From childhood to adulthood, we have always expressed ourselves while writing assignments, listing groceries, and many more. However, do you know that writing down your thoughts and feelings on a notepad can be a mind-healing process for you?
In our lives, we all face different kinds of issues of mental health, whether that’s depression, anxiety, past trauma and so forth.
This is also known as Emotional Writing or Expressive Writing, which James Pannebekar and his colleagues created. They found that writing down one’s innermost feelings and thoughts can significantly impact one’s mental and physical health. We often have unsaid words that are left unspoken. To express those suppressed words, you need to let it out and you can do that by writing.
From my own experience, I have tried this exercise and written down all those ruminating thoughts. And it immensely helped me in my healing journey. Hence, I wanted to share it.
5 tips to start the exercise
Here are 5 tips on how you can start the writing exercise:
- You need a fixed notebook where you’ll write everything that has been running in your mind.
- Give yourself some time alone to fully concentrate on this exercise. Think about all the stuff you wanted to say about that certain situation.
- Don’t worry about grammar or spelling mistakes. Don’t worry about “if anyone sees this diary what would they think” at all.
- Don’t try to judge yourself here because it’s for your well-being to heal yourself.
- Then, start to write some letters to that one specific situation or person that is related to your trigger or traumas. These are just for you and not to send to anyone or anything.
- You can try writing three letters. One is for that certain person/situation which you will burn or tear later. Another one is for yourself. It’s about all the things you ever wanted to say to yourself. And the third one can be a gratitude letter. You can write about all the blessings in life that you are living for. You can keep those two letters to yourself.
As you start writing, you’ll see that those scattered thoughts are now aligning on their own because of writing them down. After finishing writing, look at what you’ve written without any kind of judgment. And you can learn about yourself in a new way.
How writing can be a mind-healing process?
When you look back at what you’ve written, you can find yourself in quite a relaxing mood. Writing by hand provides a perceptual-motor engagement that enhances learning opportunities. Healing through writing has many ways, for instance- learning, gaining better self-awareness, understanding feelings, acknowledging emotions, gives insight into life experiences.
Here’s how Writing can be a mind-healing process for you:
- You can start journaling for at least 15-20 minutes to give yourself a “Me” time.
- If you want to let it all out, writing is a better way. Because it transforms your unwanted thoughts into a positive change.
- At first, it may look gibberish to you when you start writing. But with time, you will improve your sense of feelings and have a better insight into your life.
- It will develop your inner self about “You.” Most of the time, we can not accept ourselves and give ourselves a hard time. When you write, you can explore yourself in a new way.
- Most importantly, it will soothe your heart and mind. It will give you a sense of peace and inspiration to move on with life.
- It will help you to rearrange your life from the shackles of your disruptive thoughts related to that specific situation or an individual.
- By writing you will get a sense of changing your routine in a disciplined way. You can add some new habits, and hobbies, learn new things, read books, write your thoughts on those books and many more.
Benefits of Writing Down Your Feelings
For the things that are left unsaid or difficult to express verbally, writing provides an ultimate means of releasing those. You can notice the problematic patterns in your life and try to change them. In many mind-healing therapies, therapists suggest that creative writing, blogging, and journaling can work as a subconscious mind-healing technique.
Writing allows us to relive the traumatic event or experience in a safe and controlled way. This can help us gain a better understanding of self-worth and help us to cope with life in a better way. Moreover, it can make us non-judgemental about ourselves. It is more beneficial for those who struggle with self-blame or shame following a traumatic event. Writing benefits, us in processing and working through those difficult emotions in a conservative and supportive way.
Another great benefit of writing is that it boosts our self-esteem by focusing on the positive side of life. We can focus on our strengths and weaknesses.
For example: you may write about your achievement of something you’re proud of. It will enhance your self-esteem exceptionally. Besides, you can look into life in a positive sense and feel gratitude for all the blessings you have.
On the end note, it is said that words have power. And when you use that power to recover yourself through pen and paper, it can lead you to emotional wellness. No matter what method or theme you choose to write, it tells you a story of “You” that no one knows except you. It will clarify your mind and give you inner peace of mind, spirit and heart.
I hope it may help all those who are struggling. I hope you heal from the things you don’t speak about.
Wriiten by Zerin Anjum Prova