Expressive Writing Benefits and 5 Ways You Can Do It

Writing plays a vital role in our society and our daily lives. 

We write mainly to share ideas and information, express our opinions, communicate, and create. As a writing enthusiast, we are very much aware of the importance of writing as a tool and skill. 

But did you know that writing can also benefit our well-being? Have you ever heard of writing as a form of healing? 

If not, then stick with this blog, and I will guide you through it. 

Suppressing emotions

In life, we encounter challenges, traumatic experiences, and stressful or depressive events. 

As humans, this is inevitable, but not everyone knows how to deal with them. Some of us are not vocal with our personal experiences, particularly negative ones.

However, hiding our emotions and distress can negatively affect our body and mind. 

If you are suffering from internal upheaval, stress, or something that has bothered you lately, then expressive writing might help you with it.

Expressive writing and its benefits

Expressive writing, also known as emotional disclosure, focuses on putting raw and unfiltered feelings and thoughts on paper without worrying about grammar, punctuation, and spelling. 

The main goal of expressive writing is to release private circumstances, deep-rooted emotions, or negative experiences that hold you back. 

Unlike the usual communicative writing, expressive writing is something personal and informal. It’s free-flowing, so you don’t need to follow any style.

In 1997, a famous article titled “Writing about Emotional Experiences as a Therapeutic Process” was published by James Pennebaker. 

It is a compilation of various studies conducted on how expressive writing affects our health. 

According to the article, these are the benefits of expressive writing: 

• Enhance your immune system.
• Lower your heart rate. 
• Improve your mood.
• Reduce stress and anxiety.
• Spark behavioral changes (i.e., improvement in grades and lesser alcohol intake.) 

They used a standard technique called Pennebaker Paradigm for the study. 

Participants were asked to write about assigned topics for three to five consecutive days, 15 to 30 minutes a day. The topics vary, but they revolve around significant internal issues affecting the participants’ lives. 

But since expressive writing is something personal, I want to encourage you to explore and try other ways to do this exercise.

To help you start, here are five ways you can utilize expressive writing in your life: 

5 Ways You Can Do It

1. Journal writing

This approach is my favorite way of releasing my emotions and inner tensions. It has been my go-to whenever something happens that I couldn’t share with my friends. 

All you need is a pen and a notebook dedicated solely to journaling. To be more consistent, decide how much time and how often you are going to write. Fifteen minutes is the ideal time, but you could go more or less. It is also better to journal daily. 

After writing, I would like you to read and reflect on what you have written. When you do this, you become more aware of what’s in your mind, and you might come up with solutions or realizations. 

If you don’t like traditional journal writing, there are applications that you can use, such as Penzu and Day One. 

2. Morning pages

Morning pages, also known as stream of consciousness writing, aim to clear your mind, process your sentiments, and provoke creativity by dumping any thoughts out of your head and onto the paper. 

Julia Cameron has popularized this idea in her book “The Artist’s Way.” It is called morning pages because it is done in the morning, and you need to write three pages of everything that is crossing your mind. 

You don’t need to worry whether your thoughts are just a series of words, whether they make sense or are repetitive. Just keep on writing and don’t stop to think or judge your work. 

3. Letter writing

Letter writing is therapeutic and freeing. It is more formal than the first two, but it can still be considered expressive writing because it is intimate. 

Maybe there’s something that you want to say to someone, but you haven’t gathered the courage to talk to them directly. Letter writing will be an excellent way to deal with this kind of situation. 

What I like about letter writing is that it gives you enough freedom to do what you want. You can write a letter of forgiveness, gratitude, or confession. You have the option to send, keep, or burn the message afterward. The letter can also be addressed to your past or future self, not only to other people. 

Grab your pen and a clean sheet of paper today, and write something to someone. You might be surprised how good it will make you feel after writing. 

4. Personal narrative

Crafting a story based on real-life experiences might take some time and effort, but it is a great way to deal with your distress and past traumas. 

Storytelling is also an excellent way to connect with others. Chances are, some people are fighting the same battle as you do. Not only do you write for your healing, but if you choose to share it publicly, you can also offer comfort to others. 

Start by outlining your story. Think of a life experience that created a significant impact on you. You can also opt for filling out the main components of a story, which are the characters, setting, plot, conflict, and resolution. 

Let your words, ideas, and feelings flow. Refrain from editing too much, especially if you haven’t finished writing the story yet. Also, the length of the story depends on you; no need to write a long one if you feel like a short story will do. 

5. Gratitude writing

Who says expressive writing is only about negative experiences? You can also jot down the positive ones. 

I want to share two different ways to practice gratitude writing. 

First, list down three things, no matter how big, or small they are, that you are thankful for every day. It would be best if you do not repeat what you have already written down. This way, you will be motivated to find or even create something that you are grateful for. 

Second, you can use prompts. Prompts are like topics or words that will give you an idea of where to start. For example, you can write about the person you want to say thank you to or a moment in your life that you consider a blessing. 

That’s All!

Instead of suppressing your feelings or thoughts, connect and reflect on them. It’s time to prioritize your mental and physical health. 

It is crucial to write not only to communicate with other people but also to build a deeper connection with your inner self. 

Since you might write more about internal issues, strong negative feelings may arise. It won’t be easy, specifically at first. Always remember to show love and compassion and refrain from being hard on yourself. 

You can try combining two or three of the things listed above. Try journaling and personal narratives or morning pages and gratitude writing. You might even discover another unique way to do it. 

Again, expressive writing is something personal and informal. It’s all about you, your feelings, ideas, and experiences. Focus on yourself, be honest, and free your sentiments on paper. 

The possibilities with expressive writing are endless. So don’t be scared to explore, experiment, and find what works best for you. 

If you know another technique to do expressive writing, feel free to share it down below.

Do you feel that starting expressive writing is daunting or hard? We can help! Join our Write to Express: 7-Day Journal Writing for Self Discovery, where we will guide you in making journaling a part of your life so you can reap the benefits of it. 

References

Oppong, T. (2020, January 28). Suppressing your emotions can be incredibly bad for your health. Retrieved June 28, 2020, from https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/suppressing-your-emotions-can-be-incredibly-bad-for-your-health

Ackerman, C. E. (2020, May 19). Writing Therapy: Using A Pen and Paper to Enhance Personal Growth. Retrieved June 28, 2020, from https://positivepsychology.com/writing-therapy/

Chatenever, C. (2020, May 13). The Write Stuff – 5 Ways to Practice Expressive Writing. Retrieved June 28, 2020, from https://www.jcmh.org/expressive-writing/

Class, M. (2019, December 09). Journaling Techniques: 12 Tips for Writing Morning Pages – 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020, from https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-morning-journal-pages

Lacaille, L., Patino-Fernandez, A. M., Monaco, J., Ding, D., Sweeney, C. R., Butler, C. D., . . . Söderback, I. (2013). Expressive Writing and Health. Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine, 735-741. doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_1225

Evans, J. F. (2012, August 15). Expressive Writing. Retrieved June 28, 2020, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/write-yourself-well/201208/expressive-writing

Pennebaker, J. (1997). Writing about Emotional Experiences as a Therapeutic Process. Psychological Science, 8(3), 162-166. Retrieved June 27, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/40063169