The Unfiltered Self.

Writing is something which has been a large part of my life since I was a young girl… I still have notebooks from way back when, with some pretty deep, thoughts written in them for a young teen. I suppose I have just always found a certain kind of peace in self expression through written word and this has carried itself with me since then.

But open, candid expression isn’t something most people are entirely comfortable with - whether it’s their own or someone else’s. There’s an unease that comes with unfiltered honesty because it forces us to confront things we might prefer to leave buried. Sometimes, it’s easier to turn away from truth than it is to sit with it.

I’ve never really struggled with that. Sure, I have my moments of self-doubt… and times when I’ve put something raw into words, only to second guess whether I should have said it at all. And yes, sometimes those thoughts win, and I take it down. But more often than not, I let it stay. Because if I wrote it, it meant something. And if it meant something to me, chances are, it might mean something to someone else too.

Over the years, I’ve written about just about everything… life, love, trauma, the beautiful and the brutal. And what I’ve come to realise is that we are never as unique in our struggles as we think we are. More importantly, we are never as alone as we might feel.

That’s the magic of honest self-expression. Many people may not be willing to open certain doors within themselves, but they will take a peek inside when someone else has already turned the key. There is definitely a certain level of comfort in knowing that someone else has stood where you are and that they have also experienced the same thoughts and felt similar feelings.

I think often we will lie with a thought, a problem, a doubt or a worry. We don’t speak to anyone, we don’t share it with anyone and the burden of carrying it becomes heavy because we simply don't know how or where to put it down - or even if it is acceptable for us to do so.

And yet, the simple act of acknowledging them, of giving them space outside of ourselves, can be incredibly freeing. Writing is how I make sense of things. It’s how I let go of what I don’t need to carry. But beyond that, it’s also how I reach out, how I connect. If my words can make even one person feel a little less alone, then they’ve done something worthwhile.

There is nothing weak about being completely and openly transparent. It takes courage to be deeply truthful, to let the world see you exactly as you are... and there is power in that kind of vulnerability. Growth doesn’t come from avoidance - it comes from confronting, from understanding and from allowing yourself to feel, process and ultimately move through it.

So, to every person who reads the things I write and to those who have been equally as open with their own personal experiences in my comments etc. It is a beautiful thing to witness and I appreciate you all for adding substance to my intentions.