Mental Health is really important, whether you are a young teen or a well-off adult. One of the best-recommended exercises for the mind would be to write what is on your mind. Whether you are burnt-out after a week of work in cubical. Or just wanting to go on a rant on why Hotdog is not a sandwich. Or maybe you have a creative mind and want to write your own story. After you did not find the one to your liking. Regardless, it is beneficial for you to write a journal and I will explain why.
So, let’s begin
So, where do begin with writing every day to improve your mental health? Well, let’s first get some key points stright. Firstly, writing every day is not and will not be a responsibility for you. Rather than a hobby or an obligation. You are not in any condition trying to write the next bestseller, rather a dear diary.
Secondly, you should never try to focus on editing or correcting mistakes in your writing. It’s common in publishing work to edit the work, but not why you are here writing. Hence shake off the feeling and move on. And Finally, give what you have written some time to rest. Come back after a few days and go through your writing. A different mood and a different perspective can help you learn more about yourself. Maybe at the time of writing, you weren’t even aware of what you might have written.
University of Rochester Medical Center, Journaling for Mental Health. Claimed that writing your though and feelings can help you to understand them clearly. As well, if have the existing condition of stress, anxiety, and depression. Simply writing daily can help you regain control over your emotions and help perform better in life.
Now start it slow and easy, write whenever you feel inspired or motivated. Keep this journal on hand, ready to write on the go. Someplace quiet and alone, like the desk in your room or a corner of your house that no one checks. And smart choice would be to keep your journal on your smartphone. Since these types of writing and journals don’t really follow a pattern. So feel free to do it however you want. You can even do doodling if you feel like so.
In 2019, Cambridge University Press published a finding on a research study. Which involved a group of people who were tasked with expressive writing for 15-20 minutes every day. The result claimed that shy people showed better physical and mental health indexes than those who wrote on neutral topics. This shows that writing 20 minutes every day can help your mental health., Teaching you how to be in the moment and understand your feelings.
One of the most important that you need to keep in mind is, that you don’t have to or need to share what you wrote with anyone. However, you can show some parts to the family members and friends that you trust the most and know they will understand.
Dr. Mark Rowe MD, who is renowned in the field of lifestyle medicine, claims that writing every day is one of the common habits of successful people. They use writing to record their successes and failures, and to learn from them. To rant out emotional toxicity and understand difficult emotions and the cause behind them. And to explore their future goals, possible obstacles, and feelings/emotions that might stop them from achieving them.
The bottom line is that Creative writing or journal keeping is an excellent way to improve your mental health and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. Turn it into a habit and find more about yourself. But of course, just like all medicine, it should be done regularly. Just take quite 20 minutes away from the world in your corner or space and start writing. Being mindful can help reduce anxiety and calm down your emotions and thoughts. And who knows maybe you just might come up with the next bestseller.
My own experience
When I first started writing, it was due to being really bad at studying and the rest of the problems which come along with it. But that was also the time when I picked up writing stories and believe me when I say this, I was hooked. Writing about characters and scenarios but everything so much better than I had I almost wanted to go in the worlds I had created on paper.
And who knew that Storytelling and creative writing would be my saving grace. As par personality, I started writing on MS. Word and along with Grammarly, I started to improve my English. Eventually, after six years of constant struggle with life and content writing, against my parent’s disappointment. I was able to land a job as a content writer, which made those six of misery and struggle worth it, just to get my dream job.
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