Finding it difficult to process your thoughts? Explore mental health benefits of creative writing and how to use the artistic form to enhance your well-being.
If you’ve spent any time researching or engaging with the mental health sphere, then you know journaling is considered a healthy coping skill for several conditions, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. But how does creative writing benefit mental health?
People have been writing down stories since around 3400 BC, when the written word was invented. Writing allows us to express ourselves, communicate with others, and process personal experiences.
But when we write creatively, we open a portal into the “what if.” We allow the seemingly impossible to become possible. We explore difficult and sometimes uncomfortable thoughts, emotions, or feelings on a quest to find meaning, relate to others, and gain reassurance that we aren’t alone.
As someone who views creative writing as a therapeutic outlet first and a job second, I can relate to this mission. Let’s explore the mental health benefits of creative writing and how to use this centuries-old form of artistic expression to boost your well-being.
What Counts as Creative Writing?
Creative writing draws from the imagination and strives to convey meaning through imagery and narrative. It helps us communicate with others, but it also helps us understand ourselves and gain fresh insights from new perspectives.
Creative writing differs from other forms of writing due to its use of literary devices, including character development, narrative development, point of view, and figurative language. Examples of creative writing include:
- Fiction (e.g. short stories, novels)
- Poetry
- Creative nonfiction
- Scripts
- Plays
Does Creative Writing Benefit Mental Health?
According to the American Psychiatric Association, about 46% of Americans use creative outlets to relieve stress or anxiety, and 16% cited creative writing as their preferred form.
Creative activities, like creative writing, help you step back from everyday responsibilities and use your brain differently than what it’s used to. They also help you relax and tune in to thoughts, emotions, or feelings that you don’t understand or usually try to avoid.
Explore these benefits of writing for your mental health, and see what this artistic outlet can do for you.
Increased Mental Clarity
Have you ever vented to a friend about something that’s been bothering you and felt better after? Your body felt lighter, your head felt clearer, and you were ready to tackle whatever came next. Writing can evoke these same feelings because it involves organizing and purging those emotions onto paper, making it easier to understand what’s going on in your head and how to fix it.
Improved Problem-Solving
The process of crafting a narrative stimulates certain brain regions, forming new neural pathways that keep the brain sharp. Creative writing often involves immense problem-solving to ensure your story makes sense and conveys your intended message. These skills come in handy when trying to understand your own mental health and how to express it to others.
Reduced Stress and Anxiety
When your mind won’t stop racing and your body feels like a tight coil ready to spring at any moment, concentrating on everyday tasks can be difficult. Channeling those anxious or stressful feelings into a fictional character or poem allows you to, essentially, make them someone else’s problem. That distance may help you understand what’s causing those emotions, brainstorm solutions, or obtain a welcome distraction, allowing your mind and body to calm down.
Elevated Self-Esteem
It’s human nature to want to feel useful and be good at something. When you write creatively, you’re essentially inventing a whole world, characters, ideas, and imagery that you believe is entertaining and meaningful. This means other people may also find it purposeful, relatable, and worth reading.
Knowing you’re capable of accomplishing such a big feat can boost your self-esteem. And if you feel comfortable sharing it with others, you may receive praise and encouragement to keep going.
Tips on Using Creative Writing for Mental Health
If you’re new to creative writing or haven’t written lately, staring at that blank, white page can feel intimidating. Frankly, even for experienced writers, that blank page is sometimes the enemy, especially when the words just don’t seem to want to come out.
But have no fear. With a little bit of guidance and inspiration, you can find that spark needed to get the words flowing and reap the mental health benefits of creative writing. Check out these strategies for using creative writing for mental health:
- Find a photograph: The photograph can be of anything. Yourself, a family member, a past vacation, or something you found on the internet. What memories does the photo trigger? How do they make you feel? Do those feelings or memories raise any conflicts that you can turn into a narrative? Once you have those pieces, start writing your story.
- Look out your window: What do you see? Focus on objects, people, animals, or the weather. What feelings or memories do these things stir? How do they affect or relate to each other? Do they affect you? Piece the answers to these questions together to form a narrative.
- Think about what scares you: This can be something as basic as spiders or sharks or as complex as failure or the loss of a loved one. Craft a narrative involving a character having to face this fear and what they do to overcome it. This may not encourage you to face your own fears, but it can enhance your problem-solving skills and self-esteem.
- Listen to your favorite song: Consider why you like this song. Write down favorite lyrics or phrases, and use these to create a character, conflict, or imagery that conveys similar emotions. Then determine where the narrative goes from there.
- Engage in short freewriting sessions: Sometimes looking internally can inspire a word-waterfall. Set a timer for 5 to 10 minutes, and start writing. Think about what you did that day, whether something’s bothering you, or if you’re dreading or looking forward to something. What you write doesn’t have to make sense. That part comes later once the words are down on paper, and you identify how to transform them into a cohesive narrative.
Integrate Creative Writing Exercises Into Your Daily Routine
A huge benefit of using creative writing as your artistic outlet is that it requires minimal materials and a low commitment. Grab a piece of paper and pen or open the Notes app on your phone, and start writing.
Even if you can only spare 10 to 15 minutes, it may be just enough time to get the creative juices flowing. Ideal times to integrate creative writing into your schedule include:
- First thing in the morning
- During your lunch break
- While you’re waiting for a bus or train
- During your commute (if you’re not driving)
- While you’re decompressing after work
- While you’re waiting for dinner to finish cooking
- Before you go to bed
Ultimately, you know your schedule better than I do. Look for those little moments of downtime when the world around you is just quiet or distracted enough for you to turn inward and reframe those anxious, stressful, or unpleasant thoughts into something worth writing about.
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The Enlightened Storyteller 