It's 2 AM on the morning you and your boyfriend broke up and you cannot stop thinking. It's 10 PM after a horrible fight with your sibling and you don't know how to express your anger. You just got home from an awesome time with your friends that you want to recall forever. So, what do you do? Write.
It all started for me when I was in high school. I did not enjoy a lot of the writing assignments that I had to complete, but of course, I did them. I never viewed writing as "fun," yet more of something that I had to do, until one summer day in July. It was 4th of July weekend, and I spent it where I always have - in Long Beach Island, New Jersey with my friends and family. It was such a fun weekend full of food, the beach, and sun; a weekend that I never wanted to forget. I scrolled through my camera roll on my car ride home to North Jersey, when I realized I hadn't taken any pictures. How will I remember this awesome weekend I just had?! So, I wrote it down. Every. Single. Memory.
To this day I still recall all of the fun I had that 4th of July weekend. Whenever I'm in a bad mood, I find the document on my computer that I typed up and read all about it. Since then, I have used writing as an outlet for every emotion: happiness, sadness, anger, etc. Writing things down can not only keep a memory with you forever, but can allow you to convey your emotions in a way that words sometimes cannot express.
I've learned a lot about myself through my writing. I have learned about my strengths, taught myself how to manage my feelings, and recognized my weaknesses. A piece of paper and a pen is the best therapy for when you need to let something out and get something off your chest. It is my number one recommendation for anybody to keep a journal, because you never know when you are going to need it.
Writing has gotten me through the good and the bad. It is the one friend that will never spill your secrets. It's a shoulder to cry on, and a channel to laugh with. It is an outlet, a guide, a teacher. When you feel like you can't turn to anybody, you can always write, and write, and write.
My piece of advice? Drop any negative connotations you have of writing. Forget the research papers, the biographies, the reflections. Rid your mind of any mandatory writing you have ever had to complete. Find something that you are passionate about, pick up a pen and paper, and watch what your mind can do.
