When Panic Overcomes, I Write

On different forms of writing therapy to help your mental health.

Writing therapy is real.

The pen and paper have long been my therapist. I couldn’t tell you when I began pouring my thoughts and feelings onto paper, but I was young. I may have had a couple diaries, but mostly I would write songs and stories.

Creative writing was an outlet for me as a child, and one I desperately needed.

Most of my writing now happens on my laptop, but I use journals still, too. My most painful struggles and the intimate details of them never get published. However, the initial writing helps me to work through the pain, process my feelings, and find a way to move forward.

Once that process happens, I can move on and write in a more abstract way about what I’m struggling with in the hope of helping others. I don’t always do this, but often have.

I had several years when I didn’t write as much as I do now. I won’t allow time to pass like it did before without me engaging in regular writing. My mental health is far better with regular writing therapy sessions.

Different forms of writing therapy can help you, too. Try these out:

• Big and Ugly: some days my writing is big and ugly and gets ripped up and tossed out once I’m finished scribbling an outpouring of the thoughts driving me mad while racing through my mind. I always feel better after one of those quick writing sessions. It’s random, doesn’t need to make sense, and brings such relief to my overactive mind.
• Attitude of Gratitude Check: I’ve written gratitude challenges online a few times and I also keep a gratitude journal. This kind of writing helps frame my days in a positive way by keeping me on the look out for the good in my life. Gratitude alone has a huge positive impact on my mental well-being. Writing out gratitude is an extra reinforcement.
• Grounding: when anxiety is closing in on me, making me feel trapped and unable to move forward in my day, if I can remember to sit down and begin writing about what has me panicking, I will begin to feel better. Writing out my fears helps me calm down, process, and grounds me. This writing may or may not become something published, but either way, it is one way I manage anxiety.
• Prayer and Meditation: I keep a prayer journal. I don’t write in it often, but it’s there when I need it. A lot of writing is a prayerful act for me anyway.
• Creative Writing: I write poetry, fiction, humor, and photo essays often. Fun, creative writing is a great way to feel and stay positive. It's a way to preserve memories, express yourself, and enjoy something you love. It’s easy to dismiss creative writing as not necessary, but it truly, truly is.
• To Remember and Understand Life: Processing pain on paper (or screen) can help in many ways. Sharing pieces that express universal human experiences help others know they are not alone. Some of my writing attempts to do this and lets me know I am not alone. That is a huge benefit of writing and worth many therapy sessions.

We heal ourselves, then we can help others.

Honest, vulnerable writing is a must, even if it isn’t all shared with the public. From that place of vulnerability we find the path to share what we’ve learned to people heading the same way we are.

Many writers will have readers tell them how significant their work is to them and how much they’ve been helped by it. I think most writers would agree with me when I say writing therapy helps us first and foremost. It is an extra gift to be able to help others, too.