Podcast Summary: "Alchemize Your Anger and Anxiety | Suleika Jaouad" on 10% Happier with Dan Harris

Release Date: May 5, 2025

In this compelling episode of 10% Happier with Dan Harris, host Dan Harris welcomes author and leukemia survivor Suleika Jaouad to explore the transformative power of journaling in navigating intense emotions such as anger, anxiety, and uncertainty. Joined by his wife, Bianca Harris, the conversation delves deep into Suleika's personal journey, her creative practices, and the profound insights she offers in her newest book, "The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life."

1. Suleika Jaouad's Journey and Resilience

Suleika Jaouad shares her harrowing yet inspiring battle with leukemia, now in her third round of treatment. Known for her poignant New York Times column "Life Interrupted" and her best-selling memoir "Between Two Kingdoms," Suleika has become a beacon of hope and resilience. Dan highlights, "Through this whole ordeal, she has really relied on journaling to help her process her various emotions. And she has really done perhaps more than anybody to popularize this practice." (00:04)

Despite facing multiple recurrences, Suleika continues to find strength through her writing, extending her impact through a thriving Substack community called Isolation Journals and her new book, which features journaling prompts from luminaries like Elizabeth Gilbert, Sharon Salzberg, and George Saunders.

2. The Transformative Power of Journaling

Central to the discussion is journaling as a tool for emotional alchemy. Dan Harris confesses his initial skepticism, "I reflexively rejected [journaling] until I saw the science." (00:15) He acknowledges the scientific backing that underscores journaling's benefits, including stress and anxiety reduction, enhanced immune response, improved sleep, memory, focus, time management, and decision-making.

Suleika elaborates on her personal journey with journaling, stating, "I started to use my journal as a kind of reporter's notebook... it conjured to mind the idea of alchemy." (34:31) She describes how journaling became a lifeline during her initial diagnosis, providing a sense of agency and narrative control amidst the chaos of illness.

3. Community and Shared Journaling Practices

Bianca Harris emphasizes the communal aspect of journaling, illustrating how shared practices can amplify its benefits. She shares, "Journaling's private. There's no expectation to share anything that you write. But occasionally people do." (38:36) This reciprocity fosters a supportive environment where vulnerability begets vulnerability, creating deeper connections and collective healing.

The Harrises also discuss their personal approach to journaling as a couple, using it to maintain a deeper connection during times of separation. Bianca recounts, "We write journal entries and address them to each other and share them with each other." (63:19) This practice unearths emotions and thoughts that might remain unspoken in everyday interactions.

4. Exploring Journaling Prompts for Deep Reflection

A significant portion of the conversation revolves around specific journaling prompts featured in Suleika's book. These prompts are designed to push readers beyond surface-level writing, encouraging deeper emotional exploration and creativity.

Mind Map Prompt

• Description: This exercise involves starting with a central theme (e.g., a year of one's life) and free-associating events and memories outward from that center.
• Suleika’s Insight: "Memory is so often we remember the peaks and the valleys... When we tap into our subconscious... you don't ever really know where you're going to end." (41:39)

George Saunders' Empathy Prompt

• Description: A multi-step prompt that guides the writer into empathizing with someone they feel aversion towards by creating a short story from that person’s perspective.
• Bianca’s Reflection: "It was an exercise in fiction, but I guess an autobiographical fiction... an exercise in empathy." (55:11)
• Dan’s Take: Despite feeling hesitant due to his extensive writing commitments, Dan appreciates the prompt's focus on empathy, noting its relevance in today's polarized society. "It's really important to me... to put myself in the shoes of people I disagree with." (53:17)

Elizabeth Gilbert's Letters From Love

• Description: Encourages writers to compose a letter to themselves from the most loving voice they possess.
• Bianca’s Insight: "The way we speak to ourselves is rarely the way that we would speak to a child... the exercise of inhabiting the voice of love." (60:25)
• Challenge Issued: Bianca playfully challenges Dan to write his own letter from love, suggesting it could be a meaningful exercise in self-compassion. (63:08)

5. Personal Reflections and Practices

Throughout the episode, both Dan and Bianca share their personal journaling habits and the challenges they face. Bianca reflects on how journaling helps her process complex emotions and make meaningful connections, while Dan discusses his relationship with writing memoirs and seeing journaling as a form of personal exploration akin to meditation.

Bianca highlights the importance of consistency and community in maintaining a journaling practice, stating, "In community, generating that sort of accountability and energy... has always been crucial." (65:45) This underscores the mutual support systems that enhance individual creative practices.

Dan adds a humorous touch by acknowledging his own hesitations and challenges with journaling amidst his busy writing schedule, yet expresses admiration for its benefits and commits to engaging with the prompts outlined in Suleika's book.

6. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

As the conversation wraps up, Suleika promotes her upcoming book "The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life," set to release on April 22nd. She emphasizes the book's role in helping individuals transform life's interruptions into opportunities for creativity and meaning through structured journaling practices.

Bianca and Dan Harris also promote their own journaling initiative, "Dump It Here," available through Dan’s website, encouraging listeners to explore journaling as a means of personal growth and emotional resilience.

Notable Quotes:

• "Depression is an over fixation on the past. Anxiety is an over fixation on the future, and the antidote to that is solving for the now." – Bianca Harris (16:35)
• "When we dare to be vulnerable, it creates a reverberation where vulnerability begets vulnerability begets vulnerability." – Bianca Harris (34:52)
• "I think the journals automatically become a source of collective healing and shared understanding." – Bianca Harris (65:23)

Key Takeaways:

• Journaling as Emotional Alchemy: Transforming negative emotions into meaningful insights and personal growth.
• Community Support: Shared journaling practices enhance accountability, creativity, and emotional connection.
• Creative Prompts: Structured prompts inspire deeper reflection and empathy, facilitating personal and interpersonal understanding.
• Personal Practices: Consistent journaling, whether individual or shared, serves as a powerful tool for navigating life's challenges.

For listeners seeking to improve their emotional well-being and creative expression, this episode offers invaluable insights into the therapeutic and transformative powers of journaling, championed by Suleika Jaouad’s lived experiences and creative expertise.

Note: For more resources and access to Suleika Jaouad’s "The Book of Alchemy," visit her Substack community Isolation Journals or follow the links provided in the show notes.