Writing has been around since 3400 bc, but some sources date it even earlier. In ancient times, those who knew how to read and write were considered superior beings and higher in the social hierarchy among various civilizations. The reason behind that is words' immense power, especially when given a physical space to unfold.
Most of our brain is devoted to communication skills. Therefore, our world revolves around words. But specifically, writing and being able to express your thoughts brings benefits and simplifies your life.
Firstly, writing things down also helps us memorize and visualize things better. Just like the Latin quote "Verba volant, Scripta manent," words tend to disappear unless written down. So, writing is a critical
factor in remembering and modifying our thoughts' structure.
Secondly, writing also helps with reflecting and mind framing. The writers from the Romantic era described poetry and writing as a time to make feelings emerge and ponder for a while.
Thus, writing is a powerful tool to help you grow and develop your mind and personality while clearing your path. But let's find out more about how to use this tool to benefit us.
Mindframing
Just like a computer, your brain has "default settings." Some of these "settings" are crucial to our well-being because they keep us alive. For instance, breathing without thinking because it's an automatic process.
Nonetheless, the thought patterns for most of us are default too. This means that the brain might take the easiest path it knows in different situations. But what if the path it takes isn't the best in the long run?
For example, when you're faced with a stressful situation, your sympathetic system triggers and starts to produce cortisol, the stress hormone. You might begin to panic, sweat, have your heart racing, and even feel butterflies in your stomach.
This is a great response when you're in the jungle, possibly in great danger and needing to fight or flee. But in our society, we tend to use this automatic response for a multitude of issues.
When you're constantly in a stressful state of mind, your body might become chemically imbalanced, resulting in anxiety, depression, panic attacks, spontaneous weight gain or loss, and more.
Writing can help you reframe your mind and pick a better path in a tough situation. By writing down your words, you're:
- Reflecting on your current state of mind
- Digging deep into your emotional self
- Reconnecting with your body in the present moment
- Analyzing yourself and your mechanisms
- Starting to collaborate with your brain
- Starting to guide your mind towards a better path
- Develop better cognitive functions because you're thinking about thoughts
Ultimately, you'll have more control over yourself and your life while learning to discover your authenticity and live up to your true self. Thus, by writing, you'll implicitly become the writer of your own story, the creator of your path.
Emotional growth
We previously listed a few benefits of writing, one of those was digging into your emotional self. This is a quintessential activity that most people don't practice.
Unfortunately, most of us didn't grow up without mental health and emotional development guidance. The people around us let us instinctively develop our emotional world, just like they did. Nonetheless, being emotionally intelligent and perceptive isn't something most people have. So, it's crucial to teach children early on to learn, manage, and healthily express their feelings.
But what about the adults? You can develop your emotional intelligence at any age, but it might be demanding as you get older because you're so used to your ways. Nonetheless, once you start digging into your emotional self, your life improves exponentially.
Writing can help you with emotional development. For instance, you can start writing down your thoughts that come up for a few days. Then, try to express more and more feelings as you write. The key is to get to a point where your daily reports aren't about what you've done that day but how you felt.
Moreover, there are myriads of helpful prompts online that you can use to start knowing your emotional self better. So, look for the most interesting suggestions.
Start writing
The question is, "Where do I start writing?" The beginning might be challenging because you're trying to create a new habit and don't know where to start. But you need to start somewhere in order to grow.
Find your journal
The first step is finding the best place to write. Maybe you want to write in a journal that you can personalize as you go. Otherwise, you might have a digital journal to keep on your phone. Or you like to write on any paper you find and collect it in a drawer. Whatever your method is, try to find what feels best.
Some people like digital journals because they're more used to the screen and want to carry their journal everywhere without the weight of a physical book. Others like the smell of the paper and the fact that they can hold their notebook. It gives them a sense of "my thoughts are real."
Set some goals
Before you start to write, try to understand where you are in your life. If you already know something that's bothering you, you can start from there. Express your feelings, then try to find the origin.
Learn to get curious about your inner world and start researching more about the origin of some feelings. And learn to note down your thoughts and feelings, then find the cause.
Also, it's a fantastic idea to set goals. For instance, you can try to write every day for a week. Then, the next goal is to create a mood board for how you want your life to be.
Conclusions
If you're looking for personal growth, start writing. Let yourself become the journal, and add anything significant to you. Let your creativity free because that's your journal, no one else's. Lastly, remember that the more you write, the more progress you make. So, keep your writing habit going.
Author bio: Leon Collier is a freelancer at Superiorpapers and a blogger. He's also been helping students with assignments at RushMyEssay and other writing websites. Moreover, he is passionate about his work and loves to share his experience, tips, and tricks of the trade with other people. When Colin isn't writing, he's reading, painting, and spending time in nature with his wife and dogs.
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