#HAWMC Recap: It's not the End, It's only the Beginning

#HAWMC Recap HAWMC: It’s not the End, It’s Only the Beginning

I am sad to say goodbye to April because it’s been a great month. My participation with #HAWMC pushed me to go outside of my self. Pushed boundaries. Helped me expose myself. Feel a little bit more comfortable with who I am and who I am becoming. Gave me a tiny push that has set a change into motion. A process within myself that I feel is taking place. I’m learning to open up more, to be ok with showing who I am to others. It has also been a great platform to get me out into the chronically awesome and health bloggers community.


Writing has been such a great tool for me to cope with my health. I hadn’t kept a journal though it had been suggested to me by my therapist. Having prompts helped in that I had a place from which to start. I don’t have any particular “favorite” prompt. Some were a lot easier to write than others. For example, Day 1: Time Capsule, was hard as it was my first ever blog post. But once I got over that, my writing process was set in motion.


There were a few blog posts which were difficult to write, as they stirred emotions within me. But I never held back. I embraced the writing style which best suits me, which is “stream of consciousness”. I allowed myself to be vulnerable, open, honest. I wrote for myself, not thinking about who would be reading my blog.


Having said that, the most difficult blog post was the Third Person Post: Kat and Sophia. It took me all day to write, because I had to keep stopping. I was very emotional and I even had a panic attack. Lots of tears were shed as this piece was written. This only goes to show that my writing is a great way for me to process what I’ve been through. It has been a very cathartic experience for me.


Participating with HAWMC has taught me that I need to write. Because there is so much I’ve kept inside for far too long. By writing, not only will I start healing, but I will also grow. it is my hope that maybe my writing and my experience will help someone else, to help them see that they are not alone. That there is hope. But ultimately, I will write to help myself. First and foremost. And that is ok. Actually, it is more than ok. It is empowering.


I can’t write this without expressing my gratitude to Jules, for giving me SO much support. She set me up as a “blogger in residency” on her website, What the Jules. By doing this she made it possible for me to have a space on which to write, and she also mentored me. I had never blogged or participated in any type of project, such as HAWMC. When I agreed to participate, I had so many doubts about whether I would be able to do this! And I did! I wrote a blog daily. For a whole month! And it wasn’t as challenging as I thought it would be. Most importantly, I did something which intimidated me. I was afraid, yet I did it anyway. And I can now say that I faced that fear and I survived!


This marks the end of my participation with HAWMC but it is only the beginning for me. Now that I’ve faced my fear, I plan to continue writing.








” I write because there is a voice within me that will not be still.” - Sylvia Plath




I too have a voice within me that demands to be heard. We all have a voice, we all have our stories, and we deserve to be heard. I choose to use my experience as a tool to transform myself and grow. And each day I feel myself growing stronger and transforming into a chronically awesome individual who amongst other things, happens to have a chronic illness. I am discovering my gifts and talents. I have a chronic illness, but it does not have me. And that is a very powerful feeling.


@hipsteralice
Alice in Crohnsland
April Blogger In Residency for

http://www.whatthejules.com/april/353-hawmc-recap-hawmc-it-s-not-the-end-it-s-only-the-beginning