Happiness

Tap Your Intuition via Writing

By cjliu | September 7, 2020

C.J. Liu interviews authors Diane Hartingh Price & Susan Ives McCollum about “Write Your Stress Away: Tame the Tension in Your Life.” The two authors share how the book was born from their friendship and the coincidence of them experiencing health issues within weeks of each other.

Diane shares her story of how writing helped her be an advocate for her own health. There was a breast lump during Diane’s mammogram. Her doctors said that immediate action was not required. Despite her doctor’s advice, Diane wrote in her journal about her feelings and over time her intuition led her to assertively ask to address her biopsy sooner, and she found that the bump was malignant and that she had breast cancer. Throughout her chemo, Diane continued writing and gaining clarity with what mattered in her life. Diane believes that writing saved her life.

Around the same time as Diane’s prognosis, Susan finds out she has Type 1 diabetes. Diabetes comes as a surprise to Susan and she learns that she will now have to have many lifestyle changes in diet, exercise, nutrition, and stress levels. During this time, Susan uses her writing as a way to process her experiences. She realizes that she does not want diabetes to be her one line story. As she writes, she becomes clearer and her intuition speaks to her sense of knowing. What mattered for Susan was family, helping others, and travel are what really matters to her.

While it may have been hard to see their illnesses as a blessing in their life at the time, both women share how writing helped them discover what really mattered most in their lives.