How Writing Helps Me Pen My Pain Away

You are brave and quiet I forget you are suffering. Only Ernest Hemingway could have summed it up so succinctly, so lyrically. The Nobel laureate’s words, born out of a lifelong personal battle with mental health, resonate with us at many levels, and that is the power of expression – eternal and emancipating.

Using free verse as her medium poetess Kamala Das also often used love, lust and disillusionment as recurrent themes in her works. Her poems The High Tide, Words Are Birds and The Last Act reflect her thoughts on the suffering and helplessness in human life. 

“Like a hurt child, he said, I am old,

I am finished.

I can not even make love…” 

Several studies on creativity and mental health have used Pearson's Correlation to conclude that when you channel your inner voice into words, the “unconscious rearrangement of symbols” is a huge source of “cultural achievement” as it conceptualises vague emotions. 

Writing can be cathartic and how!

No one knows that better than singer-songwriter Taylor Swift who owes her phenomenal success to her “dorky” Quill lyrics, Fountain Pen lyrics and Glitter Gel Pen lyrics that she categorised according to her figurative moods. Expressive writing thus heals because it lets the author break free from paradoxical social, psychological and cultural constraints thrust on us by the majoritarian narrative. 

Venting angst is thus not just cathartic but deeply curing. An article in the Harvard Business Review asserts that “a certain kind of guided, detailed writing can not only help us process what we’ve been through,” but “lower our blood pressure, strengthen our immune systems, and increase our general well-being.” Expressive writing, in fact, reduces stress, anxiety, and depression.

A strong case has also been made by many experts on how “hand” writing goes one step ahead in freeing you from distractions by heightening mindful self-expression and eventual self-awareness. The active engagement of the senses as the pen paraphrases on paper acts like a therapeutic balm on the agitated mind. 

Those who write regularly as part of self-care, even 20 minutes a day, soon experience a host of physiological benefits due to the sense of purpose that this seemingly mundane act brings about. The secret lies in the unbottling of pent-up feelings, the release of toxic thoughts and the venting of suppressed reactions. The eventual mastering of this creative skill opens new doors of lifelong learning and growth as well. No wonder then that some of the most famous authors -- Ezra Pound, Franz Kafka, Sylvia Plath and Virginia Wolfe – who struggled with mental health issues, effectively used writing to manage their emotions. 

Further, sharing these thoughts with friends, family and if one is up to it, society at large through book publication and social media interaction brings about a sense of community support that can do wonders for one’s self-esteem. This processing of frustrating emotions and experiences using a meditative medium is a path to holistic healing. A popular book club in Mumbai recently highlighted the use of “artsy zines” by marginalised communities to communicate messages and opinions in small, short print. 

The fight against psychological distress by jotting down triggers and reactions can also help the writer reflect on patterns of behaviour very crucial to understanding one’s mental health for better self-control and decision-making. OCD by Neil Hilbon pops into mind as a great example here. The freedom and confidentiality inherent in the process give the writer a much-needed safe space. 

Journaling, which is a rage at every yoga, vipassana, and meditation workshop has proved to be very effective in “reducing the number of sick days we take off work,” according to a 2022 study. The gradual shift from negative stressors to positive reinforcements is a game changer. Keeping track of personal thoughts is particularly helpful in breaking cycles of non-stop overthinking: a Gen Z-era epidemic. 

Positive psychology points out that “study participants who regularly drew their attention to aspects of their lives that made them feel blessed increased their positivity.” Once we break free of emotional inhibitions through “expressive writing therapy,” the path to individual empowerment opens up, just like author and wellness consultant Alex Elle’s Resilience which gives a “rare insight into the true nature of the human spirit.”

The coherent integration of every kind of situation through freestyle prose, interactive journaling, story-telling or songwriting widens our perspective too. This optimistic “keep calm and journal on” approach significantly promotes long-term well-being through improved sleep patterns and heightened memory function.

Evidence dates back to the fourth century B.C.E. when Egyptians believed that words had “medicinal and magical healing powers.” The use of the written words as “cognitive behavioural therapy” in the treatment of melancholia and depression in later centuries was well known, getting a stamp of approval from none other than the father of modern psychology Sigmund Freud. 

Writing in itself may not be THE answer to the multi-dimensional mental health issues that plague humanity but it certainly is one way to “peace” the pieces to make the whole!

“I can shake off everything as I write, my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn,” – Anne Frank echoes the sentiments of many of us who have experienced the palliative effect of opening up an “unashamed conversation” even if just with ourselves and our personal diaries! Write? 

Views expressed by the author are their own