Most people think that writing can only be done by writers. This is actually not true as anyone can write when they put their mind to it. Writing can benefit us in different ways and can even be therapeutic. Writing can help you cultivate your thoughts and feelings, and more importantly, it can help us track our thoughts that can lead to great insights.
Through essay writing you can connect your mind, spirit and soul. You can use your word to create a connection between your movement in the world and your inner experiences, and also use it to practice gratitude.
There are so many things in today’s world that puts immense pressure on us. You need to have some form of release so you can avoid having a burnout, and in recent times, writing has become one of the methods people have turned to that gives them the release they need.
It might seem insignificant, but writing can be a powerful tool when used correctly.
With the above said, it should be no surprise to hear that it is often used for therapy. Writing therapy is where you use writing as a form of therapy, and it can be done through various ways including:
- Through using pen and paper. You can have a journal or diary where you jot down your thoughts and feelings on a daily basis.
- Through personal blogs where you reveal your thoughts to others.
- Through any of the anonymous blog where you share your thoughts without revealing your identity.
There are three main types of therapy writing explained in this post. These are:
Free writing
This is where you simply write what is on your mind. It is referred to as free writing since you do not censor your thoughts, it’s literally a method of pen to paper without thinking about it, and it’s a practise that therapists are likely to use as well as people who just have a lot on their mind.
It is mainly seen in people who write in journals and diaries. The writer puts down their thoughts as they occur, whether they are good or bad. If you are having trouble sharing your feelings, you can use free writing to express yourself. You can treat the diary as your confidant and share everything without thinking you will be judged.
If you are writing in a diary or journal, you can find yourself writing things as they occurred. You will write any event that you believe affected or did not affect you in any way. It is a record of your personal experiences and is usually not shared with others. You find free writing popular with teenage girls since they are more likely to keep diaries.
Pen poetry
Most people love poetry and consider it to be natural medicine. It speaks to the soul and spirit and can be used to give a deeper meaning to your thoughts. Through poems, you can express joy and sadness more clearly. However, it can also be intimidating. If you have a talent for writing poems, you can create some based on your daily experiences.
Here is a guide when it comes to writing poetry.
- Take all your childhood images and separate the positive and negative ones. Internalize the images and visualize them. If possible, replay the event and relive it in your mind to generate emotions.
- Write down the emotions you feel when you think of the image.
- Use the details above to write a poem. Focus on your senses and let them guide you as you write your poem. Show your feelings through the poem.
- You could also look at Acrostic poetry – a unique kind of poetry where you hide a secret message in your poem. You do this by ensuring that the first letter of each line or word spells out a special word or phrase. This Acrostic Poem: Your Gateway To Expression article explains exactly how to do it!
If you cannot focus for long durations, you can carry a small notebook and write down your thoughts as they come. Later on, you can combine all your mini-poems into one big poem.
Letter writing
Letters are used to communicate with other people, and although they were more popular ‘back in the day’, nothing beats the traditional pen to paper letter form.
They can also be used to express your feelings, and to keep friendships that extra special. If you find it challenging to talk to others and you need to have a release, you can consider letter writing. Here, you can write a letter to someone close to you and tell them about how you feel. You can write traditional letters or emails since technology has evolved.
Letter writing can be used to help people find closure. If you went through a traumatic experience, you can write a letter to share your feelings with someone you trust. The person can be real or imaginary. You will feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders as you can offload all those feelings. It can also be used to gain closure after experiencing a loss. Sometimes you do not have the chance to say goodbye to the people you love. However, through letter writing, you can say everything you wanted before they left.
When was the last time you turned to writing to lift your spirits and feel a little better?
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