There are so many reasons to write. Some are that it stimulates your memory, improves sleep, and increases immune cell activity. According to a study in the February issue of The Oncologist, “cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing just before treatment felt markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared with patients who did not.” (Jessica Wapner, Blogging – It’s Good for You: The therapeutic value of blogging becomes a focus of a story, Scientific American, June 2008, 23). Wapner makes the case that blogging is good for us.
In another article on brain research, William Harms (January 13, 2001) discovered that, just before an exam, if students wrote for ten minutes about what was causing them fear, their test results indicated increased test performance. (Harmes, Writing about worries eases anxiety and improves test performance, UChicago News, The Web).
I love reading about brain improvement in scientific studies, because it underscores my own experience with writing, over 50 years of practice. Yes, if I am experiencing insomnia, I finally turn on my light, reach for my pen and notebook, and write whatever comes out – and upon the completion of those few words, I can sleep. Two of those poems are as follows…
You wonder
Who writes this stuff
In the early morning hours, eh?
Some urchin
Compels you
To reach for your pen
And follow its ramblings
Even if your head is still
On the pillow,
You watch that purple pen spew out the dark
Into whatever receptacle
Will hold it
And then, comes the light.
Trickster Mind
Earplugs still in,
All is silent
But my chattering nattering niggling mind.
Turn on the lamp
Shed light upon it
Nothing’s coming now
How can I go still
When a moment ago,
The chattering was shouting!!!
After writing this, I was able to sleep.
Similarly, if I awaken with negative thoughts, once I write them out they are gone from my mind – and I can focus upon the more positive attitudes and thereby create an easier day for myself.
I have often used the healing ability of writing to lift me up from a challenge, or, at least, move me through it with greater ease. So, writing doesn’t just improve test performance, it improves your performance through life. Once it’s written down, dumped onto the page, it seems as if you’ve done a little surgical operation on your brain.
Try it. You will feel better – and your life will look rosier.
According to some of the research now, your brain will have made more synaptic connections and you will feel more empowered throughout your day.
(c) M. Burns, 4/9/05