Recently I found my brain looping through an annoying rumination, that I finally broke down and did the next best thing other than strong escapism: grabbed an empty notebook and wrote an outrageous fantasy scenario.

Emotion and looping thoughts dissipated over the afternoon as I fanatically tried to chase after that glint of a scene shimmering in my mind’s eye. But before that moment I needed a character, a set up, a land, a theme. That energy that would have otherwise been an irritating looping thought was finally released into an active movement of pen and paper. It felt so good to come out of that spell, arriving into reality with a new shiny rock of an idea. A little rough around the edges, but serviceable. At least for me, at that time, it was a perfect side project.

However, this has not been the only instance of leaning in.

At the insistence of my fixating brain, I allowed my pen to do it’s thing. And nothing screams I’m easily distracted than finding one’s self two hours later with a scene and a half written and a solid scrapbooking entry completed filled with pictures and reflections.

Have I ever scrapbooked before? Literally never in my thirty-something years of life have I EVER scrapbooked before. Why? How? Bizarre!

These insistent, occasionally intrusive, thoughts serve as perfect cocktails of internal motivation: constant inspiration, the impulse to resolve the thought, leading to intentional perseverance, and the ability to ignore and bypass challenges in order to reach the desired goal.

Call it what you like. A hyper-fixation, madness or escapism. Whatever label you want to use is fine. However that sensation of dropping directly into a moment is tantalizing. Having the opportunity to cultivate ideas requires you to actively live a life. Which is the wordiest way of saying “Don’t quit your day job.” But there is a point to that, as one is trying to develop a writing habit, let alone a hobby of writing.

This compartmentalization can help you find that prime time for creation in general. However, building over the everyday wear and exhaustion aren’t easy. Thus why a Lean-In method can be beneficial to guiding your practice. Some emotions are easier to run with, others dangerous, so be honest of what you are comfortable with.

Intuition & Imagination

The most important parts of the Lean-In method are intuition and imagination. The ability to intuit what emotions feel appropriate to explore is about understanding your personal mental health. It is important to point out that writing and journaling have limited ability to help solve personal crises. If you find yourself on a dark spiral, this hand to paper method will cement this trail you’ve been following. It is unhealthy and potentially dangerous to write ourselves out of madness. This is a individualistic endeavor, thus you are stuck with your own words over and over.

Is that what you want? Or do you want to transform these emotions into something else?

Thus, imagination is an essential! What are the emotions you are exploring, and what do they look like? Be oddly specific, such as turning world-ending anxieties as spiky spores that infect the brain, turning a community into fanatic zombies. Or have a candid visual of a cairn, the one last remnant of a lost soul stumbling through the wild in desperation.

Infuse the page with emotion without being explicit about it. Give yourself the chance to be absurd, questioning your usual writing techniques by making bold choices. Make tables talk to suicidal drunks. Let the scenery overtake a necessary prop. Write instructions out of order, according to what makes you angriest.

Take the time to explore what emotions can teach you. With proper reflection and a sustained writing habit, you may find that tapping into this precious gift can enhance your abilities. Living with our emotions is inevitable, learning from them is a beautiful opportunity.