Writing is one of the most therapeutic forms of therapy around as it uses the act of releasing your thoughts and feelings by writing them down on paper.
It’s often difficult to express your emotions in a conversation but being able to write them down frees you of any inhibitions as it is purely an act carried out in private.

Why use writing as a therapy?

It’s simply easy to do, you can write anywhere, jot down notes on your phone or carry a notepad with you. It’s an inexpensive form of therapy that doesn’t have any time or location limits.

There are three major ways to write about your feelings:

1. Writing whatever pops into your head usually in a short bursts of what you remember.
It will remind you of what you were feeling at that particular moment in time and allows you to re visit your emotions at the time.
2. Analysing what you’re thinking or feeling and writing it in more detail, often in point form. Once written, thought about and re read you may be inclined to close that part of your chapter and be ready to move on. Sometimes just seeing it in black and white is all the therapy you need.
3. Writing a more detailed, emotional description of what feelings you are experiencing and what transpired at the time. This requires more thought, more delving into your emotions and re living certain aspects of the event in question and ultimately analysing responses and questions. This part of writing therapy may see you visiting the pages written numerous times to make sure you have considered everything involved.

Use the five point WRITE step guide when embarking on this journey:

W – Name what you want to write about
R – Focus on it by reviewing and reflecting.
I – Introspect your thoughts and feelings .
T – Time yourself. Write for specific periods only.
E – Exit. Re read what you have written once, then leave to reflect.

Whatever you write about in whatever format can alleviate stress, help you to see situations in a different perspective and ultimately improve your well being by aiding you in the process of letting go or healing.

What are your thoughts? How has writing helped you?