How Writing Can Be Therapeutic for You

In this day and age, the number of times an individual has an unexplained emotional breakdown will surprise you. Our ways of dealing with emotional stress vary. Some of us use communication, anger, therapists, etc. And some of us channel all our emotional baggage into creative ways of expression i.e., extra-curricular activities.

Over the years, I've found writing to be a very therapeutic way to deal with any emotional distress that appeared on my way. 

You make the rules

Sometimes in life, what stresses us out the most is the feeling of losing control. When we feel like we can't control the things in our lives it can make us feel rather helpless. When writing, we are in total control of everything we create. We can create worlds with characters that will live the way we want, and will face the problems we want head on. The sense of control we get is something that can help make us feel better at times.

A blank paper can be your best friend

Sometimes all you need is for someone to hear you out, to be able to pour out your feelings to. You need to talk to someone who doesn't offer any advice or doesn't have an opinion. You need to just get some things off your chest. Enter, writing. Grab some pens and paper and write out everything you're feeling. I promise you that no one can be a better listener than a blank piece of paper waiting to be filled.

Rewrite your fate

You get to create characters, modelling them after the person you want to be, or modelling their lives to be like yours. But here, you get to choose the ending. You get to decide what your character will be like, smite their flaws, or give them traits you've always wanted. Then, give them the ending you want. In the end, you may end up learning more from the character you created than you intended.

I'll be there for you

Being human, you tend to have emotional outbursts when you've been carrying out a lot of stress for too long. Sometimes we are unable to contain our emotions and feel an outburst coming. Sometimes a person isn't available to help sort out these problems. But a paper is accessible all the time. The second you feel an outburst coming, you can turn to your paper and write it all out before you let your emotions get the best of you.

Syeda Erum Noor is dangerously oblivious and has no sense of time. Send help at erum.noor1998@gmail.com