5 Mental Health Benefits of Writing
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. At Blackwing, we believe that taking time to slow down and unplug from our fast-paced digital lives is beneficial to not just your mental health but can also improve your overall well-being. Simple habits like setting aside 10 to 15 minutes a day to write can lead to long-term mental benefits. Here are 5 ways adding writing or journaling to your daily routine can positively impact your mental health:
1. Writing helps you reduce stress and manage anxiety.
Writing and journaling allow you to process your feelings and place your thoughts down on paper. Stress often comes in situations that feel out of your personal control and taking time to write about these stress indicators can help alleviate the anxiety associated with them. Research studies have found that spending 10 to 15 minutes a day writing can lead to a decrease in mental discomfort and provide a boost to your overall mental well-being.
2. Journaling encourages self-awareness and problem-solving.
Developing a journaling practice allows you to put your thoughts and feelings into words. If a certain problem or issue arises, writing about it can help identify what needs to be solved or improved in an intentional capacity. In addition, regular journaling can help you keep track of any changes or chart your improvement over time. Going back and rereading a previous journal entry can also help you gauge the progress that you’ve made.
3. It can lift your mood and promote overall wellness.
Creating a daily journaling routine is a healthy habit. Along with using it as an outlet for self-reflection, journaling can be a helpful tool for inspiration, motivation, and goal-setting.
4. Writing can help you express yourself.
Writing things down on paper may allow you to have new perspectives or observations about things that may be on your mind. Communicating with yourself through this process can help you understand your own thoughts better. Using words, metaphors, and imagery may also help you convey or pinpoint a certain emotion in different ways.
5. It opens up your creativity.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to creative writing. Exercising your creativity and exploring your imagination positively stimulates your brain. Working on a short story, poem, observation, or novel also provides a constructive outlet to process thoughts, ideals, beliefs and emotions.