There are so many different kinds of creative writing: poetry, fiction, journaling, blogging, songwriting, etc. And all of these are beneficial to us, not just mentally but physically, too! And it doesn’t matter how skilled someone is, just the act of writing is incredibly helpful. Read on to learn about some reasons why this is.
It Can Improve Immune Function
You can actually strengthen your immune system by journaling or creative writing, so you’ll get sick less often. Not only this, but it can even improve symptoms of other illnesses such as liver disease, can decrease blood pressure, and even help you heal from wounds faster.
Accelerate Recovery from Illness or Operations
Tying into the first point, writing can help you heal faster. The benefits writing brings to our mental state may be partially the cause, but regardless, the fact that people who do write often can get better faster is incredible. It may have to do with hormones as well: cortisol is a stress hormone, and it increases when we’re sick or recovering, and writing helps that hormone go down.
Can Improve Sleep
When something is on our minds, it’s hard to sleep. Whether it’s thinking through an issue, stresses we carry through our days, or just an idea swirling in our heads, it’s crowding our minds and keeping us awake. But writing these thoughts down on paper, trying to work through it or record it, frees this space up for us to relax and fall into dreamland.
Can Reduce Stress
Journaling is a great way to work through emotions, especially if we can’t directly address them. It gets them off our chests and hearts, and it gives us space to heal and feel better. Creative writing can serve similar purposes, and it can also help us escape, even just briefly, and give us that relief we need.
Mood Booster
Writing often reflects how we’re feeling, but it can also boost our moods. Just like reading something happy can help when we’re unhappy, writing something happy can help us feel better. And even if we write despondent things when we’re sad, it can feel validating and like we’re transferring all our sadness to our writing.
Can Improve Mental Illness
While writing can’t cure mental illness and shouldn’t be used for that purpose, it can certainly improve it. It helps get all our thoughts out of our minds so we can actually see them, and it increases our self-awareness. This can sometimes help us realize where we are mentally and when we need to reach out and find help.
Writing brings all kinds of benefits, whether you’re new to writing or already an expert. So pick up that pen, or place your fingers on that keyboard, and get started!
Click here for an article on how creative writing can boost your wellbeing.
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