Put Some Love Into It
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash. What do love and ‘heart swelling’ have to do with writing?
Love can improve your writing – and just about everything else too!
Have you ever noticed that when you feel the emotions of love, joy, gratitude and appreciation it seems as if your heart is swelling and the world is opening up to you?
Spring is in the air here in Australia! I enjoy all the seasons, but spring is by far my favourite. That first hint of warmth in the air, the gentle jasmine-scented breeze, baby birds singing in their nests. Ahhh! I fall in love with life and the world all over again every time September comes around. After the long cold months of winter, it’s as if everything is coming back into life.
Have you ever noticed that when you feel the emotions of love, joy, gratitude and appreciation it seems as if your heart is swelling and the world is opening up to you? That’s because your heart is actually swelling and your vision of life is growing more expansive. I recently heard neuroscientist and teacher, Dr Joe Dispenza, explain what happens to us when we feel positive emotions. The capillaries in our heart fill with blood and swell, so that our heart expands in size. When this happens, our bodies begin to release feel-good chemicals which boost our immune systems and slow down the aging process. Because we feel good, we start to think even more joyful thoughts and so we begin a loop of positive thinking and feeling.
What do love and ‘heart swelling’ have to do with writing?
This dispels the idea that thoughts having a direct physical effect on our bodies is simply New Age mumbo-jumbo. When you have an erotic fantasy about someone, certain parts of your body will swell without the other person even needing to be in the room. In some cases, they don’t even need to be real! In the same way, other kinds of thoughts have direct effects on us physically. When you think about something that makes you angry, your adrenal glands start pumping and your muscles flex, preparing you for a physical confrontation. On the other hand, if you find yourself thinking about Aunt Lucy’s delicious chocolate mud cake, your salivary glands will get into action, anticipating something delicious is heading your way.
Writing in a state of hatred, anger or fear doesn’t produce work that emotionally connects with readers
What do love and ‘heart swelling’ have to do with writing? Or any other type of creative pursuit for that matter? When you are thinking positive emotions such as love or gratitude, (as opposed to “survival thinking”, which narrows your focus), love opens your mind up to the larger possibilities around you. You look at the big picture and you no longer feel threatened. The world seems safer and more beautiful. This makes you more generous, more creative, less competitive and less critical of others. You become more authentically you. What a great state to write in!
It is a mistake to believe that you can’t write about sadness
Writing in a state of hatred, anger or fear doesn’t produce work that emotionally connects with readers – even if you are writing about those very emotions. This is because hate, anger and fear send our brains into a state of incoherence and our ability to communicate falters. Our mind and body ready themselves for confrontation, not connection.
It is a mistake to believe that you can’t write about sadness, about war, or about death when you are in a loving state. You will, in fact, be able to write about those things with a heightened consciousness. A deep love for life and humanity means you will be able to see clearly into its strengths, flaws and fragilities, and convey those with a vivid sense of truth and insight.
So how do you put more love into your writing or other creative pursuits? Before commencing a writing session, sit still for five or ten minutes, and breathe slowly to calm your heart. Then think some big juicy thoughts of gratitude about life, about yourself and others. When you are ready and feeling expansive, commence writing.
Try it. I think you will find your writing will become more beautiful and your ideas will flow.
“Beauty is truth–truth beauty–that is all ye know on earth and all ye need to know.”
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