Write to Help Yourself Heal

 Tue 13 July 2021

Write to Help Yourself Heal

For many of us, the pandemic has been one of the most challenging times in our lives. Writing can help us process what we’ve gone through in order to help us move forward. Sometimes what may be difficult to express out loud can be readily given voice on the page. And research has shown that writing about negative events can lower blood pressure, reduce stress, bring greater focus and clarity, and boost overall well-being. Here are three prompts you can use.

    Spend 10 minutes writing down whatever bubbles up when you think about your pandemic experience — moments that have stayed with you, whether they’re pleasant or unpleasant. Don’t hold back. If you run out of things to say, write that (“running out of things to say”) until a new thought comes to mind.
    Answer these questions: What’s one thing you know now that you didn’t know before the pandemic? How and when did you learn it?
    Think of one object in your home that represents a moment in the pandemic for you. Look closely at its colors. Feel the weight of it. Use all of your senses. Now, write as specifically as you can about that object. You might find that the smallest detail brings out some truth or feeling for you.

This tip is adapted from “Writing Can Help Us Heal from Trauma,” by Deborah Siegel-Acevedo