This ability to look inside has long been considered a key to mental well-being in traditional cultures around the world.
Expressive Writing
Expressive writing is often used in therapeutic settings where people are asked to write about their thoughts and feelings related to a stressful life event. This type of writing aims to help emotionally process something difficult.Reflective Writing
Reflective writing is regularly used in professional settings, often as a way to help nurses, doctors, teachers, psychologists, and social workers become more effective at their jobs. Reflective writing aims to give people a way to assess their beliefs and actions explicitly for learning and development.Creative Writing
Poems, short stories, novellas, and novels are all considered forms of creative writing. Usually, creative writing employs the imagination as well as, or instead of, memory, and uses literary devices like imagery and metaphor to convey meaning.Writing creatively offers a unique way to explore thoughts, feelings, ideas, and beliefs. For instance, you could write a science fiction novel that represents your concerns about the environment or a children’s story that speaks to your beliefs about friendship. You could even write a poem from the perspective of an owl as a way to represent your insomnia.
Writing for Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is a key component for good mental health and writing is a great place to start.Why not take some time to write down your feelings about a particularly stressful event that has happened during the pandemic? Or reflect on a difficult work situation from the last year and consider what you have learned from it?
If you prefer to do something more creative, then try responding to this prompt by writing a poem or story:
Each of these writing prompts will give you a chance to reflect on this past year, ask yourself important questions, and make creative choices. Spending just 15 minutes doing this may give you an opportunity to become more self-aware.