Pen My Path Week Six: Mindful Writing

Welcome to the sixth and final week of Pen My Path! Recall in week one, Dr. John Evans mentioned that the heart of the Pen My Path experience is mindfulness – an attitude of paying attention to the present moment without judgment. This week, we conclude with mindfulness. Please watch the following video before beginning your Mindful Writing activities. For this last week of Pen My Path, we will focus on two aspects of mindfulness: Awareness and Appreciation. As a reminder, write for about 30 minutes this week. We do not expect you to share the content of what you write, simply your experience of writing in the Pen My Path group space.

Part One

Part One will focus on the concept of awareness. During this activity, you will take the role of an impartial witness to your own experience.  Consider your experience with cancer (diagnosis, treatment, or survivorship), or another significant life event. Reflect on your experience from an impartial stance, describing the experience objectively. You can write about sensations, thoughts, or emotions that you experienced, but do not judge them as “good” or “bad”.

Now begin writing with these words: “I am aware of or I am aware that…”

Part Two

In Part Two, you will write in a way that expresses appreciation for yourself, the human experience, others, and the world we live in. Consider your experience with cancer, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship, or another significant event in your life. Express appreciation for yourself, others, the world and for what you have experienced and learned.

Now begin writing with these words: “I appreciate…”

Please Share Your Reflections

When you are finished writing, in the comment space below or in the Pen My Path Expressive Writing Fall Workshop group space section, share a reflection of how your writing went today.  

Please be sure to take the feedback survey on this week’s writing activity, available this Sunday, November 12th on your home page.

Please Take Our Post-Workshop Survey

We hope that you had a great experience with the Pen My Path Program! In addition to the feedback survey for week six, please complete the post-workshop survey that will be launched on your home page. This will be identical to the baseline survey that you completed before the program began. It is important that we receive your feedback so we can determine the efficacy of the program and tailor it for future participants. Thanks for writing with us and be well!