Writing as a Therapy Tool

While many writers write to make a living or businesses write to share about their services or products, too many people overlook the fact that writing is a powerful tool. It is a way to express our emotions and feelings not only to others but also to ourselves. It is through writing we can conquer emotions and overcome fears. This means it is a wonderful therapy tool.

How is Writing Used as a Therapy Tool?

Mental health is as equally important as physical health but often does not get as much notice in our daily lives. Everyone is so busy that while physical ailments might be blatantly obvious, mental ailments aren’t always as obvious.

Writing is a great way to discover these issues and keep yourself on track in many ways. This is because writing allows a person to express themselves in a way that verbal words often escape us.

Below are some ways writing helps your mental health.

• Prioritize your feelings
• Recognize your fears
• Realize nagging concerns
• Allows for open, honest thoughts

What are Some Ways to Utilize Writing as a Therapy Tool?

One of the best, and most common, ways to utilize writing as a therapy tool is by journaling. You can either go old school with a pen and paper journal or go digital and keep one on your computer or online. If you go digital, then Google docs is a great platform to utilize. Google docs are free, and you can access them anywhere from your phone, tablet, or computer. This means you can write on the go as thoughts pop into your head.

A great thing about journaling is it is private unless you choose to share it with someone. This means it is a no judgment zone and you are free to write all your raw thoughts. Plus, for those difficult feelings sometimes it is easier to write those down before verbalizing it to ourselves or others.

Journaling also allows you to get those thoughts down and escape, at least momentarily, from your own heads. Honestly, who doesn’t need that as a mental health check in today’s fast-paced, digital world?

Experiencing Writer’s Block or Unsure How to Start Journaling?

If you are stuck on ways to utilize writing as a mental health tool or unsure how to journal, please feel free to reach out to me at suzy@suzyfielders.com. For those that don’t know, in addition to my communications degrees I also have a degree in psychology. I’m always happy to help anyone struggling to express their emotions and feelings through the power of words.