When final exams are on the horizon and seriously sleep-deprived students are running around nursing severe caffeine addictions, a little writing therapy may provide some much-needed relief.
"The process of writing about traumatic events or important events can have beneficial physical and mental health effects," says Carolyn Birnie-Porter, a PhD student at McGill who has researched the therapeutic benefits of journal writing. Much of her research is based on studies by James Pennebaker, a psychology professor at the University of Texas. According to his studies, journal writing can, among other things, improve immune system function and reduce stress levels.
Pennebaker found that students who write down their thoughts had easier transitions from high school to university because they confronted their experiences through writing. They also had better GPAs than those who did not write.
"If people want to write about their relationships, that should carry over into better mental health, which is beneficial for your work," says Birnie-Porter.
The act of writing is important, but the way that you write about an event also matters.
"[The writing] needs to have insight into why it happened," says Birnie-Porter. "Just writing about positive emotions [or] negative emotions … does nothing." Some key words to use that will have a positive effect include "realize" and "understand."
Many find it difficult to motivate themselves to write in a diary, but there are other options available. Birnie-Porter offers suggestions such as emailing a partner or close friend, anonymous people, or even yourself. Or try writing a blog, a 21st century form of journal writing. But Birnie-Porter warns bloggers to be careful of what they write because they never know who could see it or who could get hurt.
In order to stay focussed, try to schedule sessions of at least 15 minutes once or twice a week.
Be the first to comment on this story