Keeping a journal can be a way to describe what you are feeling, which not only allows others to understand where you are at, but also lets you work through your personal pain. Writing also has health benefits, both physical and mental. If you are dealing with loss and can’t find a form of expression, then maybe you should try to write. You can write for your eyes only, share your work with a writing group, or possibly publish your creations. Therapeutic and artistic, writing can do wonders for your state of mind.
So how does writing help? Ultimately, writing is a way to fully understand the emotions that stir inside of you. During your grief you may not even understand what it is that you are feeling. Through writing things out you can explore those feelings and get in touch with emotions that are otherwise hidden. The benefits of writing begin with reconnecting to what your grief has taken away. To begin your journey of self-expression, start out with something that has directly affected you. This is a prompt that helps you begin to delve into the feelings of loss and recovery.
The key to positive writing and journaling is being honest with yourself and within your stories. If you want to start by writing something fictitious, create characters and tell your story through theirs. Continue writing for twenty minutes at a time, so that you allow emotions to come out, and for your writing to bring you to a place that is hidden away by grief.
Writing has been proven to change brainwave patterns, improve skin conductance levels, significantly drop your blood pressure and heart rate, and even help the immune system. Physical and emotional improvements are what writing things out can offer you, so both your inner and outer being will receive benefits. Meanwhile, your are gaining control over your life and self-confidence. Writing is a form of survival; it is the way to deal with emotions that may bog you down.
When you write you clear a path towards freedom and self-expression that may not have been there before. When you write you work through your grief and understand it. When you write you share with yourself some things that you would not have, otherwise. You will be surprised by the depth and creativity within you, and how it will help you to be strong and centered in your life.
