Is Writing a Lost Art?
I do hope not because the benefits of taking pen to paper are immeasurable.
Did you know that when you write things down, a lot happens behind the scenes. Your brain jumps in to take part and you become more focused, which helps with attention. Writing activates numerous sensory processes leading to the potential expansion of brain neuroplasticity.
Practice strengthens cognitive abilities, reinforcing the neural paths with use, just as physical workouts tone up the body. Writing by hand lights up the brain, especially the areas related to creativity, memory and language. It’s a mental work out likely to improve thinking, induce positivity, healing and upskill vocabulary. Handwriting is a joined-up activity because it needs movement together with thought processes that emanate from the brain.
These days, our minds can become cluttered by external input. Think about an untidy room or cupboard and what it feels like when you embark on a spring clean. Something visceral occurs as items are sorted out, organized, and in the process, free up all important space. The chances are, that precious lost things surface too, having become swamped amongst the chaos.
Relieve Anxiety
The mind is not much different, albeit, invisible to the eye on a daily basis. However, unless it has regular attention to what is building up internally, mental and emotional stress compounds and can be the underlying cause of all sorts of discontent, anxiety and inability to face the challenges of the day or cope mentally.
Writing is a route to relieving stress and clarifying emotions, which contrary to many an opinion, once understood, will be friend and not foe. Emotions are vital to our existence as they signal feelings which in turn help us to discern where we stand and allow us to navigate our way with more perception, rather than being overpowered.
Therefore, expressing feelings on paper, helps to diffuse overwhelm, as clarity of thought prevails. Writing encourages being in the present which in turn allows the mind to relax.
There is always an opportunity throughout life to learn more, whether it be about ourselves or some new information that will enlarge upon existing knowledge or beliefs.
Get Started with a Journal
Journaling is a way to get started. The formation of letters, doodles or even drawings stimulate creative associations which spark the flow of ideas, allow thought processes to be organized into plans and prioritize activities. Making notes whilst studying is a very important aid to recall. When you write information down, memory is reinforced because the brain is actively processing the data on more than one level.
You will no doubt find that the written word is a deeper share than the spoken, which tends to consist of repetitive and habitual communications. It’s common for everyday thoughts to run havoc around and around, never resolving issues but simply augmenting fears or problems. By writing thoughts down, the words act as a mirror to reflect back hidden truths and broader viewpoints which can enlarge and even alter the way something is seen. Rather than a fixed mindset, the flexibility of a new frame of reference can help track progress and change prospects for the good as alternatives are explored.
The beauty of employing a journal or picking up a pen, pencil or crayon, is that there is no outside interference. Here is an opportunity to allow a stream of consciousness with no criticism other that what is inside your own head. When this flow emerges to the fore, you find hidden blocks which are within your power to dissolve. Then by allowing words to come unconsciously, intuition activates a connection to a rich source of creativity which resides beyond the linear experience.
Writing Powers up the Brain
You will discover that regardless of your current narrative, you have the power to change the story. You can refocus and with new insights, adapt intentions. Writing allows this amazing ability to get out of the mental rut and shapeshift the brain. The improvements in thinking skills are profound and the benefits represent a form of therapy that costs nothing other than the spending of time. What a tremendously positive investment!
