How Writing Every Day Improved My Mental Health
“I can shake off everything as I write, my sorrow disappears, my courage is reborn.” — Anne Frank
There’s just something special about writing down your own thoughts. On one hand: you feel the relief of releasing the stress that lives inside of your brain. On the other hand: if you decide to publish your thoughts like myself, then you have the possibility of guiding others with advice, wisdom and comfort with whatever you may choose to discuss.
Writing your experiences and personal story may sound difficult or scary, Especially for those who aren’t sure of how to explain what truly goes on in their heads.
For me, writing has always had many great benefits that help control and improve my mental health every day. I believe we all have things in the back of our minds that we’d like to discuss and I can’t imagine how many people secretly have the most compelling life stories that will forever remain a mystery because they were too afraid to share.
I didn’t want to be one of those people.
Having The Courage
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” — Winston Churchill
Having the courage to tell your story is something I struggled to do for a long time. I’d often hide away secrets that were written down and even destroyed, such as old papers that privately held my troubling thoughts. I would usually fear that someone would eventually discover my notes and become worried about my wellbeing and soon I’d get rid of any evidence showing that I was in need of serious help.
My intentions of eventually speaking up and writing about mental health issues were never something to attempt scaring or worrying those who cared about me. I simply wanted people to know my story because -by getting my thoughts off my chest- it would often help me realize that my stories and experiences would only be past situations that made me a better, and much stronger human being.
After finding the courage to become open about the struggles of mental illness, I found the relief in being open and honest about depression and other mental health disorders. Today, I regret not talking about it sooner.
Not only did this help my own mental state, but it would also benefit those who could relate to my past situations. This helped me understand my purpose in writing and my purpose in life, in general.
Bottled Emotions Were Too Much
“I remained too much inside my head and ended up losing my mind”— Edgar Allan Poe
I grew up believing that explaining my own issues to others would only bring them down to my emotional level and I didn’t want to be the cause of someone else’s day being ruined by asking for a little sympathy. Everything seems easier when you keep your thoughts to yourself, when in reality, it just makes things even worse.
The greatest minds with the most potential can often be clouded by intrusive and negative thoughts. I take what I choose to write quite personally and try to fully express my emotions that were once hidden from the world but so desperately wanted to be free. I soon began to tell my stories and my knowledge of anything I’ve experienced; Physically and mentally. After discovering what writing had done to improve my mental health, I can honestly say that I’d never felt better once I finally decided to speak up.
I wish I could shout to the entire world that hiding your feelings is incredibly toxic but this might be as far as I get. Once you’ve let your inner self become open to sharing what needs to be told, you feel a thousand pounds being lifted off your shoulders. It’s something I wish that I could’ve been encouraged to do a long time ago. Only God knows what I could’ve accomplished with a stable and positive mindset just years ago.
Consistency
“Greatness is born from consistency. In doing what others aren’t willing to do.” — Gary Vaynerchuk
In order for myself to truly get better at what I do as a writer, I knew in my heart that I couldn’t quit. Failure isn’t an option and ‘laziness’ is not in my vocabulary.
Whether I was writing down: my journal entries, book ideas, blogs, social media posts, or my own quotes to keep myself motivated- There was no doubt in my mind that I had to do it every. single. day.
Writing down absolutely anything that ever came to mind was important. Whatever was written down was never not useful and it was one of the few things that kept me motivated, persistent, and hard working at all times. Why would I throw that away? I didn’t. I continued to become better at what I love to do and the more I became consistent, the more my mindset was likely to improve.
My Own Self-Care
“Self-care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what’s left of you” — Katie Reed
Writing is my own personal form of self-care. I’m able to take some time to myself and privately let my mind do its job for as long as I let it and so far, it’s worked every time.
My form of releasing my knowledge and experiences to the world is not for the purpose of seeking attention, but is about showing the world my lengthy progress of what it took for myself to evolve as a better writer and a better human being.
I believe that helping others see the bright side of a bad situation has always been the key to keeping myself happy, healthy, and overall, a better writer. I mean that’s what writers are for right? To provide a story that is worth being told to someone who could learn and evolve? At least, that’s what I believe…
I hope you’ve enjoyed my article and if you did, please follow my profile for upcoming stories.
Thanks so much for reading! Best wishes. — Logan Tucker
