Is Writing Therapeutic?

Spoiler: It is for me, and here’s why.

It’s the end of a long day. It was beyond stressful. More so than you could’ve imagined at the start.

Perhaps this is a theme for your weekdays. I know I’ve been there at times. You end one day to tackle the next, feeling as though nothing can abate the stressful feeling. At least no other than working through what it is you must get done.

Sometimes, that’s honestly the best approach.

In this article, I’ll talk about struggles I’ve faced and how I believe writing can prove helpful along the way with life’s stressors.

Where did it begin?

First Job

Thinking back to my first internship, I remember the long days, consisting of data entry and deep thinking, leaving me feeling as though I needed to decompress after each long workday.

At the time, I was honestly thankful for the 30-minute long commute as it was an ideal amount of time to decompress.

I remember the feeling, which was a new concept to me — that right after finishing the workday, I didn’t want to talk…to anyone at all. I just wanted to decompress.

At that point in my life, I hadn’t yet discovered writing and the associated benefits of getting your thoughts into some medium (no pun intended). I instead defaulted to the methods I found helpful at the time.

Leaning on Others

Talk about having a negative impact on those individuals close to you. I remember feeling distant from those around me as I let time run its course in de-stressing my current feelings after each workday.

I recall specifically telling those around me:

“Hey, can I give you a call back in a bit? I don’t currently feel like talking.”

Reflecting on this, it was likely okay to talk with others during these times in smaller increments, discussing both the positive and negative aspects of my day and venting as necessary; however, I can also see how it could’ve been negatively impacting.

When you rely too heavily on those around you to solve your problems, it can be unhealthy.

In other words, by having conversations with those around me before letting my body decompress, I was taking a bit of their energy, time, and effort in support of mine, which as you might imagine could prove unhelpful over time.

Using Distractions

Another method was by doing something distracting, such as watching Netflix or Hulu (this was before the plethora of shorter-form content that circulates social media today). By getting my mind off the workday and settling into the evening, I was able to slowly but surely distract myself from the stressors of the day, letting go until the morrow.

However, when you choose to distract and not solve, this can leave stones unturned, resulting in built-up emotion that was not positively handled. This leads me to where I am today and the progress I’ve made, largely due to writing.

Where am I now?

For one, today I am more used to the feeling than I once was when I was a beginner. Second, I’ve discovered ways that contribute towards positive change.

By writing your thoughts out on the page, whether by pen and paper or electronically (as I am currently doing here), using writing as a means to distill your thoughts can prove key to unlocking your true potential.

Putting everything on the table so to speak; that is, putting both the positives and negatives out on a page and taking time to think deeply through your thoughts, you allow yourself the time and place to think positively.

In a world of negativity constantly surrounding you, if you choose to suppress and conceal your negative thoughts and emotions, you prohibit the rephrasing of negatives to positives.

I’ve found writing to be a helpful way to discover ideas and perspectives that might not be apparent if I only listened and didn’t address my inner negative voice.

Conclusion

In this article, I discussed the negative emotions and feelings stress from your day can cause, which can leave you feeling discouraged and hopeless in your daily pursuits. This can leave you to resort to whatever is easiest to make the bad feelings go away.

However, the short-term and easy solution is not always the best. I then discussed the positives I’ve discovered by writing and distilling my thoughts on the page time and time again. I believe the above tips can be helpful in your endeavors as you try and search for purpose in your life.

I work as an IT auditor and my goal is to provide valuable insight based on my work and life experiences. If you enjoyed the content above, consider subscribing here.