There is research that suggests “benefits of expressive writing” on mental wellbeing and health. Also, “[s]tudies…show how writing can help us deal with adversity in the present and dream of better futures”. (Tarragona).

For example, one type of writing that can impact mental wellbeing is expressive writing. Dr. Pennebaker, a leading researcher in the field of expressive writing, has learned that expressive writing can serve as a tool to understand emotionally confusing events and to ease emotion pain. He writes that “[expressive writing] is a brief writing technique that helps people understand and deal with emotional upheavals in their lives…[i]ts greatest appeal is that it is a method with strong scientific evidence behind it” (Pennebaker and Smyth).

Another way to write about mental wellbeing is simply through traditional stories, essays, and memoirs. Literature and writing can play a role in helping yourself and others understand the more difficult to digest parts of mental wellness. People have used their experiences to tell narratives about mental health as a way “to reflect on society, the mind, and what it means to live with mental illness” (Heing). For example, through a series of essays, Esmé Weijun Wang relates her story “of living with schizoaffective disorder with clarity and grace” (Hung). She says: ‘“perhaps I was attempting to provide evidence of my side of the story, or trying to make sense of a situation that was confusing even to me’” (Hung). An essay is one way to go; others may choose to write a fictional story with an underlying message that tells us something about mental wellbeing - self acceptance, kindness towards others, positive body image, etc. It can be a short story, a poem, or even a short novel - anything you’d like!

Not everyone will understand nor will go through a similar journey in mental wellbeing as the next person. But writing your own story, even without sharing it, can help you feel less alone and may help you cope with the effects of particularly stressful or challenging events in your life.

Besides expressive writing, which focuses on emotional events and experiences, just daily journaling can help, too. Journaling provides a space for positive self talk, a place to put down daily feelings, or to help you get a hold on worries or fears.