A Healthy Task
- Colleen Briske Ferguson
- Oct 10
- 3 min read
A picture tells a thousand words… But we need the words to explain what we are feeling. The reason I do a blog poem occasionally is because they free the mind to explore words and feelings, and they energize our creative qualities (writers and readers alike). Sometimes poems make us look deep inside or help us to understand what others are going through. They open us to the universe, to ourselves, and to God if we are looking His way. The tenuous beings that we are – solid yet not solid – can be opened to look inside and outside (our surroundings) when we scribble words to describe the world and living. We put it in pretty, colorful, depressing, painful, but always moving words. How do we describe how we are feeling in a new way or in a connecting way? Being creative is a huge part of it for me, but for many of us – and at times for myself – when we pick up a pen and start writing, it is healing. It has been found that journaling is a healthy task for alleviating our emotions which helps with mental health. It can help us process stress and trauma as well as help with self-discovery.
Don’t be afraid to put your feelings down on paper. If they are especially negative, come back to them later and edit how you really want them to be or how you want to feel. (It’s not about hurting others; it’s about exorcising negative emotions in ourselves.) There have been a few instances when I wrote something when I was angry, and I was a little shocked at how ugly it sounded when I reread it later. I edited those to make my point and adjust how I think I should feel compared to how I had been feeling. It was calming and showed me a better way to see the situation and to question why I was so angry and what I could do about it. On the other hand, if the words we have written are just as we need them to be, we should accept that is where we are and think about where we want to be – angry, stressed, or at peace – then write about that. Sometimes getting anger or pain on paper is liberating. Sometimes we need to throw that bit out once we are done – or reread it a couple times, not to fan the flames, but to let go of whatever is burning inside of us; then we can throw it out – literally and emotionally.
After writing my poems, I do feel happier, cleaner, and I think it is because I have created something (beautiful, I hope), but there is a pretty good chance I have also freed myself a bit to go on living a little less burdened than before I started writing. It doesn’t matter if we are poets or writers or know proper punctuation. Journaling is not about creating so much as stress relieving, letting go, learning, and problem solving. Because when we learn about who we are and who we want to be through writing, we often find ways to make the changes we want to make.
Journaling Tips:
Start small – write a little something each day until you feel comfortable with it. That will help hold off feelings of being overwhelmed or inadequate.
Be honest about how you feel to get the most out of it.
Make it a habit: A specific time of day will help make it a regular part of your life. The “practice makes perfect” regarding making it a part of your routine works, but never think you need to perfect the writing – just making journaling a task to a better – not perfect – you.
Psychology Today; Very Well Health; Positivepsychology.com; Psych Central; Healthline
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