A Gentle Hello

Stepping away from social media, returning to my first love....the written word.

Hello, and welcome to my little corner of the internet. I am grateful your eyes have found my words here in this space, a place that feels nourishing and inviting to share more of myself.  My intention with this first post is to introduce myself, share what inspired me to be here, and give you a sense of what I intend to write about and offer here for you.

I wasn’t sure if I would actually start my own Substack, to be honest.  I had been considering it for a year, trying to decide if it was the place I felt called to share more of my stories and musings, more intimately, away from social media.  A place where the full spectrum of my humanness could be expressed, without any influence from an algorithm or caption limit, and a space where I simply write, to write.  No doom scrolling, no quick dopamine hits, and no feeling of urgency to be “seen” amongst a sea of entertaining reels.  For the past year, I have been living a more intentional life and honouring my cues to guide me towards more valued-living.  An unexpected, yet intuitively driven, cancer diagnosis had something to do with this, but so did many other things.  Isn’t it interesting how big life events or changes, although difficult, often prompt us forward and lead us to the spaces (both internal and external) we yearn to be?  The human condition is a curious thing.  

The truth is, social media hasn’t felt like a nurturing or fulfilling space for me to be for a awhile now, and as time went on I noticed I kept sharing less and less of myself, and more of what was expected of me - something that felt not only suffocating and stifling as an artist and writer, but also felt deeply out of integrity with who I am.  I have been a writer since the days I knew how to put pen to paper, and my entire life I have used the written word as my chosen gateway to self-expression - to soothe parts of me that needed tending, to be in communion with my felt sense, and to explore the many layers that are often hidden beneath the surface.  I have missed my writing practice, and to be honest, I have also been hiding from it - because the truth is always revealed on the page, whether we like it or not - and there are many that are yet to be expressed, to be reclaimed.  Creating this space, intentionally away from social media, is part of this reclamation.  And, it is also in service of stepping more fully into my identity as a writer, a soon to be author, and an artist of the written word.  I value simplicity, authenticity, and expression (among plenty of other values), and this new way of sharing my words feels deeply aligned with the woman I am, and have always been.  A natural storyteller, a provocative writer as some would say, but mostly a human who finds value in sharing from experiences and extracting the lessons gleaned from moments of time we either wish we could hold onto a little longer, or ones we hope to never touch again - both equally part of this wild life, both beautiful in their own way - both deserving of expression.

This is why I am here.

To write, for the love of writing.  To reclaim the power of the written word.  To honour the words resting on my heart and give them a space to exist that is outside of myself.  To write, for writing's sake.  

I am a writer, after all.  I have hundreds of journals stacked in boxes scattered between my old house in Canada, my childhood home where my parents still live, and here in Australia the pile of notebooks is growing, too.  Pages upon pages of words, not just words, but pieces of my heart captured in time from moments that we can never fully return to - glimpses of my experiences I am grateful to have jotted down as a reminder of where I was, who I was with, and more importantly, how I felt.  A treasured time capsule of sorts, to return to perhaps, or to serve as a creative vessel to make space for more.

The written word has saved my life on more than one occasion, either through the expression of my own words or through reading another’s in times of change or challenge.  Words hold value, and words heal.  And in a society that is trying to pull our attention in every direction towards quick and easily digestible videos, I desire to create slowly, with intention, and to reclaim long form writing that not only provides ease for our nervous systems to take in, but also honours artists for their work and in a space that also values reciprocity for creatives.  

Substack aligns beautifully with the values I hold near and dear, and I feel fulfilled being here, sharing my words, and creating a community that also holds similar values.  

So here I am, beginning a new journey with an old friend, the written word, while welcoming in new eyes to find my writing and allowing myself to express what I feel called to share, in a way that feels nourishing, regulating, and valued.  As a therapist, I have freely shared a lot of content over the years related to concepts, ideas, and information about mental health, trauma, and relationships, and while that will always hold value and be a resource for many, my intention with this space is to bridge the gap between therapist and human, and allow more of me, all parts of me, to be seen.  A vulnerable endeavour, naturally, and one that feels scary, yet exciting, to embark on.  There is always some discomfort when we travel down new roads, explore unfamiliar terrain, and traverse the edges of uncertainty, knowing that not everyone will find resonance with what we have to share, but with each step forward we build the capacity that is required to live and embody a creative life - one that asks for our willingness to express, even if it isn’t acknowledged or celebrated (especially then) but to still honour the call of creativity.  That is the way of the artist, to create anyways - for the sake of creating.  

When your eyes meet my words, my hope is that it invites a deeper exhale, a softer landing, and a welcomed smile.  I hope this space feels nourishing, meaningful, and insightful in ways that feel important for you.  I also hope it invites curiosity, contemplation, and consideration for new perspectives or deeper inquiry into parts of yourself you have yet to meet.  Of most importance, I hope it becomes a space for you to cultivate compassion and gently tend to yourself in ways that honour your needs and desires, with nervous system restoration at the forefront.  

Each week, potentially more frequently if the muse calls for it, I will share what has been on my heart, or things I am presently traversing.  I also will share stories from previous chapters not currently present, but that hold valuable insights and lessons that I believe can support those who may find resonance with my words. 

Some ideas I enjoy writing about are:  tending to the parts of ourselves we struggle with, cultivating compassion and curiosity in times of pain, exploring with honesty the depths of our emotionality, the art of relational repair, our bodies as the gateway to healing, reclaiming our voice even in times of discomfort, nervous system restoration, challenging our thoughts and inviting psychological flexibility, traversing identity and transitions, anchors of attunement and attachment, radical wholeness amidst a fragmented society, intentional living with the roots and rhythms of embodied living, embracing complexity and nuance, and our instinctual and intuitive nature.  And, at the heart of it all, unraveling what it means to be human.  

My heart feels full sharing myself in this space, and welcoming you all here with me, too.  I invite you to read at your own pace, explore what stirs within you as you receive these words, and share with me your thoughts, questions, or heart musings.  I am very excited to build a heart-led community of humans who are also on the path of reclamation.  

Free subscribers will receive a weekly letter from me, sharing the latest themes I feel drawn to explore, along with some prompts for self-reflection.  I feel inspired to also offer more in depth writing for paid subscribers who will also receive audio recordings, more vulnerable stories, and intentional practices.  

I invite you to choose whichever subscription option feels best for you knowing that I am so very grateful for all forms of support.  I am very excited to be building and co-creating this community, together, and engaging in meaningful dialogue that supports us all as we walk along similar, wildly unraveled, paths.

I am so grateful you are here, with me.

Wildly, 

Laurita