Lorene M.

Writing: The Free Therapy

Do you think about writing in a cathartic way? If you feel better after you write something, then you need to read this!

After thousands of broken pencils and tons of journals, I can say I have some experience with writing (but I learned nothing because I kept buying pencils instead of pens).

So far, I mostly did it for me (I did some ghost writings as well) and I realized that I always feel better after I get the thoughts out of my mind and I put them on paper. Therefore, I thought I shouldn’t be so selfish and share my thoughts with you. But not because my thoughts are great, but because they are.

You know, a single phrase can change someone’s life. My life changed with the phrase: “You only have one life! When it comes to an end, how prepared are you to f*****’ excuse yourself in front of you because you didn’t have the life you wished for and that you’ve let every little dragon dictate your life?” (this is from a book I don’t really remember the name right now).

When I read this, I honestly freaked out because the answer is not at all! I’m not prepared for my life to end (I’m only 29 y/o). So now I’m trying stuff I think it will help me fulfill my life. After all, a long empty life has no use for anybody.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Writing is something that emptied my soul of s****y stuff and fulfilled my life with imaginary experiences. But… are they really imaginary if I kinda felt them? When your soul is in pain because of some nasty thoughts, is that pain imaginary if you feel it? Do you feel like a crazy person because you are in pain for something it doesn’t exist? Well, write those monsters down! Write them down and they become real, but they become real outside of you! That’s the important part! That’s why writing is cathartic! Your thoughts come to life and they won’t bother you anymore for a while because they are not inside of you anymore!

Oh, and by the way, do you make to-do lists? If not, you probably know something that does. People do that because the things they need to do are not inside of them anymore banging every corner of their mind. After making a to-do list, every thing one needs to do will wait patient in line on a piece of paper inside that person’s pocket.

So yeah, I think writing is cathartic and I encourage you to write as much as possible as often as possible! It will help you clear your mind! And share that writing with people because someone somewhere will have a better life thanks to something that person read on your blog!

Write a bunch! Save a soul!

46 comments

  3. I can personally attest to the truth of this article. I also want to add that writing is not just good for ‘getting the dragons out of your head’ but also to burn into your mind things that you want to stay there.

    Writing a to do list is not just to unburden your memory, it’s also a contract with yourself. Did you notice how much more likely you are to do something you promised yourself you’d do simply because you have written it down?

    Which is also by the way the essence and the core of the true power of things like the Bullet journal or similar methods.

    It can help create a reality but not the kind where you simply retreat as an excuse to refuse to face the world … nonono, when done well, the reality you create by writing can start to spill into your life in all sort of very good ways.

    I could do this all day, but the benefits of writing are too many too count … at least too many to simply try to summarize them in a few paragraphs.

    More than a few researchers have confirmed the many mental benefit of properly using a journal … any kind of journal: An intimate journal, a bullet journal, a dream journal, a journal to hold your thoughts, a journal to explore your past … any kind of journaling activity and writing in general comes with a whole host of benefits.

    Don’t be afraid to experiment them yourself! Writing never judge, a journal never judges! Humans do but those things I mentioned before never do … thats’ why they can make such good friends!! 🙂

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    • Awesome comment! Thank you very much for reading and for sharing these insights! I guess we are more likely to do things when we write them down because they become real, while as when they are only in our mind, they don’t seem that real and “a must” to do.

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  4. It is so true. Any form of creativity comes from self-expression, Whether you are a writer, dancer, painter or even an actor. I often say that poetry is made of words that come up from the soul. I think that is why I turn to poetry when I feel strong emotions. My first book was a story about an artist who turned to crime because he was not allowed to paint when he was young. I learned a lot researching about what happens if our creativity is blocked by external influences. This is why humanity should value the arts. Social media, self-publishing etc., is allowing so many to openly express what is felt. Receiving a like, or just a small comment from somebody that has read your work is worth more than money. It makes you smile. Happy writers, Happy world eh?

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    • Awesome! Yes, it does! I guess that destroying that letter (shredding it to pieces or burning it) afterwards can maximize the impact don’t you think?

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  7. I’ve experienced writing as therapy for as long as I can remember. It also creates connections with others. Many times I wish my parents or grandparents were still alive so I could ask them questions about their experience. Over a year ago I decided to write a daily blog post to engage my children (and any friends who wanted to eavesdrop) and to leave them a “time-stamped” record of what the old man thought about the things transpiring among us. Little did I know what a momentous year 2020 would be, and how therapeutic writing would be in a year like 2020.

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  9. Well, we certainly don’t do it for the money! Do I have ‘to do’ lists? No. Do I find writing cathartic? Sometimes. This whole self-analysis thing bothers me. A life is best reflected by the benefit it brings to to others, and if all I did was write a pretty page for some one who was dying for a hot meal I would say that was self-indulgence. That I would surely look back upon and cringe, because these writing hands are attached to arms, to a body and legs that have a useful function too.
    The view from this ‘Airy Nest’ is bleak at the moment – excessive ‘Mindfulness’ and self-obsession, and it comes through in the writing – The Writing of the Age; a grand title! But too much wealth, too much spotty obsession. Maybe our plague is come just in time, n’est pas?

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  10. This was such an amazing and relatable read! I was(and still am) using writing as a release of my inner emotions and thoughts. Honestly didn’t know I was not the only one!

    Liked by 1 person

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  13. This article is great! As a single negro middle-aged man living alone in the USA, carrying ever-increasing depression and anxiety, and now unemployed (so no money for psychotherapy), and 99% isolated due to pandemic… earlier in 2020 I had a mental breakdown and spent a day under observation at a clinic.

    Without money for therapy, It got to the point where it was either slit my wrists or write as a form of SELF-THERAPY.

    Guess which one I picked 😅

    I’ve stuck to a once-a-week schedule, and I find that I kinda look forward to writing SOMETHING. It helps in a noticeable way. I’ll keep doing it for as long as I can cope with the crushing loneliness and isolation. Wish me luck!

    And most importantly, thank you for visiting my blog, fellow self-therapy writer 🙏🏾 Sending you positive energy. Cheers!

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  15. Language is, in essence, communication. With others – but to be able to do that, you have to understand yourself, communicate with yourself. For me, writing is the search for the right, the only expression. If that succeeds, the given is, as it were, torn away from what it was riveted to. Separate from emotion. Apart from me. I can watch – neutral.

    In the film ‘Into The Wild’ there is a scene that expresses this frighteningly well. Chris McCandless writes in his diary: “To call each thing by its right name”.

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  24. You are absolutely right! I experienced this cathartic impact after the death of my parents many years ago. The poems I wrote helped me to put my pain into words. Otherwise, I think this dark mess of feelings had ruined my soul.

    By the way: Nice blog design ;-))

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  28. This is so true. Writing IS cathartic. I always feel better after I write, even when it brings out emotions. In fact, I think it’s even more true at that point. I don’t know this for sure but I would bet that exploring one’s imagination and allowing the creativity to flow releases those happy endorphins… and I think that’s why writing inspires writing. I’m always happiest when writing, and who wouldn’t want that? 😊

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