A couple of months ago, a friend asked me if I always planned to get into writing. “I didn’t. I followed the paths and clues life gave me. It may sound cliché, but it just happened. I didn’t plan for it.”, I said. When I interviewed a renowned graphologist Aditi Suara on my podcast, after analyzing my handwriting, she said “you were destined to be in this field. When you can’t express something verbally, writing gives you the medium. And you always feel happy from within whenever you write something.” I was surprised and glad to hear her words. She was 100% right.

What does writing means to me?

Writing has always been an extra limb for me. I stepped into creative writing almost 10 years ago. Something that started as a desire to utilize my time productively soon became a medium to express my feelings and share them with the world. It gave me a new set of friends, shaped my narrative of who I am, and has played a crucial role in my personality. It will not be wrong if I say that it gave me a new perspective on myself, the situation, and the world. 

Whether journaling, diary writing, or creative writing, it gave me a vent to express myself and reflect upon my thoughts. It gave me a breakthrough in certain challenging situations and helped me deal with my emotions. I don’t want to talk about those tough times on my blog; they are my past now, and everything went well. Let’s jump on our topic and enter into the world of writing. Whatever I am going to write, I have experienced them and still experience them.

From a Cognitive point of view, creative writing has many advantages. Writing is an art that encourages you to engage your brain in a unique – yet familiar – way, looking at things from a fresh perspective and choosing your words carefully.  

I have taken some courses in the past years and months, including NLP Master Practitioner, Emotional Intelligence Life Coaching, and Personal Transformation Breakthrough Coaching. In all these courses, a lot of importance was given to writing/journaling. The reason is obvious. Writing has many psychological benefits. It helps us vent out and feel light. When we get clarity in our thoughts, we can make better decisions. It gives our mind a chance to think fresh. In fact, people who are into any form of writing are good speakers or communicators as they know the power of words and choose them wisely. So, are you ready to dig deeper? Come with me. 

• Gives you mental clarity 
• Improves self-care and self-esteem 
• Writing improves your attention span 
• Expressing feelings 
• Writing fosters creativity 

Gives you mental clarity 

Creative writing forces you to arrange and put your ideas into words. This can assist you in putting things into perspective and making better judgments. Writing also helps you become more conscious of your ideas and emotions. When we write down our ideas, we push ourselves to organize them logically. Writing can significantly boost mental clarity. And when you have this, it will have a positive impact on your self-worth.  

Improves self-care and self-esteem

When we can vent our thoughts, we invest in self-care. We do not let our feelings pile up. When we share our accomplishments with others through writing, the praise we get boosts our self-esteem. It can make you feel better about yourself. Writing allows you to express your thoughts and feelings about achievements and milestones.

Writing improves your attention span

No surprise, people’s attention spans are shrinking daily. Research shows the average person’s attention span is now only 7-8 seconds long. When you are writing, you are actually multitasking. There is a quote –“Write without fear and edit without mercy.” You are thinking, composing, drafting, editing, and weaving them into a writing piece. All this needs focus. No task can be combined with one other. 

It helps in expressing feelings

Writing enables you to unwind and de-stress. When we have so much going on inside us, we don’t know how to discuss it. Sometimes we don’t feel comfortable to talk about it. That’s the time; writing gives us a medium to express feelings and find an outlet.

In her article Writing is self-expression, Julia Walter says, “Writing, for me, is how I check in with myself and how I can better understand what is going on inside my head with my thoughts and feelings.”

Whether through poetry, fiction, or personal essays, writing allows individuals to explore their emotions, make sense of their experiences, and connect with others on a deeper level.

Writing fosters creativity

When you have to put your thoughts into words, your brain takes a creative route. You think from a different angle and find creativity in simple things. Your brain learns to look for creativity in every small thing; your thought process takes a new turn and gives you several reasons to find joy and happiness. 

Final words

Writing can be very fulfilling and can have therapeutic effects. I can go on and on this topic. If you are into writing, I am sure you will agree. But if you are new to writing, you too will soon experience its magic. So what are you waiting for?

This post is part of the “The Write Path Blog Hop” hosted by Swarnali Nath .