july writing prompts + workshop on friday

plus a reflection on inner narratives

write with us

It’s a new month and that means it’s time for a fresh set of prompts and our monthly free writing workshop. I’m looking forward to connecting with y’all this Friday, July 5 from 7 - 8 pm et as we gather to do some freewriting together.

Honestly? My mind is spinning with so many things going on in the world and in my personal life right now. How about you?

Most importantly, how are you coping with it? Below I’m sharing a reflection on my inner sad girl and how I’m managing her. Perhaps you can take something from this that will help you cope with whatever you’re facing, creatively or otherwise.

managing inner narratives

Last week, the theme of our monthly group journaling session with guest

Erica D'Eramo

was Dialogue with the Inner Critic. (Paid subscribers can watch the video here.)

Since then, I’ve been thinking about the various moods and shades of my inner critic.

For example, I have an inner sad girl who finds comfort in feeling sorry for herself and the rest of the broken world and who senses pain and heartbreak in everyone she meets. She doesn’t have to yell, sometimes she can simply whisper, and the vibration just drains the energy right out of me and hijacks my day.

In addition to your inner critic, what other draining energies do you notice when you listen to your inner narrative? How do you respond? What patterns do you notice?

Let’s look at it in terms of survival responses: Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn.

I often respond to my inner critic with a Fight or Flight response. For example, when my inner critic gets loud saying things like you’re not working hard enough or fast enough, my instinct is to push myself more.

I usually respond to my inner sad girl with a Freeze response. When my inner sad girl is triggered she says things like look at all the bridges you’ve burned and pain you’ve caused, and my instinct is to curl up in a ball and hide my shame and regret from the world.

We can’t always control our thoughts, but we can notice them, and practice responding to them differently. We can sit with the discomfort and study it from a certain distance. We can separate our identities from the echoes of our fragmented thoughts. We can consider the roots and origins of these voices. We can question the narratives. We can label what we’re actually feeling. We can build new detours and pathways that lead to new perspectives and stories.

Being able to study yourself and notice your patterns is so important to emotional wellness as well as creative growth and development.

I would love to hear from you. What are some of the ways you cope with troubling inner narratives and negative thought spirals? Share your what works for you in the comments.

I’ll be back later this week with the rest of the workshop schedule for July.

Don’t forget to sign up for Friday’s workshop below if you can make it!

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drop in and write with the community this month:

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July 5. Free Monthly Writing Workshop // 7 - 8 pm et

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