I think the most effective part of this article is that I’m writing about writing. It’s the most basic argumentative tactic, isn't it? Practicing what you preach? Well, ladies and gentlemen, here I am. I’m practicing and preaching!
Everyone has their struggles, right? I think we’ve definitely established that. But what if we could overcome them? What if we decided to at least try?
Has your mom ever suggested to you that you write a letter to someone you dislike and then re-read it the next morning? I sure hope she has, because it turns out, it is one of the most effective things you can do.
Writing is good for us! Writing can literally improve your health. Forget therapists! Pick up a pen and some paper. Or a pencil, if you so prefer. That’s one of the best parts about writing, in my humble opinion. No matter where you are or who you are, you can write.
Recently, I’ve been fighting some serious demons, both within myself and in my surroundings. I want to give a huge amount of credit to writing for my upswings, my good days. A man named James Pennebaker has spent a significant amount of time studying the positive effects of making writing a habit, and I will reference his findings in this article. He believes the “act of expressive writing allows people to step back and evaluate their lives. Instead of obsessing over an event, they can focus on moving forward.”
Writing takes you outside of your pain and allows you to examine it in a new way. Writing begins as a conversation with yourself, about yourself. You process your thoughts more deliberately. You can completely open up because it’s just yourself that you’re talking to. There’s no one in your notebook to judge you, no one on your computer screen telling you you’re not normal. Writing is free and it’s personal and it’s private. Writing is there for everyone.
Opening a new word document is my most intense addiction. It gives me something to do besides stew in my thoughts all day. It helps me breathe easier. “Having a narrative is similar to completing a job, allowing one to essentially forget the event.” (James Pennebaker) Everyone has day-to-day stress. Turns out, journaling can help ease your worries, too! What can’t the written word do? Writing helps your brain calm down. It gives it a somewhat mindless task while at the same time keeping it moving. After writing down your worries and your stresses, your need-to-remembers, you feel a little less pressure because you no longer have to remember to remember your to-do list. I know we could all use a little less pressure from the material world in our lives.
Lastly, writing helps you learn about yourself. You are literally talking to yourself. Even if you’re writing fiction, even if you aren’t writing in your own narrative or from your own perspective/personal experience, it is all coming from your own brain and everything in your brain is you.
“Then there’s the school of thought that proposes writers are inherently mentally ill and writing offers a better alternative than insanity,” and aren’t we all a little crazy? (writerswrite.com)
