There have been studies that claim writing is a good way to heal from traumatic or emotional issues. As a writer, I can attest that there are some healing properties when it comes to writing, particularly for fiction. However, during the past several months, I’ve discovered that journaling can be beneficial too.
For a long time, when people asked me why I wrote fiction—horror in particular—my response would be, “Because mangling or killing someone on the page is more acceptable than doing it in real life.” There’s some truth to this statement. Not that I would ever really mangle or kill anyone in real life, but writing about these things is a good way to vent frustrations and work through stress.
For the past several months, I’ve been going through some emotional difficulties. During that time, it has been incredibly hard for me to find the desire or time to write fiction. I would sit down and try, only to find the words wouldn’t come or that the act was incredibly exhausting. So I backed off. I put all of my work aside and focused on other things. But this focusing on other things didn’t make me feel better. In reality, doing a lot of things didn’t make me feel better. If things were going to change, I had to change them.
When I was a kid, I used to keep journals/a diary of my daily activities. I wrote my hopes and dreams down in there, as well as long ramblings about nonsense (of course, at the time, I thought it was incredibly important information). While working through some of my anxiety issues, one of the things that was suggested was to write down thoughts, fears, and other things to get to the root of a problem. I decided to give it a try.
I still have a long road ahead of me, but the process does seem to help. When it comes to emotional issues, I think I express my ideas better by writing them down because when I say them out loud, I police myself. I withhold information that I’m afraid others will use to judge me or make me feel like a bad person. When I write, I don’t have to censor myself or my ideas because I don’t have to share that information with anyone. It’s strictly for me and about me. I don’t have to hide. That is incredibly empowering.
One of the things I really enjoy about writing in all its forms is that it allows me to explore things I wouldn’t normally explore. When it comes to fiction, those are places and situations that I will probably never find myself in. For journaling, it’s the inner recesses of my mind. In both cases, I learn more about myself and how I would or do handle certain situations. It’s incredibly eye opening and freeing.
Since I’ve been journaling, I’ve rediscovered my passion for fiction writing. I don’t feel as exhausted or lost for words when I sit down to write about my characters’ adventures, and it feels really, really good to write stories. Writing has made me feel better.
