“Sharing” what burdens you is not just a creative act, but one of liberation, because writing is healthy and puts us in touch with ourselves.
Since dawn of time man has used first drawing and then writing to express what is otherwise inexpressible for him, “to bring out” something that he feels pressing on him from the inside. From the earliest cave paintings to the first words engraved on stone, up to writing on paper and then on a computer, all this has always reduced his fears, given form and control to his anxieties, brought out his expressive/creative needs, allowed him to better process his emotions and moods.
Show yourself to be more “wide-ranging”
A powerful tool then. This is the meaning of a self-therapy technique which is seemingly trivial, but in reality is based on recapturing the ritual gestures of writing as a core moment forgetting in touch with ourselves, as a possibility of reactivating different parts whose loss or loss of use could be among the main causes of several minor or moderate depressions. These techniques may be used alone or alongside an existing treatment (psychotherapy, medication, natural or body therapy), as a complementing aid to discovering ourselves and our nature. Experiencing writing as a ritual always pulls something out of ourselves that is already present, but that we did not recognise, at least not in that form. And it is an actual more wide-ranging “myself”, and not the “usual me”, that we need in order to escape the crisis. Otherwise we would have been out of it long since. Let’s see how to do it…
Yes to traditional tools
Better to use a pen and paper instead of the computer. We need physical gestures, “craftsman’s” ones, with which to make thoughts become visible.
In praise of slowness
Writing with a pen and paper favours a higher concentration and requires slow actions which are closer to the pace of the psyche.
Choose a familiar place
If you write at home, choose a spot which is more yours than others, in which you feel isolated; ideally in the evening. If you are out, prefer places that feel “yours”, without distractions.
It must be a sacred moment, yours only
Write only when you know you will not be interrupted, at times when there is no hurry and which aren’t just a bit of spare time.
Look after details
As you write, back out from the slavery of synthesis and let yourself go in expressing details and particulars, without limits.
Close up quickly
When you have finished do not immediately re-read what you wrote, only go back to it after a few days.
There is a style suitable for every difficulty
If you suffer from low self-esteem, write a letter, pretending that you will really post it. It does not matter if the recipient is real or imaginary, if he is alive or not. Choose, however, a person who values you positively and looks upon you favourably.
If pessimism imprisons you
Keep a journal. Write, in short, the things you do and that happen to you, noting the feelings that remain at the end of the day. When you reread it, in a few weeks, you’ll understand if you were really that bad. A pessimist forgets positive facts or misrepresents them through the negative emotion of the moment.
When creativity is unexpressed
Create new stories. Do not look for the plausible: all is permissible, even that the story has neither a beginning nor an end. It is important that the message should have no purpose, but only be an expression of imagination.
If you notice you are too serious
Write random words. Find a spot in your home where to hang a large white sheet of paper with a pen nearby. When walking by, write what comes to mind: a reflection, half a sentence, a name, an insult. Over time – it may be renewed – it will prove to be your mental freedom, irony and play space.