I have been doing a lot of thinking and soul-searching this year, trying to work out what I want to do with my life. My kids are both adults now, one has moved out of home. I had a job earlier in the year that I lost due to funding cuts. Since my AuDHD (autism & ADHD) diagnosis last year, I have been trying to work out how to create a life that works with my brain instead of against it.
What I have realised I love doing is the workshops I do with young writers, as well as talking about how reading and writing is an important part of wellbeing.
With the young writers’ groups, I have been doing them for ten years this year! This blew my mind. I don’t know any other activity I’ve done as an adult that has lasted that long. Every session, it’s great to connect with these teens and encourage them to get creative, silly, and generally have fun with creative writing. It took until a few months ago to realise that what I did was encourage participants to have fun, connect with each other, play with their writing, experiment, be curious, and so much more. The groups were more about wellbeing than literacy, although literacy is part of it.
I have also realised that, growing up, reading and writing was my safe space. It’s what I used to regulate my emotions, feel safe, express myself, and more. I have a long list of advantages.
What I want to do moving forward is to run more workshops, and spread the word about how reading and writing can be a powerful tool in someone’s wellbeing toolbox, especially other neurospicy people. Reading and writing aren’t just about literacy, there are so many more benefits and I want to show that to people.
I am still working out all the details as to how this happen. The first step is to blog more to share these insights.
This website will also be getting a makeover in the coming months.
I hope you’ll join me on this journey to explore reading and writing for wellbeing.
