Write. Everyday.
Dec. 5, 2020
Read time: 3 minutes and 15 seconds.
tags:Write it down
This isn’t a suggestion, but a need to be able to manage thoughts, plans and work. There’s often a misconception we have that we are able to remember what we need to do or wish to accomplish because it’s in our mind and we will remember it well enough to do and accomplish it. If reading the previous sentence bothered you, you’re already moving in the ‘write’ direction.
Express yo’ self!
There’s little arguing that internet and smartphone addicts are increasingly likely to exhibit depressive disorder and anxiety. We start to desire the material things we see on social media and the further removed we are from that reality ourselves, the more difficult we might find it is to cope with not having these things. The good news:
There may be an opportunity to relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression with a pen and paper
The solution does not happen over night, but with persistent effort you can give yourself some emotional relief based on the type of writing you are doing. A few reports have found benefits from expressive writing on certain types of patients who are more expressive (here, here, and here (CAUTION)) and some risks to patients who are less expressive. The challenge is that most studies are done on small samples and are designed differently to be able to draw a generalized conclusion. However, there are several categories of writing that go beyond the scope of expressive writing.
NOTE: I warn caution on any self-reported analyses as they can easily be scrutinized for poor individual reporting. However, a double-blind randomized control trial is difficult to conduct on writing patterns for anxiety.
MOST IMPORTANT NOTE: None of this is medical advice, just interesting research found on the internet. I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to be one.
Forms of writing
Writing takes on all types of shapes, but it is mostly designed to communicate to an audience. In this case, I write for any and everyone in all types of forms such as artistic, creative or technical writing on subjects I enjoy. Some folks write on historic events like journalists on news, beat writing, sports, history, philosphy, and sciences (social or physical) to name a few.
How to write everyday
If you’re anything like me, you might have an opinion or idea about something you heard today, yesterday or whenever. The best thing to do to be able to write every day is to create a habit out of it which is a lengthy process that can be aided with some technology to form it. Here are a few things I have done to form a habit of writing everyday:
- Setup alarm(s) - I suggest multiple of these to provide you with the reminders you need to during your day to get writing. The alarm shouldn’t interfere with other important activities, but the time should be honoured when set to form the habit.
- Use a template - This might not seem intuitive for writing for yourself or your own content, but it can sometimes warm up your mind to write about the content you like. I’ve used some templates in the past to help me in my day with a daily gratitude journal. I plan on sharing an example of one I fill out daily.
- Have a friend keep you accountable - Just let someone know you’re going to be writing everyday. It helps most if you ask someone you connect with daily.
- Don’t be afraid to fail - You might not be able to write everyday. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Just make sure you can get up and write again tomorrow! Imperfection is a part of being human.
- Write it down - Make sure you write down that it is a task you want to complete in a day. Even if the subject is unclear, writing it down can act as a reminder.
If writing everyday is new to you, don’t forget that you’re likely taking on this activity for yourself.
No one else. Don’t take yourself too seriously and remember to have fun with your writing. Getting the most out of writing rewards yourself most and if it benefits others, well, that’s complementary!