Positive journaling course at Sherman Gardens aims to help people turn over a new leaf

For some people, writing is about much more than putting words on a page. It’s an act that has the power to transform a person’s perspective, mood and way of thinking and being in the world.

Take, for instance, Ellen Bell. A lifelong writer, her style and subject matter have shifted over time, from short stories and poems penned in her youth to newspaper articles and historical essays.

“Writing has always been a constant thread in my life,” said the Newport Beach resident, who’s provided content for local papers and magazines as a freelance writer. “It’s an art and an important form of expression — I do believe it’s therapeutic.”

Next week, Bell will test that theory at Sherman Library & Gardens, when she leads a five-week course that encourages participants to foster emotions such as gratitude, curiosity, serenity and joy while exploring the grounds and then capturing the mood in words.

Facilitator Ellen Bell promises there will be no pop quizzes and no failing grades at her five-week mindfulness course.

(Courtesy of Sherman Library & Gardens)

“Writing Wednesdays: Positive Journaling in Sherman Gardens” will be offered from 10 to 11 a.m. beginning on Wednesday and continuing on June 28, July 5, 19 and 26. Writing materials will be provided to attendees who sign up for the series.

The facilitator emphasizes the sessions are not intended to make people better writers, but rather to help people cultivate a mindful awareness of their thoughts and feelings and, where possible, make adjustments to increase their positivity level.

“It’s not like writing in a diary. A lot of times with journals we find ourselves processing something that went wrong. This is more about feeling grateful for things that are actually going well and focusing on them.”

For example, a class might begin with a discussion or a prompt designed to get everyone’s creative juices flowing. Participants are then let loose to traverse the grounds, paying attention to objects that catch their eye or trigger good feelings or fond memories.

The idea is people will expand upon those thoughts and feelings in their journal, then later reconvene and share, if they want, what they experienced. Over a five-week period, the act of slowing down and nurturing better thoughts, and later revisiting them in the journal, becomes a habit.

Bell, who’s volunteered at Sherman Library & Gardens since last fall, said the concept for the course came from her recent two-year training as a meditation guide and from a book by author Megan Hayes called “Write Yourself Happy: The Art of Positive Journaling.”

“I found it in a bookstore in Claremont and thought this is what I’d like to teach and share,” she recalled.

Catherine Dickinson, an education director responsible for overseeing classes, lectures and kids activities offered in the gardens. Because many people come to the garden for sanctuary, rest and relaxation, she tries to offer courses that promote wellness.

She was thrilled when Bell mentioned her interest in trying out a positive journaling course.

“We all grew up writing in school, then most of us sort of let it lapse,” Dickinson said. “This is a great way to tune back into that creativity.

“I just want people to learn a new practice that they can take away into the rest of their lives, and I’d like them to have had a really positive and beautiful experience in the garden.”

Bell shares a similar intention.

“Ultimately, I want people to start to feel [this] is their oasis, a place they can come and be quiet. To me, that’s what mindfulness is,” she said. “I”m very interested in helping people connect with that, and the Sherman is just the place to do that.”

“Writing Wednesdays: Positive Journaling in Sherman Gardens” runs Wednesdays, June 21 through July 26 (except July 12). The cost is $100 for garden members and $125 for nonmembers. Sherman Library & Gardens is located at 2647 E. Coast Hwy., Corona del Mar. For more, visit thesherman.org or call (949) 673-2261.