During times in my life when I've experienced extreme pain and suffering, I often found it helpful to write. This strategy allowed me to freely express the thoughts I was having about the situation, which then, in turn, helped me learn how to more effectively talk about what I was going through. As I became better able to verbally express my thoughts over the years, it became easier to take action and make changes.

For the past few years, I've been dealing with some major life challenges which have evoked extreme amounts of pain and suffering. During this experience, and particularly after working to clarify my deeply held values and meaningful actions I can take in pursuit of values-based goals, I've been writing a lot more poetry and song lyrics. Below is a poem I wrote in September 2018 which explores the thoughts I was having at the time about staying motivated to pursue my life goals in spite of the pain and suffering I was experiencing.

Freed. We. Are

Written by Abby Twyman (9/2018)

Chains. Shackled.
Can't manage to escape.
Pain. Suffering.
I think it's too late.

Afraid? I'm not.
Ready to explode.
It's time. Stand up.
Let's get on the road.

To where. You ask.
First you have to see.
Chains? Break them.
It's your destiny.

I'm freed. I'm me.
There's nowhere I can't go.
Destination? Humanity.
It's the best place that I know.

Impossible. It's not.
All we need is the vision.
Shared. Everyone.
It's our singular mission.

Together. We will.
That's the only way to go.
Destination? Humanity.
It's the best we'll ever know.

Join me. Today.
On this journey forward.
Afraid? Impossible.
It's nothing but a word.

We're freed. We're we.
Thanks for being in my tribe.
Life's ultimate destination.
It's time to go for a ride.

One strategy for improving your personal life is to commit to spending time every day doing these three things: (1) reading things which inspire you, (2) spending time in quiet contemplation, and (3) expressing yourself in written form (e.g., journal, poetry, letters, etc.).