By Edie Bellingham
A writer is not so much someone who has something to say as he is someone who has found a process that will bring about new things he would not have thought of if he had not started to say them.
— William Stafford, A Way of Writing
Almost everyone has encountered a moment in which they need to convey their own emotions with the help of words. Many things remain unspoken and unexpressed, hidden in our psyche’s far and dark shelves. And this dilemma is only worsening with adolescents’ mental health problems on the rise. Unfortunately, it oftentimes is dismissed as “teenage angst”. This can result in many individuals hiding their symptoms and feeling uncomfortable unburdening themselves aloud.
Although there is no infallible way to completely ‘treat’ mental health disorders, or remove the stigma that comes with it, there is a tool that helps in the healing process — this tool is expressive writing.
What is Expressive Writing?
Expressive writing helps us make sense of our thoughts and feelings. The primary goal is to express or depict personal sentiments. Journaling, poetry, and songwriting are all examples of expressive writing. But when embarking on this project, we are often fed misinformation about what it means to be “creative”. Tales about what a creative person should be like. This deceptive and damaging mentality that creativity is specific to a certain type of person can cause people to lose faith in their inherent creativity, hindering them from expressing profound parts of themselves.
However, that doesn’t mean the journey through expressive writing can’t be perplexing at times. When I first picked a pencil to unveil the emotions lingering in my mind, yearning to be expressed, I couldn’t write a single thing. My mind just… blanked! As someone who was always fond of literature, I certainly didn’t expect to struggle through such a seemingly simple task. It was through continual inquiry that I learned we often feel scared to uphold our right to freedom of expression. In our increasing hyper-critical and homogenized society, it’s no wonder that adolescents no longer write to convey all the things they wish they could say out loud. They no longer pour their hearts out through writing.
Writing expressively means acknowledging and confessing whatever feelings you may hold, good or bad. However, due to how taboo the concept of “not being okay” is, it can hinder our creative potential. And it surely doesn’t help that the prospect of completely revealing one’s inner thoughts, even just to yourself, is completely mind-numbing. When given the option between writing something personal or utterly factual, most of us would choose the latter.
Benefits of Expressive Writing
It allows you to withdraw all of your accumulated experiences from your inner world, resulting in psychological relaxation and catharsis. According to Smart Recovery, our brain is normally in a state of fast motion comprising beta waves. When we begin to think creatively, our brainwaves slow to an alpha state, like meditation, and we feel more elevated and at our optimum proficiency— in essence, as a result of intense concentration, it provides a healthy form of escape where we are just able to focus on ourselves. Practical work like writing helps console and mollify our minds! Our prefrontal cortex is also temporarily deactivated, allowing us to create without the fear of judgment or self-consciousness.
Putting thoughts onto a page also allows you to truly understand and clarify what you feel, creating a more concrete resource to grapple with. Every word is a small step away from being completely submerged in your mind’s pandemonium. It also serves as a platform to allow you to discover and evaluate what you really think or feel, enabling you to assess what is going on in your life with a little more impartiality.[1] It can help us to calm boiling waters where previously we were unable to see our reflection, eventually finding a kernel of truth about ourselves or others. Think of it as a healthy, non-invasive way of checking in with yourself and providing an outlet for self-reflection if necessary.
A Supplement, Not A Replacement
Although the methods differ, ranging from unstructured journaling to lyrical poetry, the positive outcomes are often consistent. As a result, I believe it is a treatment modality that is ready for growth. However, entirely individualized and self-administered therapy is not always the best solution for everyone, and getting in touch with therapists who are qualified to deliver accurate and relevant information is greatly recommended. While writing can be an effective coping mechanism, it is not a replacement for counseling.
Starting Off
For those who don’t feel ready to share your feelings with others, expressive writing is a great art form to learn to share them with yourself. While writing, try not to linger or think too much, for allowing free expression throughout the initial writing process typically leads to a more cathartic experience. Simply put, let the truth flow. You’re not writing for the sake of anyone else. You’re writing for the sake of just writing and to finally express yourself! It is also okay to take a little pause if you’re feeling overwhelmed while writing, as the goal is not to be forceful but to learn to go at your own pace.
An effective method in guiding you through this process is prompts. They help make writing simple and enjoyable by being straightforward. They aid in the processing of emotions and promotes healing through writing.[2]
Here is a list of a few exercises and prompts for you to try out:
RECREATION: Recreating a pre-existing writing piece through replacing the sentences with your original work. Use its base format, but keeping to the theme/message to act as a guideline.
RANKING AND WRITING: Every day, rank your mood on a scale of zero to five. Then write about what you’re feeling in a quote that you made, know, or found online. The idea is that it might help to see how different things influence your day, or just to help transform your feelings into words—so it is easier to deal with and you can finally express yourself.
WRITING POSITIVELY: Consider the brightest experience in your life, such as going sight-seeing, making a friend, a holiday celebration, etc. Try to visualize yourself in that situation, and make every effort to relive the feelings involved. Add as much clarity as you can in order to help uplift one’s mood and practice gratefulness.
FREEDOM: What is it that you are scared of and why? Explain in detail what you would do if you weren’t scared.
VENTING: Write about anything that happened in your past that makes you feel sad. Write it in a narrative structure with a focus on that emotion. OR Consider a distressing or perplexing occurrence that occurred recently in your life. Describe what happened without restricting your thoughts, as if you’re speaking to a person you will never see again.
FEELING WORRIED: Consider a potential worry or fear you have heading into the semester. Write about it in detail.
Although writing can be quite a seemingly tedious process to get into on a frequent basis, it is one that I have always cherished. I highly encourage students and teachers alike to practice this cathartic literary form to unleash all the tumultuous feelings and stressors I know we all hold inside.
And to begin, all you have to do is:
Pick up your pen and write
— Martin Luther King