Writing Therapy

Have you ever had a time where you feel like you just can’t cope?  Where your thoughts are buzzing around your head like a swarm of bees and you can’t seem to focus on any thought for very long?  And the thoughts keep flying backwards and forwards through your mind?

How does a person focus on a single bee (thought) in the swarm bees (thoughts)?  Have you tried writing?

There are times when I have days that I cannot focus.  That certain things are bothering me so badly that I keep thinking the same thoughts over and over again without ever actually dealing with any of the thoughts in depth.

What helps me is to write.  Even if I don’t write each thought out in detail, only do a “mind map” of the thoughts going through my mind it helps.

Ever had a child that struggles to express themselves verbally?  It is probably because when they think, they think with pictures rather than words.  I think with both, but I see pictures first, then translate those pictures into words. Writing helps me put my thoughts into words.  Once I have written it, or even drawn the picture that was in my mind, I am better able to explain it to somebody else.  Why not try to get the child to write, or draw their thoughts instead of explain them?

The benefits I have found in writing include the following:

Focusing on a specific thought: By writing down one specific thought after the other, you slow down the swarm of bees in your mind.  Each bee is still there, but they are now flying in slow motion so that you can focus on each one individually and not loose tract of it.  You may find that the bee you are writing about will interact with other bee’s in your mind.  When this is happening in normal speed then you loose track of the bee you were busy with and jump to another one.  While writing, you are able to see how the bee you are busy with interacts with the other bees in your mind, you connect patterns that you normally wouldn’t have noticed.

Create patterns between thoughts:  By seeing how each bee interacts with the others you will start to notice patterns or observe more detail than you observed previously. 

Calming: It can get frustrating to have all these thoughts going on in your mind and not know how to express them to someone else quickly enough.  By writing them down, you can take your time to express your thoughts.  Not having the stress of getting your thoughts out there fast enough enables you to think in a more calm way.

Still not convinced?  Just give it a try for a day.  Take a pen or a keyboard and write whatever comes to mind.  Slow down those racing thoughts, and see the benefits for yourself.