Writing as Meditation, Therapy and Catharsis...

I've been spending quite a bit of time recently, going over my old writing files, private journals and even the several dozen blogs I have littered the Internet with, in the course of the past few decades.

As I started sorting this seemingly never-ending stream of words, I came to the somewhat startling realization that maybe part the majority of the reason I have never been more "successful" as a writer is that I have never approached writing as "a job."

Well, that's not entirely true. I was a technical writer for a few years, but I didn't really enjoy it... mostly because it revolved around writing what other people told me I had to write — not what I wanted to write.

Although I had the ridiculous notion as a kid that I would like to "Write Stories for a Living" when I grew up... even when I was a teenager, my eternal scribbling in dozens of journals was more about maintaining my own sanity than about creating something that "might become a book someday."

Writing As Therapy

As a teenager, I wrote because it was a way for me to get what was inside my head OUT of there. Although I had no conscious sense of what I was doing, by writing my troubling ideas out I somehow felt able to "no longer worry about them," because I could always revisit them in my journal.

It was a useful tool, especially during some of my darkest emotional times.

Many years later — as part of regular "therapy" — it was my ability to articulate seemingly abstract feelings in writing that turned out to be particularly useful. At that time, I also got into keeping dream journals... a habit that started as a therapeutic "homework assignment," but which I never gave up. 

All these years later, I'm glad I have those very detailed dream records... some of which have turned out to be far more prophetic than "random chance." 

To this day, writing remains an important part of my mental health maintenance and stability. Which is why I have always been able to quite sincerely say that I would probably still be writing here, even if there were no rewards. If not here, it would be somewhere else...

It's NOT About "Being Troubled"

Sometimes I encounter people who seem almost troubled by the idea that I am — in part — writing "for mental health purposes." 

I finally had a long enough conversation with a friend recently to understand that perhaps the dis-ease with such an idea stems from the fact that the moment someone starts talking about doing things "for mental health reasons," it's somehow an admission that they are "troubled."

Whereas I can appreciate the apprehension — to an extent — it still seems a little odd to me. 

I mean, let's think about it. We exercise and eat right for physical reasons, and we have medical checkups with doctors even if we're not physically ill. Nobody gives that even a moment's second thought...

So why would we not do mental health exercises (like writing) and occasionally consult a mental health professional just to "check in?" 

Somehow, it seems like speaking of the psyche has become taboo; off limits. And frequently we're more troubled by someone having a nervous breakdown than a heart attack. Why? Why are we afraid of the workings of the mind?

I don't have any good answers, mind you. But I am going to keep writing!

How About YOU? Why do you write? Have you ever written — or considered your writing — in the context of being a mental health exercise? Do you find writing to be cathartic? Do you keep a journal? Do you feel more relaxed and balanced because you keep a journal? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!

created by @zord189

(As always, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 180611 16:57 PDT