Writing
Writing is a lot like art in that it can be used as formal therapy by professionals or something you do on your own. Also like art, there are many different types of writing that can be beneficial.
Writing As Therapy
Like art, any type of writing can be therapeutic. However, some types of writing have been identified as being more beneficial. These include journaling, narrative writing, stream of consciousness writing, poetry, and fiction.
Journaling
Journaling is the act of writing out what happened to you during that day or another time period. There are no rules regarding the “right” way to keep a journal. Journaling can range from unstructured stream-of-consciousness writing to highly structured, with entries fitting a specific template. Journals generally contain your thoughts, feelings, and commentary on what you’ve experienced.
Keeping a journal is especially helpful for processing how you are feeling or how something that happened that day made you feel. It can also be used to track information over time, such as triggers, daily mood ratings, or minutes exercised. There are many ways to journal, including blank notebooks, pre-printed journals, or even apps. While journals are typically private, some people find benefit in keeping a public journal on a blog.
Narrative Writing
Narrative writing is similar to journaling, in that you are writing about your own thoughts, feelings, and experiences. However, narrative writing typically focuses on one event or a series of connected events. For example, a narrative might cover the birth of a child, or starting a new job. Narrative writing for mental health usually involves writing about a traumatic or stressful experience starting from the beginning and including the words and actions of other people involved.
When using narrative writing you don’t need to write about the entire event at once. Similar to journaling, you can spread the narrative out over multiple 15-20 minute sessions.
Fiction
Fiction is writing about events and/or people that were created for the story. Writing fiction offers an alternative avenue for people to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Some people find journaling or narrative writing difficult because it focuses directly on the traumatic or stressful event. Writing fiction can allow you to explore the same topics with a degree of distance.
Reading fiction has also been found to be beneficial for mental health. Reading is a form of escapism and can be relaxing. Additionally, reading about events or characters you identify with can help you process your own experiences and give you new ways to communicate about those experiences.
Explanatory/Educational
Explanatory writing involves creating something that is informative or educational. This blog post is an example of explanatory writing. Explanatory writing usually involves researching the topic and then transforming your knowledge into something beneficial to your audience. Writing explanatory or educational pieces can help you learn about a topic and develop a deeper understanding of it. In mental health, this type of writing is often used as a form of advocacy or to combat stigma.
Other Options
Poetry is another common avenue through which people explore their emotions and things that have happened to them. Poetry often involves following a specific format, structure, or pattern while writing. Some people find it less restricting than fiction, as they do not have to include a plot, characters, or other details.
Playwriting/Screenwriting is another option through which people can explore real-life feelings and events through a fictionalized lens. We know of a couple examples of people writing and performing plays relating to first responder mental health.
Art Therapy vs Therapeutic Art
One thing about discussing art in the mental health context that can be confusing is the difference between Art Therapy, a formal therapeutic process that involves a licensed professional. And art as therapy, or therapeutic art. Most of this information is related to therapeutic art you can do at home or on your own without a professional involved.
Art Therapy combines creating art with the therapeutic process. Using art during therapy can help people express themselves without words and can help you isolate and process difficult emotions while in a controlled environment with a professional. Both Canada and the USA have licensed art therapists and each country has a licensed provider search you can use to find an art therapist near you.
Final Thoughts
Writing is an extremely powerful tool for mental health. If we can’t identify the emotions we are feeling or patterns we are engaging in, it can make mental health recovery more difficult. Writing is an excellent way to achieve those and other mental health goals.
Helpful Links and Sources
