is through making meaning out of the traumatic, painful and ordinary moments of our life that the opportunity for growth exists. There is an entire area of study known as post- traumatic growth. It focuses on the potential for growth, learning, and resiliency that can flow from healing after traumatic experiences. How we respond to stress emotionally, cognitively, and behaviourally is critical in determining whether stress will make us sick. ~ Henry Dreher, Author of the Immune Power Personality: 7 Traits You Can Develop to Stay Healthy(Note: One of the seven traits that can increase the capacity of the immune system to protect the body from disease is expressing thoughts and feelings through writing.) Stephen Lepore and Joshua Smyth have edited a collection of research within their book The Writing Cure: How Expressive Writing Promotes Health and Emotional Well- Being (2002). The authors show evidence that expressive writing/journaling can offer relief from stress and heal the damage done from highly stressful experiences. For example, there is compelling evidence 13 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

14 that stressful life events undermine cognitive processes and that expressive writing can restore these processes. According to health experts, stress and the stress response trigger, worsen, and/or cause most illness and disease. Stress and stress- related illnesses are prevalent in our society, therefore, having tools and methods for reducing stress and the negative health effects it brings are essential for both our individual and collective well- being. Journal writing is a proven and effective method for identifying stressors and for reducing the negative effects of chronic stress partially because it helps us understand and process our daily life. Stress comes in many forms. Some stress is good for us, known as eustress, it inspires action, challenges us, and engages us fully in our circumstances. Contrarily, chronic stress and/or high levels of negative stress or distress over time can be harmful to our health. Our immune system does not exist in isolation from our daily experience. Gabor Mate, MD, Author of When the Body Says No: The Hidden Costs of Stress 8 Inspires creativity, play and fun Journaling fuels a creative and inspiring life. One of the central aspects of journaling that keeps me hooked is that it is a creative and enjoyable experience that helps me live with purpose every day. My journal is a place where I can play with words, images, coloured markers or my same old black pilot pen. I can write in straight lines or doodle until new ideas pop. With journaling, I can slow down and savour between the lines of my life. You can move and live from your own creative centre with the support of your journaling practice. Play is the most important element in discovering who you are. Play will lead you right into your deepest desires. Keri Smith, Author of Living Out Loud: Activities to Fuel a Creative Life 14 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

15 My friend and creative buddy, Val Olson, says A passion for and commitment to being creatively active will bring you greater fulfillment while making life for many others more vital, liveable, beautiful or interesting. I love the ripple effect of choosing a creative life. Creative and nurturing practices can lead to both self- discovery and deeper connection with others. Journaling, while a solitary act, opens your heart for wider engagement in the world. 9 Helps you listen to the whispers within Listening to your heart, intuition, higher Self, Spirit and/or God are some of the ways to refer to describe the process of tapping into inner wisdom, source energy, and our instinctual ways of knowing. Regular reflective journal writing gives you a way to ask your heart what is most important right now, a way to have a conversation with the deepest parts of yourself and to listen to the larger conversation that is happening all around you at the same time. Through journaling, you learn to train your mind and heart to listen for the answers deep within, and then capture them on the page. You are supported to look within both yourself and your circumstances through the act of expressive writing. What you discover are many windows into your soul. The creative process provides everyone with access to the spiritual dimension of life. The energy we tap into here is essential for healing and health. It may take us by surprise when we suddenly discovery that it has been waiting for us all the time. We are the ones who have been reluctant to tap into it. We dare not wait to be inspired by Muses, or the Divine, for we will spend our lives waiting and waiting and waiting for that to happen. We need to take the first step. Sheppard B. Kominars, PhD, Author of Write for Life: Healing Body, Mind, & Spirit Through Journal Writing 15 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

16 10 Quiets the inner critic so you can manifest your dreams At the center of your being you know have the answer, you know who you are and you know what you want. Lao Tzu We all have moments when our self- talk can sabotage us. In a minute, or a split second the inner critic, anxiety, stress, or fear can derail us from our best intentions, goals and dreams. Journaling helps you to notice negative self- talk, criticism or patterns of behaviour that might be getting in the way of achieving your goals. Law of attraction experts teach us that what we focus on grows, what we believe and think about is what we ultimately manifest in our lives even on a cellular level. Reaching our highest potential means that we find ways to silence the inner critic and align our minds, hearts, goals and actions with what we most want to make happen and to feel it as if it is already so. It is strong emotion that creates compelling results! With journaling, you can quiet the inner critic, create an abundant mindset, and literally write things down (including how you want to feel) and make them happen. The power of intention combined with the energy of emotion sprinkled with your truth creates an alchemy of desire that when put into words within the pages of your journal is like casting a spell in the universe. When you believe in a dream, you need to risk. Henriette Anne Klauser, Author of Write It Down, Make It Happen "There is a Spanish proverb which says: there is no road, we make the road as we walk. I would say the same thing about journal writing: we make the path as we write." Christina Baldwin, Author of Life s Companion: Journaling as a Spiritual Quest 16 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

17 By now you might be curious about Life Source Writing TM and what it is exactly. Let s take a closer look A closer look at Life Source Writing TM What is Life Source Writing? Keep a diary and someday it ll keep you. Mae West Life Source Writing TM consists of three distinct elements that unpack and combine for an integrated and holistic approach to Writing for Wellness, these include: Life lived experience, story, sacred, meaning, unique Source breath, creative/universal energy, expansive, full potential, all that is Writing expressive, observant, authentic, a movement, a voice Life Source Writing helps you integrate the natural, inherent healing properties of expressive writing with centering, relaxing, reflecting, and affirming techniques for a 5- step holistic journaling experience that deepens feelings of clarity, inner peace, and well- being while expanding your personal growth. Life Source Writing is a practice Life Source Writing TM is something you return to again and again with the intention to observe, know, grow and care for yourself, while also nurturing your connection to something greater than yourself (whatever that means for you for example, a connection with the world in which you live, nature, God, Spirit, Creator and/or universal life source energy). Anything you do with devotion, reverence, and purpose is commonly called a practice. Some people might have a meditation practice, a prayer practice, a yoga practice, or a journaling/writing for wellness practice such as Life Source Writing. Writing for Wellness ultimately involves how you write and what you write about. Learn more! 17 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

18 Practice is the whole thing; we are always practicing. It s what we do, how we lead our lives. The path itself is the goal. There is no point to which we will arrive when we ve done sufficient practice, because there is no limit to what there is to learn. Douglas K. Silsbee, Author of The Mindful Coach: Seven Roles for Helping People Grow How to learn more about Writing for Wellness & Life Source Writing? 1) Get your copy of the Life Source Writing : A Reflective Journaling Practice for Self- Discovery, Self- Care, Wellness and Creativity (ebook) from Source- Writing- A- Reflective- Journaling- Practice.html I invite you to learn more about Life Source Writing. Like any practice...whether it is yoga, meditation or something else you return to again and again for self- growth and well- being, we must commit to learning the craft, the practice. I trust Life Source Writing to nourish your soul. Your soul is the deepest, truest, most authentic part of you. Get the ebook now and discover how this 5 step writing for wellness method can nourish and support you both on and off the page! We can engage in the act of creation that energizes and enlarges us. Louise DeSalvo, Author of Writing as a Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives 2) Experience Life Source Writing TM and Journal Coaching by participating in one of my transformational Writing for Wellness coaching programs, retreats, and/or workshops both in- person and online programs are available - learn more at 18 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

19 3) Join me for the next Transformational Writing for Wellness Salon This is an innovative six week online coaching program will creatively take you into the art, heart and science of writing for wellness and personal growth. Not all writing can help us heal and improve our emotional, physical, psychological and spiritual health. There are proven writing to heal techniques that are effective, there are cautions about when not to write, there are ways to not just ruminate when writing but rather be empowered and transformed. Learn all of this and more in this Transformational Writing for Wellness Salon. Learn more and register at writing- salon/. You feel the call. That s the most important thing. Now answer it as fully as you can. Take the risk to let all that is in you, out. Escape into the open. Elizabeth Berg, Author of escaping into the open: the art of writing true 19 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

20 What are people saying about Writing for Wellness with Life Source Writing? During the Life Source Writing Virtual Retreat, I realized I can write creatively and it was easier than I thought it would be. I don t really think of myself as a writer but during the retreat my perspective on that shifted. I really enjoyed the chance to get in touch with this part of my creativity. Learning to surrender and trust, letting the writing take me where it wanted to go was key and Lynda guided that process beautifully. I loved the juicy surprises and aha! moments that resulted from the writing exercises and discussion within the retreat. I can see how Life Source Writing can be a tool for both spiritual and personal growth. - Marcy Nelson- Garrison MA LP, CPCC, & I have journalled in one way or another throughout my life, embracing it as a therapeutic journey toward self- discovery and vitality. Before I read the Life Source Writing book, I wondered what journalling techniques could there possibly be that I haven t already discovered? What a gift to have been taken into places of such warmth and depth, feeling so encouraged and energized by the beautiful energy with which you ve infused the book. Thank you again for the amazing experience. Renee Deakin, Facilitator & Educator I was inspired to learn of the tool and the capacity it has to create opportunities for self- awareness, growth and change; it has been life giving from the perspective of giving something of significant worth to me, to my life and inviting because it spoke to me in a way that nothing has before Life Source Writing has invited me to be a partner in self- discovery and healing. I feel like I have taken a huge step in my own self awareness and growth. I look so forward to more aha! moments that I am confident will happen through getting to the page! Catherine Simunovic, Social Worker 20 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

21 About Lynda & Creative Wellness Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC Founder & Director, Creative Wellness Writing for Wellness Coach, Speaker & Bestselling Author Lynda is a Registered Social Worker and Certified Co- Active Life Coach. She has been journaling for over 30 years and is an expert in writing for wellness and personal growth. Lynda is the author of Life Source Writing : A Reflective Journaling Practice for Self- Discovery, Self- Care, Wellness, and Creativity, as well as the producer of Creative Wellness Guided Meditations. She is the co- author of Writing Alone Together: Journalling in a Circle of Women for Creativity, Compassion and Connection, as well as co- author of the international bestseller Inspiration for a Woman s Soul: Choosing Happiness. Lynda offers dynamic and nourishing coaching programs, retreats, workshops, inspirational speaking and products to support your writing for wellness and personal growth journey. Visit to learn more about how you can write for wellness and transform your health and life from the inside- out! Thank you What you are is what you have been, and what you will be is what you do now. The Buddha I also look forward to sharing my Creative Wellness Museletter with you! It offers ongoing inspiration & information to support your creativity, self- expression, self- care and well- being on and off the page. Write from the heart, Lynda 21 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC

22 BONUS: Suggested Reading List Baldwin, C. (1991). One to One: A new Updated Edition of the Classic Self- Understanding Through Journal Writing. New York, NY: M. Evans and Company, Inc. Cameron, J., & Bryan, M. (1992).The Artists Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. New York, NY: Tarcher / Putnam. Capacchione, L. (1989). The Creative Journal: The Art of Finding Yourself. Van Nuys, CA: Newcastle Publishing Co., Inc. Chapman, J. (1995). Journaling for Joy: Writing Your Way to Personal Growth and Freedom. Van Nuys, CA: Newcastle Publishing Co., Inc. Cutler, W. J., Monk, L., &Shira, A. (2014). Writing Alone Together: Journalling in a Circle of Women for Creativity, Compassion and Connection. Salt Spring Island, BC: Butterfly Press. Ganim, B. (1999). Art and Healing: Using Expressive Art to Heal Your Body, Mind, and Spirit. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press. Klauser, H. A. (2003). With Pen in Hand: the healing power of writing. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Perseus Publishing. Metzger, D. (1992). Writing for Your Life: A Guide and Companion to the Inner Worlds. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. Moon, J. (2001).Stirring the Waters: Writing to Find Your Spirit. Boston, MA: Journey Editions. Pennebaker, J. & Evans, J. (2014).Expressive Writing, Words that Heal: Using expressive writing to overcome traumas and emotional upheavals, resolve issues, improve health, and build resilience. Enumclaw, WA: Idyll Arbor. Pennebaker, J.W. (2004). Writing to Heal: A Guided Journal for Recovering from Trauma & Emotional Upheaval. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications. 22 Writing for Wellness Kit 2015, Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC