Writing Your Way to Greater Well-being

Guest post by Glenda Russell, LGBTQ+ historian and member of Out Boulder County’s Advocacy and Public Policy Committee

I grew up learning a vision of history that strongly suggested it followed a smooth curve that moved from not-so-good to better-and-better over time.  At some point, I realized that simply wasn't the case. Just watching what has gone on around me during my lifetime has made it abundantly clear that change doesn't follow some smooth progression. It goes up and down and takes unanticipated dips and curves. Someone in my family might have suggested: "Never a dull moment." That would be right.

This has been a trying period of time for the LGBTQ+ community in many respects. There have been a lot of challenges.  It can be tempting to get frustrated and overwhelmed.  That would not be unusual or abnormal. Frustrating things have been going on. 

Help is on the way! 

Dr. Heidi Levitt and her research team at the University of Massachusetts Boston have been working on a straightforward expressive writing exercise for people in our community to use when they encounter homophobia and transphobia.  Times like now, you might say. Heidi and her team have published several peer-reviewed articles on the exercise and they've been getting fabulous results with all sorts of people from the LGBTQ+ community, including folks in our community who often get left out of research.

If you're interested, you can go to the link here: https://tinyurl.com/LGBTQHealing

The link will invite you to set up a brief screening call, just to answer any questions you might have about the research and to make sure it's likely to be helpful for you.  You'll have the option of taking shorter or longer versions. It's free. In fact, they will even reward you with a $25 Amazon gift card for participating. 

There's a very good chance (like, greater than 90%!) that it'll help you feel better. And you'll add to what we know about how members of our community manage to be resilient in the face of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation.

You might want to forward this blog to other LGBTQ+ people you know so they'll have the opportunity to participate as well. 

Thanks to Heidi Levitt for allowing Out Boulder County access to this important tool. And thanks to you for taking care of yourself!

It's a movement. So let's keep moving!