Writing is My Therapy

When I was in grade school, writing was my least favorite subject; I always did well on exams and received good grades. But when it came to essays and papers, I struggled a lot. I would spend hours trying to figure out what to write about and how to put together the best argument possible. And then there were times when I felt like nothing was making any sense or coming together well enough for me—and then I would just give up completely.

I thought that my struggles with writing were a part of my personality—that maybe I wasn't meant to be a writer. But then one day, something changed: I found myself at a crossroad in life where every decision seemed too big, too important, and too overwhelming. But then one day, in the middle of a particularly bad spell where I was really struggling with everything that was going on in my life, something happened: I realized that writing wasn't just helping me get through the day—it was helping me to see things differently.

Instead of dealing with them all at once, I chose instead to start writing about them—one by one as they came along! And right away, everything started making sense again! It wasn't just that writing helped me think through problems more clearly; it's also that it helped me see the bigger picture.

My perspective started changing when I started writing every day. Suddenly, things were clearer than they had been in weeks and before long it became clear that writing wasn't just something that made me feel good or helped me cope with all the crazy stuff going on in my life. It actually made me better at living! Writing helps me see things more clearly because it forces me to think through my problems step by step instead of just getting overwhelmed by them all at once— and when you do that, you can actually start to make sense of them.

I know I'm not alone when I say that life gets really hard sometimes. But when everything seems like too much and nothing makes sense, writing can be an amazing way to get some clarity on what's going on in your life.

Indeed, writing is my therapy. It's how I process the world, including the parts of it that make me feel broken or sad.

I have a lot of feelings, and sometimes I forget to process them in a way that's healthy for me and for those around me. I don't always know how to voice them in ways that are helpful or kind, so instead, I write them down—in my journal, in emails to friends, in messages on social media—and then delete them before anyone sees them. And then sometimes those words end up coming out in conversation anyway.

This isn't always a bad thing! Sometimes it's really nice to be able to say what's on my mind without worrying about hurting anyone's feelings or making someone uncomfortable. But when it happens too often, it becomes clear that there are some things we need to talk about face-to-face because they're too important not to address directly—and sometimes those conversations are hard because they're so honest and raw and real.

When we talk about things that matter most with people who care about us most (especially when we're already having an emotional day), writing down our thoughts can help us cope.

It can also give us a sense of clarity and calm that's sometimes hard to achieve while we're in the throes of emotion, especially if those emotions are conflicting or confusing.

But sometimes, even after you've written all your feelings out on paper, you still need to talk about them—especially if they're complicated or messy. Talking it through with someone else can help you make sense of them, but it also allows you to see yourself from another perspective, which can make a huge difference in how you feel about yourself and your life.