How to write your mental health
New research shows how writing improves your sense of self-consciousness.
Ernest Hemingway stated that writers should"Write hard and clear on what hurts". Although Hemingway may not have known at the time, research has now shown that writing on "what hurts" can helpImprove our mental health.
There is more than200 studies which show the positive effect of writing on mental health. But while theThe psychological benefits are consistent For many people, researchers do not completely agree on the reason and how writing helps.
A theory suggests that the bottling of emotions can lead toThe psychological distress. It is therefore appropriate for this reason that writing could increase mental health because it offers a safe, confidential and free way to disclose emotions that werepreviously bottled.
However, recent studies have begun to show how an increase inself-awareness, rather than simply disclosing emotions, could be the key to these improvements in mental health.
Essentially, self-awareness is to be able to transform yourAttention to the inside to the self. By turning our attention inwards, we can become more aware of our features, behaviors, feelings, beliefs, values and motivations.
The research suggests that becoming more conscious can be beneficial in different ways. It can increase ourconfidence and we encourage us to be moreaccept others. This can lead to highersatisfaction at work and push us to becomeMore effective leaders. It can also help us withExercise more self-control and dobest decisions aligned with our long-term goals.
Self-awareness is a spectrum and, with practice, we can all improve. Writing could be particularly useful for increasing self-awareness because it can bepracticed every day.Relay our writing Can also give us a deeper overview in our thoughts, our feelings, our behaviors and our beliefs.
Here are three types of writing that can improve your self-awareness and, in turn, your mental health:
Expressive writing
Expressive writing is often used inTherapeutic parameters Where people are invited to write about their thoughts and feelings related to an event of stressful life. This type of writing aims to help treat emotionallysomething difficult.
Research shows that expressive writing canImprove self-consciousness, finally diminishedDepressive symptoms,Anxious thoughts andperceived stress.
Reflective writing
Reflective writing is regularly used in professional contexts, often as a way to help nurses, doctors, teachers, psychologists and social workers becomeMore efficient in their work. Reflective writing aims to give people a way to assess their beliefs and actions explicitly for learning and development.
Reflected written Requires a person to ask questions and to be continuous, curious and analytical. It canIncrease self-consciousness By helping people learn from their experiences and interactions. This can improve business and personal relationships as well as work performance, which are key indicators ofgood mental health.
Creative writing
The poems, short stories, novella and novels are all considered for forms of creative writing. Usually, creative writing uses the imagination as well as, or instead of memory, and uses literary devices such as images and metaphor to transmit the meaning.
Scripture creatively offers a unique way to explore thoughts, feelings, ideas and beliefs. For example, you can write a science fiction novel that represents your concerns about climate change or a history of children talking to your beliefs about friendship. You can even write a poem from the point of view of a owl as a way to represent your insomnia.
Write creatively on difficult experiments,sorrow, can also offer a way to communicate with others something you feel is too complicated or difficult to say directly.
Creative writing encourages people to choose their words, their metaphors and images so as to capture what they are trying to transmit. This creative decision-making can lead toIncreased awareness of self and self-esteem as good asImprovement of mental health.
Write for self-consciousness
Self-consciousness is a key component forgood mental health And writing is a great place to start.
Why not take time to write your feelings about a particularly stressful event that happened during the pandemic? Or think about a difficult work situation in the last year and consider what you have learned from it?
If you prefer to do something more creative, try to answer this prompt by writing a poem or a story:
Think about how your home reveals when we are currently. Is your pantry packed with flour? Do you have new items or pets in your home to avoid loneliness or boredom? What can you see from your window that reveals something about this historic moment?
Each of these writing guests will give you a chance to think that last year, to ask you important questions and make creative choices. Spend only 15 minutes of doing this can give you the opportunity to become more sensitive - which could lead to improvements in your mental health.
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