On Monday night USC Panhellenic kicked off its series of wellness events with a journaling event in honor of National Suicide Prevention Month.
Inside the Alpha Chi Omega Sorority tables are lined up with bouquets of pink flowers, matching pink notebooks and printed copies of the poem “How to Live” by Charles Harper Webb.
The event was led by Emily Chertow, 28, the founder of @journalingclasses, who hosts guided workshops that focus on using writing to practice mindfulness and self care.
“Today we are honoring our loved ones that we’ve lost to suicide and [honoring] suicide prevention week,” Chertow said.
Chertow lost a loved one to suicide said she is still currently dealing with grief.
“But when we come together, when we write together, when we talk about what’s in our hearts, our minds and brains it takes the percentage of suicides and makes it smaller and smaller,” Chertow said.
Chertow was in the same shoes of these college women just a few years ago when she graduated from Penn State with a degree in Journalism and later a degree in publishing at Columbia University in New York City, where she currently lives. This has made her want to mentor and become like an older sister to the students.
The focus of this workshop was gratitude and intention setting with a printed prompt sheet. After an initial intention, the group set a collective intention and Chertow burnt Palo Santo, a plant known for cleansing energy.
Then she opened the session by saying, “College is fucking hard. You’re showing up on a Monday to give yourself self care in a community setting and that’s what’s important.”
Attendees were guided through a series of prompts such as state of being prompt that helped the group label their current feeling or experiences with a specific emotion.
Stephanie Moren, a sophomore studying communications, said initially the event was a chance to meet new friends since she just transferred to USC, but she was also intrigued by the idea of journaling as it has become a popular wellness trend on social media. When Stephanie started writing she realized journaling was much more than that.
“It made me so emotional because I saw how other girls felt exactly how I felt which is why this event left me with such peace of mind knowing that I’m not alone,” Moreno said.
After completing this activity Chertow read the poem “How to Live” out loud to the group, prompting the room to reflect on how they live their lives and what’s most important to them.
Cliona Philp, a sophomore studying philosophy, politics and law said the prompts allowed her to organize her thoughts onto paper.
“By writing my thoughts down and expelling them from my head it makes them quieter and more manageable,” Philp said.
This is the feeling Chertow tries to facilitate in her classes. When she walked around the room she said, “get out of the head and drop into the heart.”
@Journalingclasses are built off three pillars: Chertow’s passion for advocating for mental health, her passion for human connection and her passion for pen to paper.
Chertow manages her anxiety and depression on a daily basis and she believes journaling and talking about hardships in a community setting can make this easier.
“When we come together and write together we heal together,” Chertow said.
She is hosting a series of upcoming wellness workshops, that include virtual options, such as “Feed Your Inner Child,” “Mindful Morning: Cold Plunge + Journaling Experience,” “Somatic Body Painting and Mindfulness Journaling Workshop” and even a flower bouquet making workshop.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, (call the number if there is a campus one in addition to this) or call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources (http://speakingofsuicide.com/resources) for a list of additional resources.