Pen down your stories
One theory on the development of language postulates that it is formed through stories about members of hunter-gatherer bands- modern day gossiping in today’s terms. From the initial stories about what our ancestors were doing, these stories went on to become narratives of every experience an individual had. As vocabulary built, more stories could be shared. The mind makes sense of the world through stories, organising and remembering events in a coherent manner. Constructing stories gives one a degree of predictability and control over their lives. The structure of a narrative allows for the thoughts to separate from feelings and manage the emotional effects. Most psychological therapy has been based on the idea of displacing this story construction from our minds to a form of verbal disclosure between the client and therapist, often written down by the therapist. However, not everyone has a trusting therapy relationship and therefore, disclosure through writing can aid emotional catharsis and relaxation.
Benefits of writing
Constructing stories is a natural human process, developed in childhood and crucial in fostering a coherent emotional life. The mastery of such a skill could have profound consequences for one’s ability to deal with stress and trauma in life.
Confronting stressful events: Who really has the time to reflect and deal with problems in their own head, let alone start writing journals about it? Though shopping, spending time with loved ones and vacations seem to be a reliable resolution to stress, it’s crucial we stop avoiding the problems. Most people grapple with free-floating anxiety at some point in their life that sucks their energy and builds stress. Clinical Psychologist, Jordan Peterson, comments, “Through written reflection, you may realise that a certain unpleasant feeling ties back to, say, a difficult interaction with your mother. That type of insight, research has shown, can help locate, ground and ultimately resolve the emotion and the associated stress”. Putting down a coherent narrative about a troubling experience, can facilitate a sense of resolution and result in less rumination in the mind.
Less doctor visits: In a study, two groups of individuals were assigned to write (one about a stressful occurrence and one, a trivial topic) for a number of weeks. They were simultaneously assessed for certain health related variables. Individuals writing about stressful occurrences reported improvements in general physical health — greater long term psychological health, less number of consultations with physicians and improved immune function.
Goal-oriented thinking: By writing down key experiences in life, one is able to draw causal conclusions and reduce uncertainty. A popular form of writing today, is penning down goals for the day, the month, the year. Research has highlighted that forming and pursuing goals after a stressful event is a valuable tool in coping and recovery. It’s the failure to do so, that usually leads to hopelessness and low motivation. A number of researchers have found a positive link between formulating plans of actions with specific goals, with an improvement in positive emotion and reduction in threat (doubt and uncertainty).
Building the habit
1- Write everyday: If you aren’t used to writing, you’ll have to start by building the habit. Buy a notebook and pick a time of the day. Initially you can begin by 2-3 lines about your day and gradually increase as the weeks go by.
2- Carry a small notebook everywhere! You never know when life’s going to throw you a curve ball, so be prepared well in advance. Using apps on your phone will also help, but the physical act of writing is much preferred.
3- Write before you react: By writing down details of the event, your emotional reaction and thoughts on the issue, you’ll be able to formulate a more logical response and avoid heated emotional reactions you might regret.
4- Revisit your writing: At the end of a week or month, treat yourself by reflecting on your progress. Highlight events you felt you dealt with well, mark strategies you used that worked and didn’t work, and build alternative ones.
5- Break stereotypes: You don’t have to be a ‘writer to write’. It’s a basic human right and ability (for some), so use it if you’ve got it!
* The author can be contacted on Instagram @sincerelysanah