Drs. James Pennebaker and Joshua Smyth have written a brilliant book, Opening Up by Writing it Down. The book references a plethora of research studies that conclude that writing one’s thoughts and emotions down (expressive writing or journaling) improves health (mental and physical) and eases emotional pain. It is highly recommended to read this book. The purpose of this blog is to present recommendations from the authors as how to engage in expressive writing.
When should you engage in expressive writing? Writing about:
- “traumatic experiences from the past”
- “current or recent bothersome upheavals”
- “making a life course correction (taking a life inventory)
- “stilling the mind” (when you are obsessed with something)
It is not helpful to push people to “engage in emotional processing of events that are overwhelming, are ongoing or have happened in the previous days or weeks”.
“Writing multiple times is better than writing just a single time…Between-writing breaks encourage a subtle perspective switch that a single writing session doesn’t accomplish”.
Getting ready to write:
- “Fine a time and place where you won’t be disturbed”.
- “Write for a minimum of 15 minutes a day for at least three or four consecutive days, or a fixed time and day for several weeks”.
- ” Once you begin writing, write continuously”.
Detailed writing instructions:
“Over the next four days, I want you to write about your deepest emotions and thoughts about the most upsetting experience in your life. Really let go and explore your feelings and thoughts about it. In your writing, you might tie your experience to your childhood, your relationship with your parents, people you have loved or love now, or even your career. How is this experience related to who you would like to become, who you have been in the past or who you are now?
Many people have not had a single traumatic experience, but all of us have had major conflicts or stressors in our lives, and you can write about them as well. You can write about the same issue every day or a series of different issues. Whatever you choose to write about, however, it is critical that you really let go and explore your very deepest emotions and thoughts.
Warning: Many people report that after writing, they sometimes feel somewhat sad or depressed. As with seeing a sad movie, this typically goes away in a couple of hours. If you find that you are getting extremely upset about a writing topic, simply stop writing or change topics”.
“Whatever your topic, it is critical to explore both the objective experience (i.e. what happened) and your feelings about it. Really let go and write about your very deepest emotions. What did you feel about it and why did you feel that way? How does it influence your life? Your relationships? Your goals and dreams?
“From a health perspective, you will be better off making yourself the audience”.
For a much deeper dive into the importance of getting in touch with your hidden stories and the importance of expressing them both verbally and in writing, it is recommended that you read Opening Up by Writing it Down”.