Good for the soul
Freelance writer and motivation coach Laura Jonson shares why she thinks writing is so good for us...
It helps clear your mind
We’ve all sometimes felt the need to vent and speak our minds in order to get our point across. Writing can help you do that. Try and write down all of your thoughts, grievances, doubts, fantasies, and pretty much everything else that crosses your mind. Just write, without thinking about what lands on the paper. It may seem like the end result is something chaotic, but that’s not the point. The point is for you to clear your mind, so that you can go about your day without all those thoughts in the back of your head distracting you.
It helps recover memories
You will be surprised at how writing is able to bring back old memories. Start writing down those which you do remember. Before you know it, a certain word or a phrase will trigger some other memory you would never have thought of otherwise. Some of those memories won’t be pleasant, but you will be able to look at them from a distance and put them into perspective. On the other hand, happy memories will put a smile on your face, and you will remember events and people that you care about, driving you to get in touch with them again.
It puts your life events into perspective
One of the most basic examples of this is keeping a journal, but it’s not the only way of putting things into perspective. Writing fiction will also help you analyse things and look at them from a different point of view. You will be able to draw parallels between those fictional events and situations, and those which took place in your life. This will help you look at them in a more objective light.
It’s a great mental exercise
Keeping in shape doesn’t just apply to exercising your body regularly. You can do the same for your mind as well. Writing activates a number of different cognitive processes and unleashes your creativity. All of this will keep your brain sharp and active as you get older, and it can even act as a preventative measure against some mental illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.